Italy's Earth and Pillars return again much like the cycling seasons. The enigmatic, atmospheric black metal trio brings an ambient and almost Cascadian flair to their extensive tracks. Soaring tremolo, natural soundscapes, and crystalline synths decorate their long-form metal. Their newest full-length record, Earth II, plays as an ode to Autumn. It's a time of change. Lush greens slowly decay into a naked grey; the process unfolds in a fiery display. The course of the album also mirrors the rise and fall of not only a singular person but mankind entirely.
Earth and Pillars has always dealt with the duality of natural processes and divine facets of the experiences through their Earth and Pillars releases, respectively. The group finds the intersection of these two ideas as well as the separation of them throughout their music. These ideas drain through a conceptual sieve that filters into a series of albums, the next of which is, of course, Earth II. The spring-like Earth I and the wintry Pillars I precede this overtly natural and human record. Like the seasons they mirror, each album presents its own unique features. For Earth II, one feature the use of a real drummer for the first time as well as classic guitars instead of electric. It undoubtedly adds warmth and depth to the four tracks. Yet, for all of the added layers and texture, it's the lyrical and conceptual story that truly stands out.
There is a verse in the fifth stanza of Ode to the West Wind, a poem by Percy Bysshe Shelley, that reads, "Make me thy lyre, even as the forest is: What if my leaves are falling like its own!" These words appear in Earth II's second track, "Becoming." Shelley's poem along with three works by Rainer Maria Rilke are the source materials for Earth and Pillars' stunning new album. Elsewhere, the words of Rilke's Ein Frühlingswind open the brilliant closing track, "Howling."
"With this wind comes fate; let it come, all that surging and blind before which we will glow. Be still and don't bestir yourself, so it finds us," the verse and lyrics read. Earth and Pillars wonderfully weaves the fabric of Shelley and Rilke's words into the threads of their melodies. Long-form black metal is a rare medium that truly allows for dramatic storytelling over immersive compositions. The parallels that the Italians draw between Autumn and life throughout their lengthy songs are nothing short of masterful.
The former example of "Becoming" displays these parallels in composition well. Shelley's words roar from vocalist, Z, over almost unrelenting arpeggios and biting keys. "Ascending" features some of the album's most vivid lyrical imagery alongside the same fervent tone that highlights much of Earth II. Holistically speaking, the balance Earth and Pillars strikes in this record is impeccable. The lyrical delivery does not feel forced into the arrangements. The compositions don't outweigh the message of the words. It is all wonderfully packaged into another chapter into a long-running narrative written by one of black metal's most intriguing (and still somehow overlooked) talents.
Listen to an exclusive stream Earth II now and pick up the album from Avantgarde Music. Follow Earth and Pillars on Facebook as well.
