ELECTRIC EARTH – Touching The Void (2011)

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Swedes Electric Earth, who have been doing the rounds since 2001, are releasing they third full-length album “Touching The Void”.
The band claims influences from the likes of Kiss, The Cult, Thin Lizzy, Led Zeppelin, Soundgarden.
Indeed, the basic sound on this new album has fuzzed out ’70s type grooves mixed in with some ’90s hooks.
The music varies between thick doses of strong riffage and more melodic, but still heavy passages. They handle both approaches with the same amount of enthusiasm which makes the listen quite enjoyable.

The album starts with “Amplification”, a hard rocker primarily focused on its radio-ready chorus. A cool opening track.
Follower “Black Butterfly” is also commercial, but too much modern rock for my tastes. Not bad, in fact the guitar solo is good.
With “Collision With A Sun” is where the album fully picks up. This ballad-esque rocker shows clearly his nineties influences such as early Stone Temple Pilots and Soundgarden. Definitely not a bad thing as both bands are the few of the grunge movement that really worth a listen.

Electric Earth offers some great melodies among the heavy riffing on songs like “Free Fall” with its contagious chorus and “Judge Me” which manages to force a myriad of riffs and vibes in to one song. The latter really does have everything that this band is about, being delivered with cosmic precision.
The seventies rock overtones are present through in songs like “Sugartooth” or “Harvest Time”, while I hear some touches of vintage Black Label Society in songs as “Bird Of Phoenix” and “Skinstretched”, where the chorus however goes in a totally unexpected, very melodic direction.
When they go for influences from the classic rock sphere, like the Ian-Astbury-singing-Thin-Lizzy “Need This Time” they deliver the goods. This is one of the best songs on the album, with hot guitars ala The Cult circa ‘Love Removal Machine’.
Last track “Worries” is another good one, a rocking ballad with mainstream intentions.

“Touching The Void” is a good rockin’ indie recording, combining old school sounds with nineties riffage and some modern sounds.
The grooves are probably the common denominator in most of the tracks, fueled by basic riffs but well structured to get the maximum impact.
These Swedes are better when they go for the classic retro style or the darker good sounds of the nineties than on their approach to the modern rock.
Well produced and recorded, “Touching The Void” offers some good rocking tunes to listen something different when you’re in the mood.

01 – Amplification
02 – Black Butterfly
03 – Collision With A Sun
04 – Intermission
05 – Free Fall
06 – Sugartooth
07 – Harvest Time
08 – Judge Me
09 – No Sleep
10 – Need This Time
11 – Bird Of Phoenix
12 – Skinstretch
13 – Touching The Void
14 – Worries

Peter Gottlieb – Vocals, Guitars
Tommy Scalisi – Guitars, Backing Vocals
Lyris Karlsson – Bass
Draken – Drums

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