Woman Is The Earth "This Place That Contains My Spirit"

Woman is the Earth consists of 3 members, brothers Jon and Andy Martin, and Jarrod Hattervig. They come from Black Hills, South Dakota and have been playing music together since the summer of 2007. Their mutual interests in musical movements such as the recent flux of American Black Metal in the West, ancestral folk music and an appreciation of highly textured, atmospheric music led to the formation of Woman is the Earth. This triad also share similar ethics in regard to spirituality and nature, creating a solid framework for the content of our music and ethos as a group. "This Place That Contains My Spirit" is their second full-length album, written over the course of three years. Much time and effort was put into writing and recording the album to uphold our original conception of the music. In addition to guitars and drums, a variety of instruments were used, including a Roland Juno-60, bass guitar, classical guitar & ocarina. "This Place That Contains My Spirit" was written, recorded, and mixed/mastered/produced by themselves at home. The album reflects a yearning to reconnect with the spirit of the natural world in a time when that connection is quickly dissolving. 

Carrying a strong DIY ethic throughout, the final result here is really impressive. What these boys have managed, moved by their passion and effort, is quite outstanding. For a DIY recording, the sound is more than acceptable and to be honest, is quite amazing. The only negative aspect i find here is about the drums, the sound is not as accurate as the other instruments and it often ends by stealing my attention throughout the tracks. But after a few listens you'll get used to it. Besides that aspect, the tracks are quite solid and there's more positive aspects to it. Demonstrating a great guitar work, the songs are well written and constructed, resulting in a perfect blend between the most furious and melodic parts. While the voice screams and summons the ancient spirits of the Earth, the guitar unleashes all of its fury along this vortex of sound. The highlights of this release are indeed the title track, "This Place That Contains My Spirit" and "Sage Moon". Two beautiful and emotional atmospheric black metal tracks. Said this, this is quite a good release by this young band from whom i hope to hear even more in the future. You can check the band's website here.

listen | titans of the earth