Earthling - Spinning in the Void (2017)
I first heard Earthling when Forcefield
Records was kind enough to include a promo CD copy of their first
album, Dark Path, with one of my orders. I eventually listened to
it, and shortly after that, ordered the vinyl. That first album has
continued to grow on me with every listen, and I've been waiting for
this follow-up to emerge for quite a while. Now that it's here (four
years after that debut), I'm thrilled to hear the band still going
strong, with some adjustments and experimentation finding their way
into the band's blend of black/death/thrash/doom (and just a touch of
well-handled power metal).
Leading with “Clay in the Hands of
Evil”, Earthling load the bases with touchstones of the full album,
including sharp guitar shredding, ragged growling howls, quick shifts
of rhythm and tempo, and some deviously gnarly riffs. From there,
they build up more and more venom with the songs, carving away,
laying down hard beats, hammering and smashing when needed, and
gradually reducing the amount of breathing room listeners are given.
That control of intensity is a welcome retainer piece from the first
album, and while the group doesn't follow the same arc of rising
abandon for this set of six songs, they do bring more power to the
music with each successive track. It's not just in the escalations
of speed, fury, drum-pounding, and general volume, but (perhaps) most
effectively in the way the instruments join together to hit a
commanding, keening focus of tone and style.
I could go on about the other great
parts of the album (like that suspension tension to the intro of “The
Helm” – oof!), but taken out of the actual experience, the words
just wouldn't be doing it justice. To make it simple, if you dig on
high-power metal fierceness that doesn't feel the need to restrict
itself to just one of the style's sub-groupings, grab yourself a copy
of this album (and the first, while you're at it). High quality, showing signs of good growth while retaining the essential character,
this is a sophomore album to inspire envy in similar bands and solid
replays for fans.
~ Gabriel
For Fans Of; Atrocity, Battle Path,
Lesbian, Necrophobic, Weapon
~
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