Earth- “Hex: Or Printing In The Infernal Method”

March 3rd, 2006 by Sam James Velde

Dylan Carlson’s drone ambient monolith (the name was originally used by Black Sabbath) has battled the elements and survived (Drug addiction, label changes, member changes, trends, etc.) to further break the barriers of what’s considered ‘Metal’ and whats considered ‘Ambient’. Earth carved it’s sound out of creating super low frequencies and letting them drone into a blissful void. Beginning in 1990 and showcasing members and appearances from such notables as; Slim Moon, Joe Preston and Kurt Kobain. Earth has stood the test of time, releasing 5 solid studio albums, scattered live performances, remixes and EPs. Progressing in sound and dynamic, changing ever so slightly or flipping the whole thing on its head (check out the record Pentastar: In The Style Of Demons). Their 16 yrs of existence have led to a flood of influenced contemporaries: Sunn, Boris, Pelican, to name a few. Not to let any of them get too close, Dylan has once again ‘changed the game’ with "Hex: Or The Infernal Method Of Printing.". ‘Hex’ taps its ambient stylings into a ‘Lost Highway’ meets Sergio Leone style of country atmospherics. Leaning on the stylings of such bands as Giant Sand, Calexico, Neil Young and Crazy Horse, and even past Sub Pop label mates Codeine. The low frequency drone has been mixed with lap steel, pedal steel guitar, flanger, e-bowed notes, and eerie soundscaped feedback. ‘Hex’ is the lost soundtrack to the next David Lynch film. Somebody tell him! But Check these tracks out 1st..