Review: Father Sky Mother Earth - Father Sky Mother Earth

You've gotta hand it to those south coast reprobates Dirty Filthy Records they can't half pick a winner! For their sophomore release they have picked up on Father Earth Mother Sky's self-titled debut and given it a well-deserved vinyl release. For those who are not au fait with Father Earth Mother Sky they are a doom/drone duo from Germany - Nico Seel on guitar and Niclas Gerull on bass - who "combine elements of doom, sludge, psychedelic rock and meditation music.". This particular album was originally released digitally back in 2016 and was closely followed by last year's 'Across the River of Time'. However, this is no ordinary vinyl press of an existing album - it has been re-recorded and re-arranged and so, whilst essentially the same album, it has a new vibrancy about it that makes it pretty damned essential.

The album is comprised of just the two tracks; 'Father Sky' and 'Mother Earth' but clocks in at in 36 minutes. Those reading this who do happen to be unfamiliar with this powerhouse duo, can I just say that I, personally, find the epithet 'Drone Doom' a bit of a misnomer...sure there is plenty of drone and it certainly has enough downtuned heaviness for doom but there is so much more happening in that 36 minutes. From the outset 'Father Sky' shows this....the first thing that hits you is the mystical eastern motif and this exoticism carries on throughout giving the track a life and spirit that goes far beyond 'drone doom'. The drones themselves are glorious, they swirl and eddy around the track like a leaf caught in the wind. The fact that everything is played at a funereal tempo gives things that doom aspect but, unlike most doom, it has a meditative quality that is positively blissful. The guys themselves say that the album is an environmental analogy: "This is what keeps mother earth alive. Father sky in the cosmos is a guard and looking at his child – this planet's ecology" and there is certainly an organic quality to proceedings...the slow, unstoppable movement of plate tectonics and the sunbursts of flourishing life. Most of all, it is incredibly immersive....put the record on the turntable and be prepared to give over a portion of your life to this. 'Mother Earth' opens with an even more overtly eastern vibe which is gradually joined by some glorious guitar drones...and then the heaviness hits and boy is it heavy! The bass resonates around your head like the very voice of God and beautifully complements the psychedelic laments of the guitar. This is, however, more than the sum of it's parts...it all comes together to create a beast that is as heavy as fuck and darker than Trump's soul but there are still glimmers of joyousness and sheer beauty...and that sort of fits in with the whole environmental stance of the band...we live in a world that we are slowly destroying, laying waste to rainforests and polluting the seas but there still remain pockets of indescribable beauty and jawdropping grandeur...much like this album.

'Father Sky Mother Earth' is a absolute monster of a album - I was asked to write a few words for the cover sticker and so I will leave this review with those words: "“A soul-rending sonic exploration full of arcane mysticism, cavernous drone and heavy-as-fuck riffage. Intensely moody, cinematic and most definitely magnificent.” .....'nuff said! The album is up for pre-order at the Dirty Filthy Records webshop here..you really, really need this record in your life.

Below is the original version of the album, but gives you a taste...if you wanna hear the re-recorded and re-arranged version you'll just have to buy the record!