Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light I

Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light I
Studio album by Earth
Released	February 22, 2011
Recorded	April 2010
Genre	Experimental rock post-rock
Length	60:26
Label	Southern Lord Records
Producer	Stuart Hallerman, Dylan Carlson and Adrienne Davies
Earth chronology
The Bees Made Honey in the Lion's Skull (2008) Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light I (2011) Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light II (2012)

Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light I is the sixth full-length studio album by the band Earth, released on Southern Lord Records. Cello is introduced as a new instrument, along with the usual ones being used since the album Hex . Dylan Carlson describes the album as more melodic and riff oriented. ^[1] The second part of the album was released in 2012. The album illustrations were created by Stacey Rozich. ^[2]

Reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	82/100 [3]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]
Classic Rock	[5]
Drowned in Sound	8/10 [6]
The Guardian	[7]
Kerrang!	[8]
Mojo	[9]
Pitchfork	7.9/10 [10]
Rock Sound	8/10 [11]
Tiny Mix Tapes	[12]
Uncut	[13]

In the AllMusic review, Thom Jurek awarded the album 4 stars out of 5, describing the album as "harmony and dissonance coexist[ing] without antagonism, creating a heaviness and tension that are aesthetically beautiful and emotionally resonant." ^[4] Pitchfork's Grayson Currin also gave the album a positive review, stating "In the 90s, Earth's heavy metal offered an escape, a massive shelter of volume and drone. But the intricacies of this Earth—Carlson's harmonics and harmonies, Davies' careful builds, Blau's unexpected bass maneuvers, Goldston's adventurous versatility—demand attention and immersion. That is, check in, not out, and you'll rarely hear four players with as much quiet command." ^[10]

Track listing

All tracks by Earth

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Old Black"	8:49
2.	"Father Midnight"	12:11
3.	"Descent to the Zenith"	7:30
4.	"Hell’s Winter"	11:32
5.	"Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light I"	20:24
Total length:		60:26

Personnel

• Dylan Carlson — electric guitar and devices
• Adrienne Davies — trap kit and percussives
• Lori Goldston — cello and devices
• Karl Blau — electric bass guitar ^[14]

References

1. Interview with Dylan Carlson on theskinny.co.uk
2. Rozich, Stacey. Southern Lord releases Earth’s newest album Archived July 16, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
3. "Reviews for Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light, Vol. 1 by Earth". Metacritic . Retrieved May 27, 2025.
4. Thom Jurek. "Angels Of Darkness, Demons Of Light - Earth | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic . Retrieved May 28, 2019.
5. Doran, Jon (February 3, 2011). "Earth: Angels Of Darkness, Demons Of Light 1". Classic Rock . Retrieved May 27, 2025.
6. Bloomfield, Philip (March 9, 2011). "Earth - Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light 1". Drowned in Sound . Retrieved May 27, 2025.
7. Thomson, Jamie (February 17, 2011). "Earth: Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light 1 – review". The Guardian . Retrieved May 27, 2025.
8. The result steers closer to accessibility than ever before, without diminishing the understated power of their strangely serene heat-haze atmospherics. [29 Jan 2011, p.54]
9. Hellswinter refrains from overdosing on distortion before the title track's 20 minutes of funereal beauty. [Mar 2011, p.99]
10. Grayson Currin (February 7, 2011). "Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light 1 Album Review". Pitchfork . Retrieved February 15, 2012.
11. Gardner, Neil (February 5, 2011). "Earth - Angels Of Darkness, Demons Of Light: 1". Rock Sound . Retrieved May 27, 2025.
12. Latta, Ian. "Earth - Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light 1". Tiny Mix Tapes . Retrieved May 27, 2025.
13. Angels is spacier than previous outings, nowhere more so than the semi-improvised 20-minute title track. [Mar 2011, p.88]
14. Personnel from official site