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Earth

Their name might have been taken from an early incarnation of Black Sabbath, but these guys went on and outdid even the godfathers of stoner rock and gave birth to what is now known as drone metal. The only band to have given The Melvins a run for their money as kings of stoner metal, and this is still debatable today. To think they managed to be released on Sub Pop is a miracle (but also an encouraging thought!). Even though they were not taken seriously upon the release of they're first few albums, ten years later, after countless bands, albums and whatnots who have been influenced by this group, there is no more denying how big of a place these guys hold within the metal genre.

This is another band I first got to hear while trying to figure out how it should be categorized in a music store I worked for in downtown Stockholm back in 2000. There I was sitting, listening to Earth 2, thinking, "ok, this is metal" and waiting for the drums to enter and confirm my thoughts. Ten minutes later, still nothing, no changes, same riff... What the hell was going on? It put a smile on my face, but at the time, I got the same reaction most people got when they first heard it. "This must be some kind of joke." Turns out the joke was on me!

The music is slow, distorted and raw; like listening to tectonic plaques grinding against each other while dinosaurs struggle to survive nature's elements above ground. It's just that primal and basic. I'm sure further study of the group's music would answer questions about the origin of mankind as it's darwinian secrets would slowly be revealed to us. An archeological dig is in order. An exercise in primal energy, an exercise in history, that's how look at it. Essential listening, even if you don't like it!

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