OF STONE, WIND, AND PILLOR

A crossroads in Agalloch's career, "Of Stone, Wind, and Pillor" sees the band add more folk to their pallet, and an overall more subdued feel. In a way this is a condensed, and not fully developed, blueprint for their upcoming masterpiece, "The Mantle".

While looking back on it, this may sound a bit uninspired and not fully there, this a good EP. It kicks off with the title track which opens with folk guitar, then moves into what would become an Agalloch staple, the folk riff with a wall of distorted guitar. This song features a "real" riff something not to be seen with Agalloch for sometime... It continues on in a heavy atmospheric fashion. Good song, but feels a bit aimless at times.

Foliorum Viridum is the song off their debut EP, but its been cut off before the heavy part. Leaving this as a purely ambient segue.

Haunting Birds is a cool acoustic folk song.

Kneel to the Cross. This is one of my all time favorite songs by Agalloch. Begins with a pagan chant repeating over and over. The whole time a drone progressively builds, with instruments being added in. It grows to a dramatic climax before the classic heavy chord/folk riff kicks in and the song moves along with a moderate pace while John's wonderful vocals sing some powerful lyrics. Proof that Agalloch are the masters of atmosphere. Awesome and powerful song, a cover of the original done by Sol Invictus.

The EP ends with "A Poem by Yeats" a very mellow orchestral piece, reciting the poem "The Sorrow of Love" by William Butler Yeats. The delivery is very haunting. Song ends with 4 and half minutes of silence.

Good EP, the title track is decent but a little weak, while the middle is superb and has great flow, peaking with one of the most powerful songs and ending with a very subdued one. Though one that many metalheads will probably wind up snoozing too. I really like "Of Stone, Wind, and Pillor" and personally give it a 3.5 but this is an EP that is a release not all will find enjoyable and while good, is not too spectacular.

Three Stars