Earth: Dissolution III: Living in the Gleam
of an Unsheathed Sword
Troubleman

Dissolution III: Living in the Gleam of an Unsheathed Sword is the first new album from Earth in years. Originally formed in 1990 in Olympia, Washington and now a twosome of originating guitarist Dylan Carlson and drummer Adrienne Davis (the group's first full-time drummer, in fact, and the band's 14th member), the group's extremely loud drone sound has had a huge impact on bands like Sun O))) and Growing. The new 73-minute album presents two epic instrumentals recorded live on September 17, 2002 with “Dissolution III” featuring guitar only and drummer Davis joining Carlson on “Living In The Gleam Of An Unsheathed Sword.”

The first track's sound is scarred and bruising, with raw ripples maintaining a steady broil throughout its fourteen-minutes. Halfway through, the piece turns heavier when raunchier convulsions emerge but Carlson's restraint ensures the sound never becomes grating or unpleasant. Davis follows Carlson's lead in the titanic second track with the guitar now hazier, the piece a massive storm of fuzz with Davis struggling at times to be heard. A recurring doom-laden theme reminiscent of “Purple Haze” bleeds through its relentless waves of blurry sludge, providing a stabilizing touchstone as the piece carves out a monolithic pathway for almost an hour. Occasionally threatening to collapse when it enters occasional meltdown phases, it stoically recovers and brutally lumbers on. While the pieces share the monolithic and time-suspended qualities of drones, the album's tracks are more akin to Eastern-styled meditations; themes repeatedly surface and, despite the general blurriness, developmental phases are clearly present in the second piece.

Perhaps perversely, I almost wish the second track had featured Carlson alone too. Not to take anything away from Davis who does a fine job of shadowing the guitarist, but the presence of drumming conventionalizes the sound and also anchors Carlson in place more than if he'd played solo; while drums add a primal dimension, the guitar heard by itself assumes an elemental character that's tough to match. If you find yourself thoroughly dazed, confused, and disoriented once the last note sounds, that's assuredly Earth's intention. Dissolution III: Living in the Gleam of an Unsheathed Sword is as elemental as the nature scenery depicted in the sleeve's accompanying photography.

May 2005