Earth – A Bureaucratic Desire For Extracapsular Extraction

This almighty bastard of an album represents the collation of Earth's two early EPs and comes resplendent with that same sense of chilling, north-western nihilism that still permeates the contemporary output of Dylan Carlson's troupe. Some songs have dated slightly in light of their more complex and musically honed later work. That said, it is fundamentally a collection of much older recordings and, judged on its own merits, adeptly charts their early development.

Geometry of Murder is a stand-out, slow-burning its way through seven minutes-plus like a vintage Sabbath 45" played at the wrong speed. Ouroboros Is Broken is a particularly dense experience; like a long, very lonely night, it's an exercise in endurance but, as such, is pretty representative of the sentiments it seeks to convey. Later recordings are more accessible and new arrivals might be advised to alight at a different station, but for doom and drone enthusiasts this is something you really should own. [Chris Cusack]