Earth - Hex (Or Printing In The Infernal Method) (CD 2005)

I am not a metal-head, as my review of Isis’s ‘Oceanic’ will show you, but I love trying something new and was sufficiently intrigued by ‘Hex..’ to give it a go. Also, I have not heard anything else by Earth so I do not know if this record is atypical of their sound, but classifying this music as doom/drone metal seems faintly absurd to me.

‘Hex..’ sounds like the soundtrack to some weird left-field Western film. Purely instrumental, heavy guitar notes reverberate over leaden, deliberate percussion with sparse use of sound effects such as wind chimes and noises, bells and whinnying horses in between tracks. It does not sound very promising when put like that, but ‘Hex..’ is one of the most atmospheric records I have ever heard. The sense of being transported to late 19th Century frontier America with its wild open spaces is truly remarkable.

There is no real melody in the traditional sense, or any great variety really, but the record, which is made to be listened to as a whole, succeeds superbly in my opinion as an evocative and wholly compelling piece. Pick your time to listen to it carefully because it deserves your complete attention and an open mind will be rewarded.

A highlight is the guitar on ‘An Inquest Concerning Teeth’, a pivotal moment on the record but I also love the grinding menace of ‘Rainford (The Felon Wind).

The whole package is beautifully presented with stunning artwork and photographs from the Wild West era. Recommended for guitar lovers and far from being for metal fans only.