Black Earth [Vinyl]

Bohren & Der Club Of Gore - Black Earth [Vinyl]

Formed in Mülheim an der Ruhr in 1992, Bohren & der Club of Gore emerged from the German hardcore and metal scene only to abandon it almost entirely - slowing their music to a crawl and inventing a genre all their own. Blending the hushed melancholy of jazz with the weight and menace of doom, the band pioneered what became known as "doom jazz" or "noir jazz": glacial, instrumental soundscapes built from mournful saxophone, spectral Rhodes, brooding piano, deep double bass and the softest brush of drums.

"Black Earth" (2002), their fourth album, is where that vision came fully into focus. If it's predecessor "Sunset Mission" defined the sound, "Black Earth" perfected it - sinking even deeper into the small hours, slowing everything to a hypnotic crawl. Widely hailed as the band's defining statement, and introduced to a whole new audience through it's 2004 Ipecac reissue, "Black Earth" spans nine tracks and over 70 minutes of exquisite, funereal beauty - a genre landmark and an essential pillar of any discerning collection.