AGALLOCH

As usual, Haughm mixes whispered growls with cleaner vocal sections in an effort to allow the cutting lyrics to make even more of an impact upon the listener. The tone of the lyrical themes remain easily identfifiable as Agalloch compositions, recycling themes of heathenry, nature and paganism. Whilst this suits the tone of the music well, it does not develop anything substantial over previous releases. Of the tracks, several stand out; including the powerful and sometimes etherial "Falling Snow", (which I may add, contains one of the best outros I've heard in a long time) and the epic riff monster "Not Unlike The Waves". The final two sections of "Our Fortress is Burning" are also very well done, combining typically dark Agalloch beauty, with an interesting and powerful ambient/drone movement. These sections help to give Ashes the Agalloch tone the band has become renowned for. However, there are several sections that grate with me somewhat. The opening track, "Limbs" and "Fire Above, Ice Below" lack a certain memorabilty that other Agalloch compositions usually ooze. They feel aimless, and while they carry the album well enough, both songs are far too long for my liking. Having said this, the album doesn't feel as long as The Mantle, and works surprisingly well as a whole given the few sub-par tracks.

I must again commend the lyrical content of the album, for it is not easy for vocals to portray the emotions that Agalloch's instrumentals develop. While Haughm's songwriting may seem somewhat stagnant compared to that of The Mantle, on overall reflection, the lyrics really do strike a chord with me. So, in conclusion, this is an essential purchase for all Agalloch fans, but I must warn that those wishing to 'get' Agalloch may do better to look elsewhere. Ashes Against The Grain is by no means perfect, it contains moments of sonic perfection, but it also contains some overdrawn sections that detract from the overall impact of the album.

The clean, warm acoustic sound is the basis of much of the music here, simple and catchy without being boring or overly repetetive. From this folky base, the band layers a mixture of post-rock inspired guitar tones, beautiful and haunting samples, tremolo picked black metal fury, and a mixture of clean, whispered and growled vocals. Most of the songs are quite long, and focus around an assortment of bleak nature inspired themes. Despite the obviously dark and nihilistic overtones, I would not describe Agalloch's tone as melancholy, it is best decribed as philosophical and reflective - however it is not sentimental. Agalloch has made no attempt to hide the heathen and pagan themes in their music, and it is prevalent here. The philosophy of the band mixes nicely with the folk metal influences in the music, creating a tangible aura of a lonely fireside reflection.

Several peices stand out in The Mantle, including the post-rockish 'Odal', the epic 'In the Shadow of Our Pale Companion' and the powerful 'Hawthorne Passage'. The band is adept at mixing their influences into a cohesive block of noise, that sounds both intricate and solid. Nothing strikes the listener as technical as per se, but the lengthy instrumentals drive the progression of the album, morphing from fireside folk acoustics to avalanches of black metal. Haughm's vocals are a pleasant surprise, he is able to supplement to timbre and mood of each movement without sounding fake or forced. His grim voiced vocals mix nicely with crisper sections, and easily complement to tone of Agalloch's compositions. Lyrically, this album is very strong, fusing philosophy and nature inspired peices with musings on life, love and hope. In this sense, The Mantle remains a bleak and nihilistic listen, offering enough lyrical depth to keep any serious listener pondering for the whole day.

The real strength of this album is that it is more than simply a sum of its parts. At 70 minutes, it is a lengthy listen that may deter some listeners. But given the right moment, The Mantle is a powerful work that transports the listener into the darkest days of bleak winter. The Mantle is not only a brilliant album, but a personal revelation of sorts. And for that it deserves all the praise it receives. To aptly quote Trickster F, "If this album before me is what you call prog, then prog is not dead".

Essential.

Of Stone Wind and Pillor is a rather disappointing demo that evidently wasn't selected for inclusion on the debut album, it's a very average composition with dull vocals and uninspired riffs. The performance is slack and unfocussed. If this was Agalloch's usual fare we wouldn't have heard of them. Fliorum Viridum is taken from the debut demo. It's a classical instrumental piece on keyboards, very symphonic and atmospheric but nothing unusual for dark metal bands around 1996. Haunting Birds is a clumsy bit of guitar strumming accompanied by big reverbed kettledrums.

The last two tracks are a real catch though, Kneel To the Cross starts with an entrancing pagan chant and turns into a great folk tune. It's a well performed cover from Sol Invictus that shows Haugm's grown confidence in the clean vocal department. A Poem By Yeats is another interesting piece that could have been a Dead Can Dance cover, featuring orchestral keyboards, spoken word and grave chants reminiscent of Brendan Perry's voice. It lasts 4 minutes though, not 8 and a half.

The last 10 minutes show a more reflective side of Agalloch and make this into an interesting release for fans. Not necessary for anybody else though.

The opening track She Painted Fire is a fine example of their versatility. Starting quite symphonic with a great classical theme on fuzzed out guitars, it develops dramatically till the songs takes up speed around minute 2.30 and goes through a number of melodic riffs till minute 4. Then it shifts to moody chords and rough whispers, making up a chilling atmosphere. Agalloch also add some female vocals, not overstated as in most female-fronted metal, but quite subtle and functional. The song continues with another up-tempo part that sounds slightly muffled, it's a small mixing flaw on this otherwise satisfactory production. Part 2 of the track picks up the faster pace again, reminiscent of Katatonia's Brave Murder Day stylings. A clean electric guitar plucking similar to early Anathema serves as a bridge into the 3rd part, which features the first verses with some clean singing. They also bring in galloping riffs known from Iron Maiden. Agalloch's music can of course not be compared to the arena anthems from Maiden, but the influence of Maiden on their black metal should not be understated either, many bands from the extreme scene (Immortal, Dissection, In Flames) openly quote Maiden as an influence. So does Agalloch here in my ears.

The Misshapen Steed is a gentle moody classical interlude featuring harp, flutes and strings. Hallways of Enchanted Ebony is another big composition with an enchanting up-tempo pace and great guitar harmonies. As usually in modern metal, the vocals could be an acquired taste. The husky shrieks of Agalloch are not obtrusive or really extreme but the artistic choice for evocative ambience over melody might put off some of some sensitive souls. It's my experience that it takes a while to make the 'click' to appreciate this vocal style but, unless you have blocking principles against non-melodious elements in music, they will eventually make sense. Simply because they do.

Dead Winter Days continues the same vibe as Hallways of Enchanted Ebony. Fast and slightly dissonant riffs spin an entrancing groove, I can not overstress how huge the influence of Katatonia's Brave Murder Day must have been. As Embers Dress The Sky already featured on the debut demo, it's Agalloch's trademark sound and has predominant clean vocals that create an interesting effect that is both harmonious and sinister. The Melancholy Spirit is a more drawn out type of composition, laid-back with gently brooding sections, it's the kind of music they would perfect on Ashes Against The Grain.

The only criticism for this very mature and accomplished debut is the muffled sound and the sometimes abrupt transitions between song sections. Both issues would be dealt with on the ensuing releases. In the meantime, 4 solid stars.

The Wilderness is an excellent opener, sounding remarkably similar to Iron Maiden doing a frost-bitten run through their classic material with a high-pitched hoarse shriek behind the mike. Great black metal. As Embers Dress The Sky comes closer to Agalloch's trademark sound and would also end up on the debut. Fast and slightly dissonant riffs build an entrancing groove, similar to Katatonia's Brave Murder Day sound. It introduces Agalloch's clean vocals, slightly hesitant and over-reverbed but with the desired sinister effect. The composition is well-balanced and smart, probably slightly droning to some, but enchanting to my ears.

Fliorum Viridum stars with a classical instrumental piece on keyboards, very symphonic and atmospheric but nothing unusual in this type of 'gothic doom black metal' (another metal sub if you needed one). The second section features slow plodding doom riffs with those typical chilling guitar harmonies that were so popular in those years. This Old Cabin is less remarkable but competent morose black metal, reminding me a lot to Ulver's debut.

Now, how to rate a demo? Fan material by definition. Given that the sound quality is more then acceptable, given that the music is satisfactory and the total length is 35 minutes, a rounded-up 2.5 stars seems appropriate.

The 'Death Of Man' alternate version doesn't change much, but instead adds some fresh ambient sound effects and keyboards towards the end of the track. Personally I don't find it too entertaining both in it's original and alternate incarnations, but always found it to be a fitting introduction to 'The Mantle.' Without the rest of that album (an utter master work in every sense) there's not much point.

The second track (and the one of more interest to fans) is the fresh song, 'Tommorow Will Never Come.' This, like the first track is more or less ambient, and it's something that hasn't quite been heard from the band before. There's still the trademark band sound, but there's some very eerie narration and atonal sounds in it that give it an experimental flavor. When things build up to the songs recurring theme, accordions kick in and there's some real dark folk beauty here.

If you have a chance to listen to the EP (especially the second track,) then give it a listen. Nothing here will ever blow your mind and it's a far cry from the quality of some of their full- length album material, but it's good for a few interesting listens nontheless.

I miss the flawless integration of the two faces of their sound. Some tracks like the opener and Odal are just extended ambient pieces and represent their 'white' side, others songs like I Am the Wooden Doors characterize their 'black' side and are run of the mill black metal that countless others have done more effectively before them.

The two components of their sound only meet on a few occasions as on the marvelous You Were But A Ghost In My Arms. Here they create something entirely personal that, by lack of another genre this band would fit in, we could tag 'grey metal'.

A second flaw would be that while most tracks are surely meant to be epic and narrative, they mostly fail to build up to anything and end up too long for their own good. The Hawthorne Passage is an example. It has a few good ideas but never develops into something that surpasses the bits and pieces it is forged from.

While I sure appreciate what Agalloch attempted to achieve here, their ambition was somehow defeated by the inadequate execution.

It wasn't love at first sight though (the album I mean). It sure sounded interesting but at first I thought it to be too similar to Opeth. I couldn't be more wrong. Sure it has heavy and harsh parts mixed with gentle and melodic parts but the way this music flows is entirely different from Opeth.

What you get with Agalloch is an organic and spontaneous flow of music that goes through the motions step by step: it builds up tension and releases it, it works up from gentle atmospheric to big orgiastic climaxes. Opeth is much more mathematical: 4 bars loud, 8 bars of acoustics, 4 bars loud again 16 bars something else and so on. In fact, with reference to composition, Agalloch sits closer to bands like Anathema or Neurosis, who, even though they create very different music, they both share that same natural flow.

The reason I spent so long on that argument is because it explains why you need to sit through this entire album in one go. Each individual song is great by itself but together they build up to something that is larger then life. Actually, despite the sparse instrumentation this album contains the most epic music I've ever heard.

So I will consciously avoid a track by track overview. I have the impression that the Agalloch ratings suffer because of the difficulty to categorize them. People are bound to approach them with entirely wrong expectations and preconceptions. Still, some may be attracted nevertheless. The music is brilliant, the epic feel is out of this world but never bombastic, the chants are gorgeous and the production is at the same crystal clear, rough and organic. And I am quite sure there is not one other band that can be compared to them. What more do you need?

There is still the emphasis on texture and aesthetic here; don't get that wrong. The fact that the band uses more electric guitars now doesn't change the way they play at all. 'Ashes Against The Grain' does not work as an all encompassing album as much as a masterpiece should, but there are just too many moments of paralyzing beauty here that it would be unjust to give the music a rating of less than superb.

The haunting, almost-optimistic and resonating first notes of 'Limbs' really shows what the album is about. It's not about having a catchy chorus; it's about making an imprint on your heart, and being memorable as a result thereof. Anyone familiar with post-rock can expect something along the lines of a heavy 'Explosions In The Sky' with smatterings of acoustic instruments.

The main influence here (besides post-rock) is still black metal, and the vocals/lyrics are still the same, so if you loved or loathed them on any previous release, there shouldn't be any change expected.

The only true fault with the album is that it certainly does not mesh as well as it's predecessor. The ending 'epic' on the album also does not work as well as an epic should, although for what it is; 'Our Fortress Is Burning' is a fine collection of three very atmospheric and lush tracks. The album's closer is also worthy of note. 'The Grain' appears to have across many people as just being 'noise' and pointless. I actually found the track to be one of the most monumental and different pieces of music I've ever listened to.

The closest thing I can liken 'The Grain' to (as it sounds to my own ears) is an abrasive symphony of sounds, and it is all-too fitting as the album's close. Much of the album's content revolves around bleakness, and death; and the closing track sounds like death itself; coming to meet god. It is not human music as one would perceive it. It transcends traditional melody, rhythm, and form. It is best listened to at full volume with open ears. While it only took me a single listen to appreciate it, many others may not be willing to contend with something so 'noisy.'

'Ashes Against The Grain' is certainly a far cry from typical progressive rock, or even metal for that measure. There is very little showmanship here, although the musicianship is grand and thought provoking. Agalloch prove once again, that music is undoubtedly the closest thing the senses ever get to enlightenment. Majestic.

1. Limbs (9:51) - A fitting intro, this one starts slowly and builds to a climax towards the end. Not an awful lot of vocals, this one is mostly about the droning guitars and epic riffs. Before finale it drops in intensity and slows down the pace.

2. Falling Snow (9:38) - My favourite death metal song. It opens with incredible power and sustains its awesomeness throughout. The vocals are brilliant, all the guitar riffs are great. It is devoid of solos and isn't terribly dynamic, but the ending more than makes up for that.

3. This White Mountain on Which You Will Die (1:39) - An effective ambient interlude. There's a weird noise which fires across for most of it but the underlying ambient noise is very calming. It sets the stage quite nicely for...

4. Fire Above, Ice Below (10:29) - This is far mode dynamic, almost folk - if they had used acoustic guitars. The slow intro is nice and ominous and it also explodes quite quickly into a solo. Thinds calm down again around the 5-6 minute mark and then a typical finale is used to end.

When i say typical, I refer to how Falling Snow and Limbs ended. They all have very very similar endings, unlike the previous albums, which is a pity - a driving riff which intensifies. Sure, this works, but it's not very imaginative.

5. Not Unlike the Waves (9:16) - This track is weaker than the first few. It's not abysmal but it does have some vocals which I do not enjoy. That said, the riffs are on par with Falling Snow - it just doesn't have enough range.

6 --> 9. Our Fortress Is Burning - This 'epic' track feels far less like an epic than it should - mainly because it's split up into individual parts, but also because the last part can be almost totally ignored.

The "Introduction" is an instrumental piece. It's quite slow, has some nice riffs in it, and is varied. I can't really complain about this one. "Bloodbirds" is brilliant - it opens with an extended solo which becomes better and better, and builds to a brilliant vocal climax to finish the album. So far, so good, huh? Well, the last 7 minutes of the album is just noise, much like the "Odal (Nothing Remix)". It doesn't make much sense to me, but perhaps I'll love it one day.

So, the standouts are Falling Snow, Fire Above and Bloodbirds. I yearn to see them live. Do another album, guys! Or that DVD you promised!