Playing light against dark is The Moth Gatherer’s forte, and for this Swedish trio and their second full-length, the marriage of bombastic sounds and passages of serenity is one that works in harmonious synchronisation.
Pale Explosions starts The Earth Is The Sky on gothic beats and soon swerves into a doomed, post-metal landscape that echoes its title and works towards creating an atmosphere not unlike genre masters Cult Of Luna. Attacus Atlas twists with electronic flourishes that push the track upwards from sludgy, hardcore sounds and into new realms of sonic beauty.
The tripped-out cosmic vibrations add an exciting element to what could have been quite a straightforward release and Probing The Descent Of Man continues this work towards more dynamic tones. The melancholy shimmer of the song is wrenched through sorrowful and soaring guitar that climbs ever higher before coming back to Earth and falling into the gorgeous Dyatlov Pass.
These two are instrumental pieces, and as such give moments of quiet within the heavier framework of The Moth Gatherer’s sound, which kicks back with harsh clarity with The Black Antlers aiding The Earth Is The Sky on its journey through aggression and beauty.
