Did you know there are horses on the cover of ‘Earth 2: SpecialLow Frequency Version’? There are at least three in the righthand corner, gathered inexplicably near a white canvas tent, ahuman possibly perched among its folds. As widescreen andvast as the cover may seem, those little details – the horses, thepossible human, the faint wisp of white clouds – give it depthand wonder, something to which the imagination can return.

Did you know that the music on ‘Earth 2: Special LowFrequency Version’ – repressed now for its 30th anniversary, back in its original artwork, and accompanied by a riveting set ofremixes that demonstrate the reach of what Dylan Carlson long ago called ‘ambient metal’ – works much the same way? Thesurface is massive and obvious, the meatpaw riffs of Carlsonand bassist Dave Harwell pounding and swiping and pawing atthe speakers, a true bludgeon in three-dimensional sound.Listen, though, for the details in the corners, for the finessebeneath the force, and ‘Earth 2’ reveals new levels of depth andwonder.

The widespread impact of ‘Earth 2’ suggests that others haveindeed been leaning in, listening to these minutiae, and makingsomething new of them. A masterpiece without many genreprecedents, ‘Earth 2’ surely helped send doom metal down itsmore modern drone, ambient, and avant-garde avenues. Thosedescendants are obvious. Perhaps more surprising andgratifying are the ways it has influenced electronic music,modern composition, and even hip-hop by realigning our sensesof tempo, time, and texture. ‘Earth 2’ engendered arearrangement of expectations, regardless of preferred form.