This is the band Earth performing at the Chapel in San Francisco on the evening of April 15, 2025, on a tour that marks the 20th anniversary of the album Hex: Or Printing in the Infernal Method. They were pretty darn good in this expanded, quartet formation, with Steve Moore (aka Stebmo) on trombone and keyboards, and Bill Herzog on bass. Adrienne Davies was, as always, transfixing, as she played at what for most drummers would be a quarter of regular speed. Dylan Carlson, Earth’s founder, has said he aimed for “ambient metal” with the band, and this evening was like “zen metal,” just grounded, singular riffs played on repeat with a compelling attention to tone and pace. The light show — note: all those splendid, gooey images moved — was by Mad Alchemy.
