EARTH (USA)

Seattle's drone doom and experimental pioneers Earth have gone through numerous sonic transformations since their formation in 1989. However three elements have remained constant: elongated songs, glacial tempos and the ever present drone. With a discography spanning over 20 years, Earth is characterised by steady rhythms, repetition and melodic guitar progressions - heavy visions with an undercurrence of dark beauty.

It’s hard not to think of the desert when listening to any Earth record in the last six years: The windswept loneliness of a cracked sand plane, the sun-bleached cattle skulls, the regal glory of an orange-saturated sunset — it’s all there, slow as syrup, heavier than a boulder strapped to your back. - NPR

Frontman and only constant member Dylan Carlson is fascinated by the idea of musical influence as a continuum. Early releases were inspired by metal and prog rock - Black Sabbath, Slayer, Deep Purple, King Crimson - combined with a mix of European experimental rock records, whereas material made after their early-'00's rebirth reveals Carlson's increasing love of folk, blues and country.

Thick, black tides of low-end demonic riffage flowed like an oil slick, bruising oceans of sound and surfacing only occasionally for air. Space and thought emerged deep within the slick, as textures mixed, twirled and transformed in subtle and unnerving ways like the dull formation of a raincloud - The Quietus. 

No matter how varied their sources of inspiration, there is no doubt that Earth are one of the most influential bands themselves in the modern metal spectrum, with debut album Extra-Capsular Extraction (1991) renowned as being a drone metal compendium.

Forget about Dylan's association with the late Kurt Cobain - Earth stack up against any Seattle rock band in terms of prowess and the depth of their musical legacy.

Margins
Support on the night comes from Melbourne instrumental rockers Margins. Margins stand out amongst many others in the same genre. Self-titled 2009 release provides dark sounds coloured with muted guitar riffs and propulsive rhythms, and avoids the usual emotive crescendos and melodies drowned in effects common to this style. Comprised of members from Blacklevel Embassy, Ricaine and The Nation Blue, Margins are masters at creating ambience without being an ambient band. 

Original Past Life
Original Past Life is the new musical project of Adam Trainer, former member of Radarmaker, Polaroid Ghost and The Ghost of 29 Megacycles. Based around organic musical exploration, Original Past Life marries guitar-based drone with looped textures and shifting rhythmic elements, creating a subtle, focused and introspective sound world that is dark, spacious and at times noisy. Drawing comparisons to artists such as The Necks, Supersilent and Spartak, Original Past Life utilise a similar sense of contemplative experimentation and instrumental improvisation to fuse noise with melody and arrangement with instinct.

Earth with special guests Margins and Original Past Life play The Rosemount Hotel on Saturday September 15.

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