Ehnahre — Old Earth

The third Ehnahre album, Old Earth, again pits the world not only against how they perceive traditional metal, but music in general. Ricardo Donoso (Semata Productions, Perispirit), John Carchia, and Ryan McGuire (both ex-Kayo Dot) continue to challenge listeners with their avant-garde metal revelry. In a scene where people love to classify and put genre tags all over everything, Ehnahre delights in the freedom of being impossible to pin down from one moment to the next.

Old Earth is presented as one song in four parts. And, as expected with Ehnahre, you get a wide spectrum of sounds throughout the album. Old Earth I starts off with static and some feedback hum that plays partner to what sounds like an old record in the background. It definitely makes one think of the creepy Radiator Lady scene in Eraserhead. Don't get too used to it, though, as sparse, atonal guitars and loose doom are soon to follow. Old Earth II is a definite departure. This 10+ minute track features a cello, guitars, drums, and some really excellent horns. This is the song you'd hear when you made it to the crossroads of metal, free jazz, and an Ennio Morricone score. It's really fantastic and not what one would expect. However, that's what makes Ehnahre such and interesting band. Old Earth III sounds like a return to form for the boys, and a nice juxtaposition to OE II. The highlight of this track has to be the tight, but chaotic, drumming. Old Earth IV follows in a similar vein to OE III. There is some black metal-esque riffing and grim vocals over a nice, wild drum track. Naturally, this breaks up, and the boys finish off the album with some heavy, droning doom.
 

Ehnahre's experimental approach to metal is very refreshing. While it may not satisfy the spike and leather wearing metalhead, someone looking for a challenging journey through traditional sound should definitely check this out. When silence means as much to the composition as sound, you know you're in for something worthwhile. Strap on your headphones, crank up Old Earth, and just enjoy the thoughtful trip on which Ehnahre takes you.