ASHES AGAINST THE GRAIN

In one of my other prog metal review I devided prog metal (globally) in two categories: prog metal mainly producing sound, usually quite slow not even really loud without an obvious song structure and often quite monotonal. Examples of this style are Tool, Anathema and Fates Warning. The other style is the one with a clear song structure, often making good or even great compositions in almost symphonic style. Very good examples of this line are Dream Theater, Symphony X, Shadow Gallery and Threshold.

The way I'm talking about this distinctiveness could tell you already where my preference lies. Indeed with the second style. Agalloch is to me another clear example of the first style, a style I am not too fond of to say the least. I don't want to go into the songs individually, this is more a case of overall sound and vein in which they play music. And I have not much to add to the story really.

I even think it must have been a tough call for the ballot of progarchives whether this band should be on progarchives at all. For instance there's a lot of grunts in the singing and besides little song structure I can't find much melody either which is also one of the features of prog metal, at least to me. This is more of a metal band to me. Last thing I want to say about this album is: dreadful last track, shows little respect for music. It probably has some kind of meaning and I'm possibly missing out on that but at least it makes the choice between 2 and 3 stars a little easier. It will be 2 now.