Earth @ Stereo, 5 April

In a sense, Sabbath Assembly are a headliner’s worst nightmare. Not only are they technically adept purveyors of a particularly hypnotic strain of 70s-tinged rock, but they also have Jex Thoth on vocals, a woman who is intense, hypnotic and undeniably enchanting to watch, wielding the same primal energy that Britt Ekland so perfectly captured in The Wicker Man. When you find your body unconsciously swaying in time with hers, it’s understandable to feel that this is what it’s like to be in a cult, albeit without the robes.

Earth’s intensity is a less visceral thing, not something that is seen by the eyes but more a force that’s absorbed through the body’s atoms. Descent To The Zenith may not be the strongest moment on their latest album, but as an entrance it certainly works, a lo-fi journey along unending desert highways via Dylan Carlson’s focused picking. It’s also a useful showcase for Nirvana alumni Lori Goldston, her cello tying tonight's performance together with a melancholy hum.

In contrast, touring bassist Angelina Baldoz seems somewhat unsure in her role, comfortable during more recent works but uneasy when they step back in time for an impressively heavy take on Coda Maestoso in F (Flat) Minor. Thankfully, Adrienne Davies keeps the full band in line with not only a perfect sense of timing but a seeming oneness with her kit to boot. Her body instinctively falls into each strike, the force meeting the flow of Carlson’s molten melodies with absolute sureness.

In an odd turn of events, they return to the stage for an encore of Angels of Darkness Demons of Light, although when the whole show has been this tranquil, this direct and this unrestrained, it’s less of a come-down for the evening than it is an appetite whetter for their next show, distant though that may seem.