Traveling back 30 years ago to 1995 when music had spun out into all kinds of genres, Earth Eighteen released their full-length debut which became a slow burner in my CD collection. Earth Eighteen really didn’t have a box to fit in at the time with the rock radio airwaves focused on the Foo Fighters, Smashing Pumpkins, Oasis, and No Doubt. Bands like Rocket from the Crypt, the Wildhearts, and Rancid released some of my all-time favourite albums that year. ‘Butterfly’ always seemed to be just on the periphery of what I had in heavy rotation. It seemed strange to my 21-year-old self that a band with a definite glam influence would appear with members from D.C. hardcore bands. My most listened to album from D.C. at the time was ‘Cruise Yourself’ by GvsB from 1994. Why am I writing about ‘Butterfly’ all these years later? It has grown in stature with me every year since it was released. I feel like it always gets more listens than the previous year, and it would be a shame if it fell completely off the radar of potential listeners.

They preceded this album with a five track EP with some album tracks and released a single from this album with exclusive B-sides which are also both your time and attention. ‘Butterfly’ starts slowly with the ‘La La Song’ feeling a bit like the caterpillar transforming into a butterfly at the very beginning. There is a definite Bowie and Bolan influence from the beginning. Piano helps move the song forward with its very slow beat. There is a fuzzy dreamlike audio quality to the song. It makes the explosive start to ‘Dolores Haze’ more impactful as it rages out of the speakers. The riffs stand out immediately, and the vocal hook in the song injects itself into the listener’s brain as something of a slow drip that doesn’t leave once it takes hold. The guitars really get to dominate the song and leave the listener wondering what could be coming next on first listen. The glam romp of ‘Mechanimal’ feels like Bolan with the instrumentation feeling similar to what Marilyn Manson would later do on ‘Mechanical Animals.’ The beats snap out of the speakers and the marching guitar riffs saw away at your brain. The jam session in the song makes me wish I would have seen them live. Even 30 years ago, I think part of what kept this album from crossing into mainstream success was they employed a lot of subtle choruses that become addictive over time but are not immediate earworms, like ‘On a Rope’ or I Wanna Go Where the People Go.’

‘The Fall Divine’ is a slow song with a hypnotic groove that takes its time getting to its first verse. The guitar weaves in and out during the middle. This has been one of my favorite songs by them over the years with the guitar solo at the end providing some angst and struggle to break out of the slower tempo in the song. They close out the first half of the album with the rocking ‘Goin Steady’ which recalls 70’s glam with some additional power surging through the instruments with the breakdown at the end of the song bringing Mott the Hoople to mind.

The second half of the album kicks off with ‘Dahlia’ which has a catchy riff and a chorus that features a lot of harmonies. I love the use of piano through the song as well. Side effects transition us from the end of ‘Dahlia’ into ‘Maximum Teenage Overdrive’ which again reminds me of the direction Marilyn Manson would later pursue, maybe Tim Skold was a fan of this album . The beat is big through the verses, and the almost robotic backing vocals through the chorus provide an extra hook without making the song poppy. The band again introduces a breakdown at the end of the song that makes a huge impact. This song would have fit seamlessly on the Velvet Goldmine soundtrack.

‘Girl of the Downward Spiral’ starts with a simmer and then blows out the speaker. This was the single from the album and definitely makes sense in that regard. It is loud and bombastic with a great hook in the chorus. Earth Eighteen really had their own sound which was probably a blessing and a curse. This did not sound like other songs on the radio, which probably worked against it. If it had received airplay, I have no doubt the band would have picked up a cross section of rock fans that would have purchased the album. The acoustic soft rocking ‘Long Gone’ immediately changes direction and showcases the variety across their sound. The contrast between it and the previous song work to the album’s advantage. ‘Blood Revival 99’ closes the album with a hypnotic riff that feels like it is channeled from outer space. The use of the keyboards in the chorus only adds to the out of this world feed. The band then going off on an extended jam which is the only way this album should have ended. As the guitar wails, it feels like there are spaceships flying all around you on some galactic highway. After the fadeout, we get a little acoustic passage that honestly feels like the alarm clock just went off and woke you up from an intense dream.

Can a record still have a life after 30 years if it was ignored by the public when it was released? It definitely can for those of us that purchased it back in the day. As I mentioned at the beginning, this album has been a lifelong grower over the past three decades with it gaining in stature for me with every passing year. There are quite a few copies of the CD currently available on Discogs for those that want to experience an excellent glam CD from the middle of the 90’s when ‘Lump’ was playing on the radio. There were tremendous albums released in the 90’s and now you have an opportunity to track down one of them that slipped away unnoticed at the time.

If anyone knows what happened to the members of the band and can connect me to them, please let us know as I would love to do a Q and A with them.

Author: Gerald Stansbury