EARTH ELECTRIC – Vol 1: Solar

Earth Electric is the latest project from Mayhem’s Rune ‘Blasphemer’ Erikson. No, hang on, it isn’t really a project – this is a fully fledged band. In terms of genre this one is pretty hard to describe. This is a slice of retro-but-modern hard rock that references Porcupine Tree, Pink Floyd and Deep Purple. The keyboards have that Wurlitzer sound that invoke the name of Jon Lord.  The song structures are as labyrinthine as you’d expect from Rune, meaning that although this is straight up proggy-sounding hard rock, it isn’t really direct or catchy by any means, even though many of the riffs were obviously crafted to be just that. The vocals from Carmen Simoes add an ethereal, unearthly quality that really contribute to the atmosphere and vibe of the record.

In terms of sound and style, Earth Electric have a lot to offer. The only negative I’d have is that because Rune favours lots of chopping and changing as a songwriter, the listener can sometimes become unmoored and lose their engagement. It isn’t that the record is unacessible – it is just that sometimes the songs are too dynamic or contain pasages that don’t really pay dividends. So it isn’t as if they make sense after repeated listens – just that they cause me to switch off a little. Perhaps an even simpler, more pared back approach might be worth exploring…

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www.earthelectric.net

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