Earth is a band of innovation through transition. You don’t even have to examine the band’s albums closely to figure that out, with albums named Earth 2:… or Phase 3:…. Obviously, the biggest leap Carlson has ever made was between Pentastar:… and Hex:…. If battling a drug phase changed the creative pathways of even the brawny Johnny Cash, then there should have been no surprise with what happened to this project, critics be damned. But the main issue with Angels Of Darkness, Demons Of Light II is that nothing has really changed. Unfortunately, change is what has kept this band afloat for twenty years. Yes, there’s the notion that these two albums make up some sort of a concept with the overtly-goofy album art and all, but it’s still really hard to see an actual point for said concept.
All in all, the cello was a great addition on the last album, even though I still prefer Hex and The Bees Made Honey In The Lion’s Skull to either of these new records. The country twang was something Earth needed in order to be so enjoyably slow, and it seems like some of that has unfortunately been buried under new elements on the past two albums. As progressive as this whole Angels Of Darkness, Demons Of Light series was, it should have been condensed into one album. I think if listeners are able to pick up on the fact that last year’s album was the dark album and this one is the lighter of the two without being told which one is which, they’re probably relying on additional substances to make the distinction. That said, the music here is still every bit as enjoyable as it was on Angels Of Darkness, Demons Of Light I, but the time to take a step back and examine Earth on a more macro level is now.
