Earth are one of those bands who are impossible to get a fix on. They began as doom metal instrumentalists in the early 90s and have since fanned outwards to the point where their last two releases – Angels Of Darkness and Demons Of Light – shared a love of classic British folk-rock.
Primitive And Deadly is a whole other beast, perhaps the closest that core members Dylan Carlson and Adrienne Davies have ever come to a remotely conventional rock album. What’s truly wonderful about Carlson (here abetted by fellow guitarists Brett Netson and Jodie Cox) is the way he tempers Earth’s Jurassic drone with rich detail and endlessly shifting textures, creating a sound world that’s hopelessly addictive.
Mark Lanegan adds his lugubrious vocals to a couple of these epics (nothing here ducks beneath the eight-minute mark), though it’s Rabia Shaheen Qazi’s turn on From The Zodiacal Light that really steals the honours./o:p
