Review by Andrew Bansal
[Photos & videos by Matt Nielson]
September 11th 2014, Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Hollywood CA: With every creative step they’ve taken in the 25 years since their inception, Seattle drone doom masters Earth have garnered respect and admiration from fans and critics alike, furthermore with every studio album and every live performance cycle that accompanied it. Following the mind-bending ‘Angels Of Darkness, Demons Of Light’ double album releases in 2011 and 2012, they unveiled their eighth studio album ‘Primitive And Deadly’ via Southern Lord Records on September 2nd, and immediately embarked on a month-long US headline tour with fellow Seattle group King Dude as support act. A week into this run, the two bands took the stage at a sold-out Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever Cemetery last night for what turned out to be a truly memorable event.
Entering this venue and observing its surroundings was quite a unique experience in itself for first-timers like myself, and after we viewed the scenery in front of us occupied by tombstones, grass, trees and narrow internal streets in the early evening, to be followed by a short wait in complete darkness as the cemetery understandably had no lighting on the streets or around the burial sites. Doors opened at 8:15 and we walked through a garden and upstairs into the performance hall for this bohemian adventure.
The show started at 8:45 with King Dude playing an hour-long set of folk-driven rock music. They opened for Ghost at the Fonda earlier this year, and there couldn’t have been greater contrast between the two gigs for this band. While the Ghost crowd were completely indifferent towards King Dude and much too fixated on the band they had come to see, the Earth fans present here greeted King Dude with generous applause after every song and even indulged in friendly interactions at some moments. They certainly sounded a lot more pristinely powerful as this venue, where the sound came across as undeniably excellent on first impression and stayed that way throughout the evening. MainmanTJ Cowgill and his cohorts Tosten Larson and August Johnson combined for an excellent exhibition of the kind of music most in the audience wouldn’t normally listen to but were able to appreciate because of this band’s sheer quality of musicianship, laden with low-pitched clean vocals and simple guitar strumming along with a lush drum sound and additional layers of keyboard and violin for some parts. They also brought on LA-based singer-songwriter Chelsea Wolfe for guest vocals on one song. King Dude undoubtedly won over some new fans with this performance, myself included.
Check out a video from this show of King Dude performing ‘Be Free’ with Chelsea Wolfe:
King Dude links: facebook | instagram | bandcamp
At 10 PM, the three members of Earth, namely Dylan Carlson (guitar), Adrienne Davies (drums) and Karl Blau (bass) made a low-profile entry onto the stage and after Carlson politely requested the audience to not use flash, Earth proceeded onto deliver a 75-minute set dominated by as many as four tunes off of the six-track ‘Primitive And Deadly’, the highest charting and already bestselling album of the band’s career thus far. The vocal parts featured on the studio versions of these new tunes as a result of contributions from guest musicians were obviously not heard in this performance, as the band played them instrumentally. They blended two glorious older compositions along with this presentation of new material, the title track of the previously bestselling 2008 album ‘The Bees Made Honey in the Lion’s Skull’, and my favorite Earth tune, ‘Old Black’, which took this set onto an early peak, coming in as its third song.
Check out a video from this show of Earth performing ‘Old Black’:
The renditions of the new tunes were definitely more organic, stripped-down versions of the ones that we hear on the album with vocals and extra instrumental layers, but it made an impact in a different way and copies of the CD and vinyl were being purchased quite rapidly by the fans as soon as the show was done, the band having received a fresh batch of the vinyl version last evening itself after already selling out of the first set of vinyl they carried with them for the tour.
Earth have mastered the art of minimalism, which contrary to its literal meaning actually implies the maximum usage of every single note, at least in their case. I found myself spellbound by Dylan Carlson’s control over any and every semblance of his guitar sound and Adrienne Davies’ ability to trap every beat in a uniquely noiseless drumming style. This incredible and unmatchable quality of theirs was all the more amplified at this venue, as the sound was so perfect that even earplugs weren’t necessary. This was hands down the cleanest exhibition of heavy music I’ve ever had the fortune of witnessing. Other than the fact that the room could do with a little more ventilation, one couldn’t have imagined a more fitting venue for an Earth live ritual.
I’m a strong believer in residual energy, and upon exiting this venue at the end of this unforgettable show, I felt that the energy from Earth’s performance will continue to resonate inside this room and around the cemetery for a long time to come.
Related: Video Interview With Dylan Carlson & Adrienne Davies Of Earth
Check out a photo gallery from the show (1 to 7 – King Dude, 8 – King Dude w/ Chelsea Wolfe, 9 to 14 – Earth) and to view their downloadable versions or if you’re on a non-Flash device, click here:
Earth links: website | facebook | twitter | instagram
Remaining Tour Dates:
9/12/2014 SD Music Thing Fest – San Diego, CA
9/13/2014 Yucca Tap Room – Tempe, AZ
9/14/2014 Sister – Albuquerque, NM
9/16/2014 Red 7 – Austin, TX
9/17/2014 Club Dada – Dallas, TX
9/18/2014 One Eyed Jacks – New Orleans, LA
9/19/2014 Drunken Unicorn – Atlanta, GA
9/20/2014 Kings Barcade – Raleigh, NC
9/21/2014 Rock N Roll Hotel – Washington, DC
9/23/2014 Great Scott – Allston, MA
9/24/2014 Saint Vitus – Brooklyn, NY
9/26/2014 Boot And Saddle – Philadelphia, PA
9/27/2014 Midpoint Music Fest – Cincinnati, OH
9/28/2014 Pygmalion, Music Fest – Urbana, IL
9/29/2014 Empty Bottle – Chicago, IL
9/30/2014 Record Bar – Kansas City, MO
10/01/2014 Larimer Lounge – Denver, CO
10/02/2014 The Complex – Salt Lake City, UT
10/03/2014 Neurolux – Boise, ID
Check out a video from the show of Earth performing ‘Even Hell Has Its Heroes’:
Hollywood Forever links: website | facebook | twitter | instagram