AGALLOCH – THE MANTLE
The End Records - 2002
By Rodrigo Escandón
Agalloch introduced themselves to the metal community with 1999’s excellent Pale Folklore, an album that drew influences from folk, black, doom and progressive musical elements. It was the sort of album that made Agalloch a band to watch out in the future. That future is now with the beautifully constructed The Mantle. With this album, Agalloch finds themselves at a colder, darker, and desperate world. It builds up slowly, it does not over power you, its like a wine that needs to age with time and as the minutes pass its sheer brilliance is revealed, reaching its climax and slowly ending leaving you with the sense and taste of hopelessness.
The combination of all the different genres is done flawlessly. It is not only achieved with each individual song but within the songs themselves Agalloch can be found playing a slow acoustic interlude and move on to a heavier and faster section. However, these changes of style are done with the deliberate pace I described earlier. It’s not like that at one moment the band is playing fast and immediately they start playing slow. As I mentioned before, these changes need to happen slowly and at the right precise moment, very similar to what Opeth does, and that’s where the comparisons end with that band.
Listen to the 14-minute long “In the Shadow of Our Pale Companion” and you will immediately understand what I mean. It is a song that is preceded by the acoustic instrumental “A Celebration for the Death of Man…” and maintains that pace with some heavier guitars, harsher and clean singing by Haughm, it moves to a slower middle part and then speeds up at 10:20 with a beautiful section with clean melodic guitars, rhythmic drumming, a very nice guitar solo and finally moves towards the original pace. The instrumental “Odal” was the first song that most people were able to hear from The Mantle since it was included in the sampler the label released a few months before the release of this album. A lonely guitar melody is what drives the beginning until an electric chord progression dominates the rest and ends with a haunting piano melody.
“You were but a Ghost in My Arms” and “I am the Wooden Doors” are the songs that point towards the band’s metal roots. Faster tempos and heavier electric guitars prevail while still encompassing classical acoustic guitars and clean singing reminding one of Bergtatt-era Ulver. This balance achieved is done flawlessly and almost without effort. The instrumental “The Lodge”, characterized by its driving acoustic rhythmic guitars, contrabass and even deer antlers used in the percussion, is sandwiched between these two and the manner that it follows and leads them is mesmerizing and at this point you realize that sheer brilliance has been achieved.
The climatic point in The Mantle is reached by “The Hawthorne Pasage”, a slow-tempo 11-minute instrumental. Everything has been building to this point and how fitting is it that at the end a sample from the Alejandro Jodorowsky movie “Fando and Lis”, a movie that deals with the loss of hope and dreams. “…And the Great Cold Death of the Earth” and “A Desolation Song” finish the album with the mood described by the song titles. The former follows the same theme as “A Celebration for the Death of Man…” wrapping up the entire album together. Once again the contra bass is featured, as well as a trombone and bells. The latter is such a beautiful piece with its ever-present driving acoustic guitars mixed with an accordion, the contrabass and a mandolin. Haughm delivers his desolation, his final words, and his resignation in a whispering voice that is the only appropriate way to sing this piece.
The Mantle is yet another excellent release on The End Records and easily the best album from one of their signed bands (not distributed). This is an album for those who want a true musical journey and not a quick fix. It is like reading a 1,000 page novel or slowly enjoying a fine bottle of wine. It requires time and attention and the reward at the end is nothing short of brilliance.
The End Records Website
The End Records - 2002
By Rodrigo Escandón
Agalloch introduced themselves to the metal community with 1999’s excellent Pale Folklore, an album that drew influences from folk, black, doom and progressive musical elements. It was the sort of album that made Agalloch a band to watch out in the future. That future is now with the beautifully constructed The Mantle. With this album, Agalloch finds themselves at a colder, darker, and desperate world. It builds up slowly, it does not over power you, its like a wine that needs to age with time and as the minutes pass its sheer brilliance is revealed, reaching its climax and slowly ending leaving you with the sense and taste of hopelessness.
The combination of all the different genres is done flawlessly. It is not only achieved with each individual song but within the songs themselves Agalloch can be found playing a slow acoustic interlude and move on to a heavier and faster section. However, these changes of style are done with the deliberate pace I described earlier. It’s not like that at one moment the band is playing fast and immediately they start playing slow. As I mentioned before, these changes need to happen slowly and at the right precise moment, very similar to what Opeth does, and that’s where the comparisons end with that band.
Listen to the 14-minute long “In the Shadow of Our Pale Companion” and you will immediately understand what I mean. It is a song that is preceded by the acoustic instrumental “A Celebration for the Death of Man…” and maintains that pace with some heavier guitars, harsher and clean singing by Haughm, it moves to a slower middle part and then speeds up at 10:20 with a beautiful section with clean melodic guitars, rhythmic drumming, a very nice guitar solo and finally moves towards the original pace. The instrumental “Odal” was the first song that most people were able to hear from The Mantle since it was included in the sampler the label released a few months before the release of this album. A lonely guitar melody is what drives the beginning until an electric chord progression dominates the rest and ends with a haunting piano melody.
“You were but a Ghost in My Arms” and “I am the Wooden Doors” are the songs that point towards the band’s metal roots. Faster tempos and heavier electric guitars prevail while still encompassing classical acoustic guitars and clean singing reminding one of Bergtatt-era Ulver. This balance achieved is done flawlessly and almost without effort. The instrumental “The Lodge”, characterized by its driving acoustic rhythmic guitars, contrabass and even deer antlers used in the percussion, is sandwiched between these two and the manner that it follows and leads them is mesmerizing and at this point you realize that sheer brilliance has been achieved.
The climatic point in The Mantle is reached by “The Hawthorne Pasage”, a slow-tempo 11-minute instrumental. Everything has been building to this point and how fitting is it that at the end a sample from the Alejandro Jodorowsky movie “Fando and Lis”, a movie that deals with the loss of hope and dreams. “…And the Great Cold Death of the Earth” and “A Desolation Song” finish the album with the mood described by the song titles. The former follows the same theme as “A Celebration for the Death of Man…” wrapping up the entire album together. Once again the contra bass is featured, as well as a trombone and bells. The latter is such a beautiful piece with its ever-present driving acoustic guitars mixed with an accordion, the contrabass and a mandolin. Haughm delivers his desolation, his final words, and his resignation in a whispering voice that is the only appropriate way to sing this piece.
The Mantle is yet another excellent release on The End Records and easily the best album from one of their signed bands (not distributed). This is an album for those who want a true musical journey and not a quick fix. It is like reading a 1,000 page novel or slowly enjoying a fine bottle of wine. It requires time and attention and the reward at the end is nothing short of brilliance.
The End Records Website
