Instrumentation that seemed unchanging and simple proves to be very diverse on repeated listens. It helps to actually look at song credits and see what instruments are involved because they are very subtly integrated: from the symphonic percussion on "...And the Great Cold Death of the Earth" to the bristly mandolin of "A Desolation Song" to the beautiful, understated trombone theme in "The Hawthorne Passage" to the realms of texture within each song. Special note for "A Desolation Song", which uses the accordion (ggyah!) beautifully. Who would have thought...

Concerning that textural element, Agalloch is amazing in the way they weave different threads and progression in passages that are quite minimalist. "The Lodge" is an epochal instrumental that feels like you are rising from a winter forest on Earth to the cosmos. First it is only pastoral acoustic guitar chords shimmering as sparse percussion beats in the distance. Agalloch slowly adds nebulous texture after texture (double bass and electric guitars), which gives the music a nearly tangible rising sensation. Finally an empyrean electric guitar line is the only remaining sound as the other instruments retreat, leaving one with a feeling of transcendence and power. This is just one (short) example of Agalloch's brilliant writing and arrangements.

The "heavy" songs are not really heavy at all: the double-bass drum intro of "I Am the Wooden Doors" is hardly threatening in and of itself and the gorgeous acoustic guitar break in the middle is sublime; "You Were But A Ghost In My Arms" is an epic electric/acoustic flow of longing and melancholy, intense in its own way but hardly heavy a la metal.

Probably the best things I can say about Agalloch are: their music is extremely difficult to describe and it gets _much_ better every time I listen. This music makes me want to curl up by a fire because it is icy and cold, but ultimately beautiful and amazing...


Quite possibly the album of the year   January 3, 2003
 14 out of 14 found this review helpful

From the rainy, snowy and almost always overcast state of Oregon, comes a band that grabbed that atmosphere a cold, snow filt north pacific winter and put it into music. This band is Agalloch. Combining traditional folk style guitar playing with they're own interesting style of black metal (with some fairly well done clean vocals for good measure) Agalloch have come up with one of the most briliant albums of the past year. I know what your saying "Isn't that just an American version of Opeth?" and on paper thats all they are. But once you hear the music you realize Agalloch is a creature all of its own.

The songs move along at a rather slow speed (not in pace, but in progression) buliding up to metalic peaks, and then sinking into crisp acoustic valleys. The album is absolutly dripping with the atmsphere of the northwest mountins. The lead singer has a very good black metal voice, it isn't very intence, which allows the music to do the real talking and the vocals to be more of a back drop. Some of his clean vocals are on the weak side, but in some of the songs they are pulled off well. Personaly I feel they should decrese the clean vox, and add more of the haunting whispering that is used on several tracks. The addition of odd instruments such as e-bows, accordians and all sorts of interesting percussion instruments, makes this a very different sounding metal album.

The album starts out with a short acostic instrumental "Celebration for the Death of Man" which feeds in seamlessly into the 14 minute epic "In the Shadow of our Pale Companion". After a slow progression from two acoustic guitars to hard rocking riffs the song floats through metalic and acosutic parts. The song contains some beutiful acostic moments as well as beutiful lyrics about how the real god is mother nature (or at least thats what I get from it) using a great vocabulary and astonishing imagry, the lyrics of this so0ng realy pull you in. Then comes a rather dull instrumental "Odal," which does have some nice piano work near the end. Then comes the heaviest song on the album (which isn't that heavy compared to other metal bands) "I am the Wooden Doors". Containing some killer black metal vocals as well as great riffs this song is definatly a stand out. Then come a beutiful instrumental called "The Lodge". Containing beutiful acoustic guitars layered with spacy elctrics, odd percussion and soud effects of a man walking through a snow covered forest, the song crys with atmosphere. "You Were a Ghost in My Arms" is another (realitivly) heavy song, containg most black meatl vocals. Then theres another long instrumental, which starts out sounding very much like Pink Floyd before changing into a revolutionary rock out. Then comes the highlight of the album, "The Great Cold Death of the Earth". The song contains very good clean vocal parts sandwiching a great black metal part in the middle. There is also an amazing acostic guitar solo which just has to be heard! The final song "Desolation Song" is somer song about alcholism. Its very sad, and contains some angusihing whispering vocals that absolutly rip at your heart. The has beutiful acordian playing and acoustic guitars.

This album is one of, if not the best album of 2002. This winter, when coming up to Oregon on a train to visit my family, I awoke to be surounded by snow covered trees. I put on "The Mantle" and was taken into another world. The music fit the imagry perfictly, it was one of the best musical (non concert) experiences I've ever had. If you ever get the chance, go into the woods and put this CD on.


A Bleak, Epic, Folksy-Metal Epic Journey Like No other   July 19, 2003
 11 out of 12 found this review helpful

If you happen to be looking for a CD with the best instrumentals you've ever heard (easily enough for an entire instrumental album), unique vocals, and mixtures of genres, you found it. Shoving it into a certain category would not possibly describe where it would take you. There are lots of acoustic and electric guitars at the same time, which makes for an interesting sound. In some parts of the album 3 guitars are used at once, and the use of upright bass is unusual but pleasant. The guitar work seems very inspired by folk music but with a dark twist. The songs are quite long with mostly instrumentals that shroud you in the beautiful atmosphere. I usually think of snowy landscapes and it's really more exciting to listen in late fall or winter. And prepare for a long CD - Over 70 minutes long.

In this CD, the vocals are mostly clean unlike their first release. Haughm has one of the most unique and best singing voices I've ever heard, very dark and calm, yet powerful and majestic. There are also harsh raspy black-metal style vocals, which are also done well and fit the mood well, but this is not really black metal at all. When those types of vocals are juxtaposed to a soft acoustic strumming, it is a wonderfully unique experience.

The CD starts out with a nice introduction with acoustic guitars and transforms into the 15-minute epic "In the Shadow of Our Pale Companion." This song's vocal arrangements, singing and screeching overlapped right on top of one another, sounds quite good. The same acoustic strumming is repeated for a while (you will not be able to stop tapping your fingers/feet.) Throughout the rest of the song there are epic, chilling solos, quiet acoustic breaks, incredible climaxes, quick theme changes, adventurous, rudimental marching-band style drumming (don't make weird faces - it sounds perfect when you hear it) and continues on and on, until it slowly fades out.

Next comes the incredible instrumental track "Odal" which just sends shivers down my spine every time. This is probably the best instrumental song I've EVER heard. It is made with mostly crystal-clear strumming acoustic guitars and shifting, electric guitar riffing in the background. It has more rudimental drumming, layered, magnificent, enchanting guitar playing, majestic climaxes, an incredible, surreal, imaginational atmosphere, and a soft, echoed piano outro. This song could not be more perfect.

"Odal" slowly drifts away until the double bass tears the atmosphere apart. "I am the Wooden Doors" begins and it is probably the most aggressive song on the album. It has Heavy drumming, fast and heavy guitars, and screeched vocals. If you'd like this CD more for the folksy acoustic guitars and breathtaking instrumentals, this will most likely be the only song you don't enjoy. But there are still the folk-inspired acoustic guitars underneath all the chaos. Then the song suddenly falls apart into a short but marvelous acoustic solo with two guitars and nothing else, and goes right back to the heaviness.

"The Lodge" is another chilling acoustic instrumental track with more upright bass and acoustic strumming. It really gives you the feeling of venturing through a snowy forest, with its "deer antler" percussion and sounds of someone trudging through deep snow.

"You Were But a Ghost in My Arms" is an emotionally grim song with mostly harsh vocals. Haughm's vocal melodies are mind-blowing and extremely powerful with the singing, and dark and forbidding with the screeching. This song contains some of my favorite lyrics ever. They contain so much imagery and paint an amazing atmosphere, and might as well be poetry. This song is pretty heavy too, but this isn't your ordinary metal band.

That song fades out and "The Hawthorne Passage" starts off quickly with the same melody with finger-tappingly good drumming. This is a 10-minute entirely instrumental track, and keeps shifting themes throughout the song countless times, with upbeat parts and more relaxed parts. It also includes some samples: some talking and some sound effects to add to the environment.

"And the Great Cold Death of the Earth" is probably the most accessible or most memorable song, and certainly more upbeat after hearing the vast song before it. It is catchy, has mostly singing, and a slightly more basic song structure. The bridge in this song even has some trumpets, and also uses upright bass, which sounds spectacular. It contains the exact melodies found in the first short instrumental track, and ends with those melodies just like how it started with them. That would make a perfect ending but there's still another song that establishes an even better ending.

And finally we have "A Desolation Song", a very sad song but a good way to close the album. It uses some unique instruments such as the mandarin and accordion, soft half-whispered vocals, and some straightforward acoustic strumming. For this song I picture going into an old log cabin after a long day out in the cold and relaxing by the fire and drinking something hot.

This CD could get you interested in a lot of other bands and is very interesting itself. I can't get enough of it. Everyone should give it a try even if you don't like metal at all but if you are just interested in bands with a unique feeling in their music and a lot of talent. There aren't that many harsh vocals, it has a nice variety, and combines many different genres together and forms them into the band's own unique sound. I've had this for about a year now, because it's only been out that long, and I consider it my 3rd favorite CD of all time. Agalloch has really helped broaden my musical taste and shape it into what it is today. And after all this time there is still more in this album to discover. It just gives me a feeling like no other album has before.


AGALLOCH - They just keep getting better   February 13, 2006
 9 out of 9 found this review helpful

AGALLOCH - The Mantle
-
If you thought `Pale Folklore' was a journey into the depths of Black-Metal influenced Ambient Prog Music, I can assure you that was only their warm-up hike. The Portland (OR.) based Agalloch return back for another epic journey through the wilderness with their powerful sophomore release `The Mantle'.

This album is a clear progression for the band... they have done away with much of the awkward sounding black-metal parts (though still kept the much of the genres influence) and furthered their focus on the ambience of the music... Tracks like the 14 minute `In the Shadow of our Pale Companion' is song that is rivaled in modern progressive rock only by few bands (such as `Porcupine Tree') This song is absolutely stunning... creative, lush, somber atmospheres. Where as songs like `I Am the Wooden Door' go back to some of their more metal influences starting with a powerful double-bass intro... but still adding some beautiful acoustics mid-way through. There is not one bad track on the album and the disk is probably best listened to from start to finish to best appreciate this aural experience.

Overall, everything is stepped on this release... Better flow, more cohesive writing... Better production and sound... The vocal work has greatly improved. (Like I said above this album sounds less `awkward' during their heavier parts then their previous album.) I mean `Pale Folklore' was fantastic, but `The Mantle', well it is just freaking amazing!!! Near perfection, in fact why are you still reading this? Go buy this CD! If you like atmospheric post-rock like Pelican, Red Sparowes even GYBE, and have any interest in Prog-Metal (Or things of a heavier progressive influence) such as Opeth, or newer Enslaved. You owe it to yourself to check out both there albums.
Sit back, relax, and enjoy one of the finer ambient albums to ever come out of the USA.

Favorite Tracks: In the Shadow of our Pale Companion, Odal, ...And the Great Cold Death of the Earth
-5 Stars.

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Breathtaking beauty   June 11, 2006
 8 out of 8 found this review helpful

Agalloch's 2002 album, "The Mantle," is about 100% more mellow than their first full length release, "Pale Folklore." The results are absolutely stunning and no-less-than astonishing. In fact, I don't know if I'm even capable of putting this album's greatness and prettiness into words. Some fans compare listening to this album to entering a snowy forest, but I'd say it's more like lying on top of a cloud. Some of these songs show flashes of doom/gloom metal, with heavy electric guitar riffs and scratchy, raspy vocals, but when this album is melodic (which is most of the time), it's downright gorgeous!

Deeply influenced by Opeth's and Katatonia's progressive rock elements, this disc is so full of sonically stunning soundscapes, it's hard for the listener to chose favorites. The album opener, "A Celebration For The Death Of Man," is a very peaceful (if repetitive) instrumental with acoustic strums and quite a bit of ambient guitar feedback. "In The Shadow Of Our Pale Companion," which is a fifteen minute long epic, is heavily textured, and has multiple layers and dimensions to it. It features more acoustic strums with (what sounds like) a sitar, a very pretty string arrangement, and (what could be) a piano, and it also offsets some angry, black metal-esque snarls with dreary, spoken word vocals. Next, "Odal" augments dreamy guitar plucking with a very cool piano and somewhat creepy wind wooshes.

"I Am The Wooden Doors" is the first song to offer a glimpse of real heaviness. It's bolstered by fast, propulsive electric guitars and driving drums, but the heaviness is broken up by a beautiful acoustic breakdown.

"The Lodge," which is the record's third instrumental, begins with what could be the resonating sound of two drumsticks being clapped together. The acoustic strums kick in soon thereafter, as does a very melancholy and depressing cello.

Track six, "You Were But A Ghost In My Arms," again shows the band's heavier side, but the last three songs--"The Hawthorne Passage" (the last instrumental on here), "And The Great Cold Death Of The Earth," and "A Desolation Song"--all return "The Mantle" to its pretty, harmless, docile, acoustic-driven roots.

All you need to know is that "The Mantle" is absolutely b-e-a-utiful. This album is about as perfect and breathtakingly beautiful as music gets nowadays, and if Opeth hadn't made "Damnation" in 2003, this would easily be the prettiest album of the new millennium. The heavy parts on here should appeal to those who enjoy black metal, but the melodic songs will appeal to almost every other music fan. Thus, "The Mantle" is strongly recommended to everybody.