MARROW OF THE SPIRIT

The peak of Agalloch creative force was released in 2010. This release has everything that an open-minded progressive black metal fan can ask for: Long music loundscapes, frosty atmosphere, mature songwriting make this piece one of the best progressive black metal albums ever. The albums marks departure from the more experimental Ashes to the grey and return to rawer approach. Who would have expected that it could ever come from America, if Scandinavia rules this game?

Apart form the normal soundscape, violin and sounds of nature are used to great effect, What reminds me of spring with streams of water bursting from melting snow, and using a melody motive that is reused in the last song changes with the start of the second track into a furious black metal tempo that is well characterized by the title "Painted into grey" that contains melodic post-rock riffs. "The watcher's monolith" contains a slight Opeth feeling in the slowlier parts. The second longest track ever by Agalloch bears the name of a fictive lake in Scandinavia. Black metal, doom metal and Mogwaisque keyboards are all featured here. "To drown" is one of the most darkest and emotional post-rock pieces ever, in my opinion. What starts as painting with colours and background guitar melody taken over by melancholic violin, slowly evolves into fantastic 4 chord guitar cresciendo which then turns into an evil violin/guitar melody - as if a march of omnipresent doom and bleakness was going on. This remarkable track ends the album on a very high note. The masterpiece of folk and progressive influenced black metal. Together with Enslaved and Borknagar, this is the reference music that will draw many listeners to a high quality metal music.