Review: earth7 – Shine

Style: Progressive Metal, Djent, Jazz Fusion (instrumental)
Review by: Doug
Country: US-PA
Release date: 22 April, 2022

Like so many “instrudjental” projects, earth7 began with band founder Kenan recording every instrument himself in a small home studio, and like so many of his peers, he joined forces with three other musicians to share the burden of recording. Together they have produced a full-length album and now a second EP, and their musical output has shown remarkable improvement over the early days – although it’s perhaps easier to show such improvement after such a humble beginning. But how many of their peers have landed both Richard Henshall (Haken) and Stephen Taranto (The Helix Nebula and many, many guest appearances) as guests on the same EP?

Musically, earth7 strike a fair balance between the lighter, jazzier style often associated with Plini and the heavier, more djent-forward style you might expect from Intervals (especially their early EPs). Generally the melodic line carries more of the former, while the rhythm guitar features more of the chugging djents. Creating a truly unique sound in a genre as saturated as instrumental djent can be a challenge for up-and-coming artists, but earth7 at least do a good job of creating what I would call a characteristic sound. On the whole they sound similar to plenty of other artists, but when listening to Shine there’s at least some aspect of the style that reminds me I’m listening specifically to earth7 and not someone else. I appreciate that quality a lot.

Beyond stylistic concerns, Shine is composed extremely well. Each track feels unique and is a pleasure to listen to. Being deprived of the infinitely flexible instrument that is the human voice adds an extra challenge to producing melodies that are engaging and satisfying enough to carry a whole song, much less an album, but earth7 have without a doubt succeeded. The only track I feel falls a little bit short in that respect is “Rise and Shine,” yet I wouldn’t consider it bad – just the least of the bunch, with less depth and excitement than the rest.

The two guest-feature tracks (“Glass Cannon” and “Colors”) make for easy highlights. The core band and their guests all deliver stellar performances complete with flashy guitar solos, and earth7’s excellent songwriting is on full display. The guest contributions also do a lot to create the distinctness of sound between each track on the EP. “Paper Tiger,” though, is the track that really shows off the best this band has to offer. As much as I love the guest spots, there’s a lot to be said for demonstrating what earth7 themselves can do, and “Paper Tiger” certainly does. The composition successfully combines Subtlety with excitement: it starts out soft and slow, but builds gradually to much more active and engaging guitar work in both the rhythm and the melody. It shows both a range and a high level of talent, and it’s a joy to listen to besides.

All in all, Shine is an impressive little EP. Although not leading the cutting edge, earth7 have pretty much everything I want out of an “instrudjental” group and they execute very well. They’ve shown lots of improvement, even over their LP Alia Terra which was no slouch itself. They have more consistency in their writing and performance, more individuality in their sound, and even more ability to create exciting instrumental music that I’ll listen to again and again.

Recommended tracks: Paper Tiger, Glass Cannon, Colors
Recommended for fans of: Plini, Intervals, The Helix Nebula, StarSystems
You may also like: Asymmetric Universe, Deeply Woven, No Ostriches
Final verdict: 8/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram
Label: Independent

earth7 is:
– Kenan (guitars)
– Zev (drums)
– Luke (bass)
– Danny (guitars)
With guests:
– Richard Henshall (guitar, “Glass Cannon”)
– Stephen Taranto (guitar, “Colors”)