Earth Eighteen

Butterfly (Medicine)
by Joshua Brown

E18 are a band that one could get away with dubbing unique. There are no new elements involved here stylistically, but the combination is something they have a patent on. The interesting thing is their history. Vocals are performed by guitarist/synth man Jon DuPree, who got his start in seminal D.C. hardcore band Void. Bassist Graham McCulloch and drummer Mark Kermaj have collectively been part of the Meatmen, Samhain, and Negative Approach. The only non-hardcore band any of them have been in before was Chemlab, in which Kermaj played a stint. Many band members have come from punk rock beginnings and gone on to do something very different. Most of them blow dead rats.

Earth Eighteen should, by all rights, prove to be almost as historically pertinent as the bands just mentioned, although they’re unlikely to be part of as big a movement as before. They convincingly evoke everything from Queen-like theatrical classic rock, to ambient vibes, to some stuff you would have heard at the turn of this century. Did I mention glam metal and Santana? Aside from their appeal as a novelty act, the musical synthesis they create is quite pleasing and will have you pulling the disc out of your collection often. Because they’re experimental to a fault, some of the ideas they come up with work better than others. At their worst, they reminded me of the Black Crowes on downers. My fave tune, acid love ballad,”The Fall Divine,” is like a “Planet Caravan” (from Sabbath’s Paranoid album) for the ’90s.