Blimey! Has it really been four whole years since I last reviewed some new Earthless? A quick click or two (see Ave Noctum passim) confirms that this is sadly the case, specifically their rather excellent ‘Black Heaven’. Now, what the heck happened in the last few years that means they’ve not been recording and touring recently, eh? Well, whatever the reason they weren’t in the studio was, it’s damn good to have them back, and in a truly epic way too.
‘Part 1’ of the title track ‘Night Parade Of One Hundred Demons’ opens the album by invoking the open wastes of the desert, sparsely plucked chords dissipating across a dusty sound scape created rolling cymbals, the sound echoing like a cry towards the distant horizon. The band are in no hurry to shake the listener from their reverie, the gentle idyll meandering forward minute after sedate minute, drawing you towards the land of music they are conjuring forth, all before at the near seven minute mark the riff comes to the fore, and the sonic stroll becomes a run, an urgent combination of wailing guitar, thundering bass, and a drum beat that must surely require Olympian levels of fitness to maintain.
‘Part 2’ starts out with a drum line more than a little reminiscent of Spinal Tap’s ode to ‘Big Bottoms’ (listen to them both, and try and deny it, I dare you) before travelling into the heady progressive realms that Pink Floyd explored ‘Live at Pompeii’. Now, I know that to some of the denizens of the underground who explore the extreme and atmospheric writings of the scribes of Ave Noctum the words “Pink” and “Floyd” together are tantamount to blasphemy, and conjure images of all that is bland and overblown in rock, and as a person who actually paid for their last abortive release ‘The Endless River’ I’d have some agreement. However, it must be remembered too that before the departure of Syd Barrett and then Roger Waters they were a band capable of near endless creativity and a genuine fire, something that Earthless encapsulate. Soaring across a truly epic 22-minute length, and practically deserving of a review all of its own, ‘Part 2’ is a masterclass in instrumental Prog at its finest.
‘Death To The Red Sun’ starts off at a far more hectic pace than its predecessors, and again I can only wonder at the way the three musicians play, the power of the drums and thunder of the bass never being overshadowed by the flare and fire of the guitar, no instrument becoming dominant, each just supporting the other to become a whole that is so much more than the sum of its parts. Insistent riffs tumble into rocking break downs and then grow into drawn out solos, creating a fluid and improvisational sound that can only be the result of incredible amounts of practice. Go through your collection of classic rock (or click around YouTube if you wish) for some of the extended live breaks by the likes of The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Cream, or Led Zeppelin, and you will find the musical ancestors to whom Earthless pay respectful tribute, and from whom they can trace their lineage.
There is a real alchemy in finding the formula necessary to create an hour-long instrumental album of just three tricks that at no point loses the attention of the listener, and for mastering that skill, Earthless can only be praised. Such musical explorations in lesser hands could so easily become self indulgent ego stroking fretwankery, but this Californian trio navigates their way around those pit falls to produce a remarkable album. There are some long delayed UK dates coming up soon in April and May to support the album, and it would be a thing of wonder if they played this creation in its entirety. I hope to be there to find out, and can only commend you do so too.
(9/10 Spenny)
Leave a Reply