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Hesher · 06-16-2009, 02:37 AM

I should be sleeping as I have work at 9am tomorrow, but here's another since I promised.

Phase 3: Thrones and Dominions is Earth's second full-length. This album is Earth's first exploration of more riff-based tracks, and is often described as a collection of guitar licks without context. This doesn't mean it's bad, though. I admittedly haven't explored Phase 3 properly yet, but it is generally more "listenable" than Earth 2 excepting certain tracks (Lullaby and Phase 3: Agni Detonating etc.). This album acts of kind of a bridge between the brutal sluggishness of Earth 2 and the bands' later more layered and clean-guitar based sound. This album is already quite a departure from the tones that Sunn O))) and others adopted soon after. Similarly to Earth 2, the entire album consists of only two guitarists (mainly Carlson) and a drummer that only appears on one track (Site Specific). I find this album to be sparse compared to the other Earth albums; it is less "busy" with overlapping sounds and occupies less sonic "space" than the other albums. Where Earth 2 was crushing and blanketing and Pentastar is upbeat and open, Phase 3 is at times quiet, staccato, droning, light, and heavy. I think it's a good introduction to the sound of Earth as it showcases some of the styles that Earth used and has continued to experiment with over the years. That said, it feels incomplete at times and at worst thrown-together. I like the first two and the final two tracks the most.

06-16-2009, 02:37 AM	#6 (permalink)
Hesher Palm Muted Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 168	I should be sleeping as I have work at 9am tomorrow, but here's another since I promised. Phase 3: Thrones and Dominions is Earth's second full-length. This album is Earth's first exploration of more riff-based tracks, and is often described as a collection of guitar licks without context. This doesn't mean it's bad, though. I admittedly haven't explored Phase 3 properly yet, but it is generally more "listenable" than Earth 2 excepting certain tracks (Lullaby and Phase 3: Agni Detonating etc.). This album acts of kind of a bridge between the brutal sluggishness of Earth 2 and the bands' later more layered and clean-guitar based sound. This album is already quite a departure from the tones that Sunn O))) and others adopted soon after. Similarly to Earth 2, the entire album consists of only two guitarists (mainly Carlson) and a drummer that only appears on one track (Site Specific). I find this album to be sparse compared to the other Earth albums; it is less "busy" with overlapping sounds and occupies less sonic "space" than the other albums. Where Earth 2 was crushing and blanketing and Pentastar is upbeat and open, Phase 3 is at times quiet, staccato, droning, light, and heavy. I think it's a good introduction to the sound of Earth as it showcases some of the styles that Earth used and has continued to experiment with over the years. That said, it feels incomplete at times and at worst thrown-together. I like the first two and the final two tracks the most.