The music of Earth has always functioned like a soundtrack – now it functions in the case of Even Hell has its Heroes also quite officially, i.e. not only in the mind’s eye, as such.
For the documentary by Clyde Petersen regarding the tectonically moving work of Dylan Carlson – and for many years now also Adrienne Davies (drums and percussion) – have Earth the score was of course contributed by himself. With the exception of the title track of the triumphant paradigm shift freestyle The Bees Made Honey in the Lion’s Skull from 2008 – which is presented here first as a live version (which is not necessarily recognizable as such, but also thanks to Steve Moore on trombone and Wurlitzer and bassist Don McGreevy was absolutely fantastic) and then as a transcendental, psychedelic-jazz-tripping dub version – there is only new material to be heard that stands apart from the highlights Rocker (in which Bill Herzog on the bass, Lori Goldston on the cello and Mell Dettmer on the Moog can be heard, and even miss a few space rock approaches to the incredibly casually hanging out in the roadhouse, comparatively more conventionally designed with the catchy songwriting). the band focused.
To that extent Even Hell has its Heroes (whose title must of course appear familiar) also to a certain extent the continuation of the tendency towards more spartan reduction of Full Upon Her Burning Lips and Conquistadorif Omage 2 Stoney Bone Child the patented heavy slowness merges in a joint step of sparse but organic rhythm and a stoner-affine riff (and the number is exceptionally symptomatic of a fundamental soundtrack character because, strictly speaking, it doesn’t develop anywhere compositionally and remains fragmentary), The Dark and Bloody Ground revels in an unbelievably cool laid-back groove (which is abruptly torn from by the terminal announcement) or This Bitter Glory as reclining melancholy blooms and Bear Flag Rising represents a kind of hard rock skeleton.
That already the opener Omage 1 the Unbearable Weight of History but sort of follows an evolution in fast motion by Earth rise here from the amp roar into a stoic-archaic creeping drumbeat to let one of those bluesy desert western guitar figures wander in slow motion, which hypnotically cultivates the monotony with minimally shifted weights until the result puts mesmerizingly into a trance before the Duo closes the circle glowing in the rain splashing the reverberating distortion, but is also exemplary: Even Hell has its Heroes always finds a kind of decidedly root-emphasizing solidarity with the drone past of the first Earth-life stage.
In 16 Tracks and Not Gonna Make It Home Tonightan abruptly ending reminder of the aesthetics of Earth 2 or the one directly attached to itself Is Anyone Out Therewhich grinds a little bit further to the sound of their second life as it progresses Queen Anne’s Revenge, where the countryesque howling prairie guitar is accentuated even more dominantly and No Ponderable Fire only takes them back once more to offer the strings out the back with a boldness that even evokes a cymbal’s foreshadowing of the Moog horizon of the later in Fire flickering ambient campfire crackling. A Glorious Defeat is then almost as heroic as the title promises, while Thunder blurs in the soothing rain of a distant storm and atmospherically gratefully embraces the disc’s sporadic field recordings.
The range of Even Hell has its Heroes is in this respect even more extensive than on the band’s regular albums, even if the sometimes scenic disposition cannot quite produce their exhaustive depth effect. As a familiar and satisfying holistic perspective on the creation of Earth the collected 63 minutes almost develop the effect of an alternative, entertaining retrospective that should make all those happy who don’t demand innovations or surprises in the signature sound of the institution.
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