Pressed on gold vinyl and packaged in a black sleeve with gold print depicting Medieval interpretations of the apocalypse, Angel Coma looks like it’s going to be heavy. Each side contains a single, long track, one by each band. Both tracks were recorded with the current lineups from the bands; Sunn O))) including vocals via Xasthur and noise provided by John Wiese and Oren Ambarchi; Earth being the Hex lineup of Carlson and Davies plus three.Southern Lord
“A Plague of Angels” by Earth is previously available on the recent live album Live Hex but this studio version is a different take on it. The live version was very sparse with just three players on it. This studio version is fleshed out with Steve Moore on trumpet and mellotron and Randall Dunn on low frequency oscillator. The additional instrumentation adds a lot to the piece. It’s a pity this wasn’t recorded in time for the Hex album as it would have been a mighty addition to it.
The contribution from Sunn O))) was harder to get into. It is almost radical for them in that there is hardly any bass present in the song. It sounds thin, like radio static through cheap speakers. Xasthur’s vocals sound as chilling as ever but there was something missing from his performance. I think I had expectations of their track being in the same vein as the Black One album but “Coma Mirror” is a departure from that sound. In time I think it will become a favourite but at this point in time I’m not feeling it. What I did like about this track is that it works better as a tribute to black metal than Black One did. The thinness captured that Norwegian iciness that is present on early recordings by Burzum and Mayhem, the low fidelity recordings being one of the defining features of classic black metal.
What Angel Coma shows best is how much these once very similar groups have diverged in recent years. Although always present in their arsenal, Sunn O))) are exploring more the atmospheres and tones that electronics beyond the guitar open up and less on THE RIFF. Earth on the other hand have embraced this new country style and this track shows that Hex is not a once off blip in their back catalogue. Carlson is getting better at constructing these powerful, minimalist tracks and I hope that he sticks to this sound for at least another album.
No samples thanks to this being a vinyl only release, apologies!
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