Earth - Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light I & II

Earth - Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light I (2011)

1. Old Black 8:49
2. Father Midnight 12:11
3. Descent to the Zenith 7:30
4. Hell’s Winter 11:32
5. Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light I 20:24

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Earth - Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light II (2012)

1. Sigil of Brass 3:32
2. His Teeth Did Brightly Shine 9:00
3. Multiplicity of Doors 13:04
4. The Corascene Dog 8:26
5. The Rakehell 11:51

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Here are the two latest offerings from Earth! This time, Earth is joined by Lori Goldston on cello (who you might recall from Nirvana MTV Unplugged) and Karl Blau on bass. The two albums were recorded at the same time, but released a year apart.

If you're familiar with Earth's post-2005 fare you'll know roughly what to expect. I found the first underwhelming, but enjoyed the second. However, I've only listened to them a year apart, not as a unified whole (probably the preferable option), so I doubt whether there actually is that much difference.

It might be my imagination, but the production seems worse on the second one. There are a few pops and crackles, but not enough for it to seem 'intentional' — listen to Sunn O))) for counterexamples — so it's just kinda distracting. For music that arguably worsens with conscious listening, that's not great, so hopefully most of you won't notice.