Agalloch Appreciation-thread

[seasonsinthesky]

so there are three unused 'serpentis' acoustic tracks — two as bonuses on the Japanese CD and one only on a 7". if you want the 7" and you're not attending a gig, you can message Anthem Records on Facebook with the text "Agalloch single" and he'll give you payment info. limited to 500, but it's also a 2:26 acoustic track, so...

[adace]

Although I'm fairly disappointed with the album, I've gotta say the lyrics are as fantastic as ever.

If you're interested in reading them: https://www.metal-archives.com/albums/Agalloch/The_Serpent_%26_the_Sphere/405346

[senecadawg2]

Yeah, the lyrics are incredible. But, they're probably not the most immediately striking from Agalloch imo. I think I prefer the more nature-themed lyrics of The Mantle.

[adace]

Short, but interesting interview with John Haughm. https://heavymetal.about.com/od/interviews/fl/Agalloch-Interview.htm

Also "Vales Beyond Dimensions" is amazing, one of the best songs on the album.

[senecadawg2]

Thanks for sharing that interview. I especially liked this bit:

Basically it has a lot to do with microcosms and macrocosms and how they are a mirror reflection of each other. How our existence in the universe is so astronomically minute and pathetic in the vastness of space and time but at the same time, an entire micro-universe exists within us that is equally vast and complex. So the songs are based on these theories and ideas.

I've been listening to the album a lot more, recently. It's growing on me with each additional listen, as I am able to more easily distinguish and dissect the differences between individual tracks. Also, as I suspected, reading through the lyrics while listening has helped a lot. One thing that sticks out to me is just how consistent of an album this is; every song brings something worthwhile to the complete work, and there are no bad moments. On the flip side of that, there aren't many really astonishing moments either (at least, not yet for me), but I'm still optimistic that those will come. The consistency is a testament to the maturity of their songwriting 

Preliminary rankings would probably look a bit like this…

1a Dark Matter Gods
1b The Astral Dialogue
1c Celestial Effigy
The more I listen to this section of the album, the more I appreciate the sequence of the above three tracks. They fit so well together, and after a while I've come to the conclusion that they might as well be considered three movements of a single, larger, song. Individually, they are all fantastic in their own way. I looove the guitar work throughout, looove Haughm's delivery (particularly in Dark Matter Gods), and looove the lyrics (a running theme throughout the album). Yum yum yum!
4. Plateau of the Ages- There is no doubt in my mind that this piece will grow on me a lot, and perhaps end up being my favorite song on the album. Right now it's still a little unfamiliar, and there's a lot there for me to digest. Part of my difficulty in digesting it can likely be attributed to its diversity, which is a big plus. I also suspect that this one will be amazing to hear live, assuming they play it (it's got encore written all over it, in the same vein as Our Fortress is Burning, imo).
5. Birth And Death of the Pillars of Creation- This one has really grown on me. Great build up, excellent lyrics, and really interesting (and heavy) textures.
6. Vales Beyond Dimension- I wish I could agree with you, adace, but this one hasn't quite clicked for me. I don't know what it is- maybe that the first couple minutes sound a little doomy to my ears (or imagination), and I'm not a big fan of doom. It picks up after that though, around the same time that the tremolo picking kicks in, and the lyrics are also astonishingly great.

I omitted the three acoustic interludes, as I don't see them as stand-alones. They're very good breathers, but that's about it.

Not a bad song on the album

[Zantera]

The more I listen to this album, the less I understand the criticism for it. My ONLY complaint is that the three acoustic interlude-songs sound kinda "samey". They could have thrown in some more instrumentation in those songs, and maybe had only one or two (instead of three), but the "real" songs on the album are just as good as I would expect from Agalloch.

It might not be one of their best albums, but it's still on the same level as the others IMO.

[senecadawg2]

Agreed on the sameyness of the acoustic songs.

As for it's place among the rest of their albums, I'd say its sitting pretty at about the same level as MotS.

[Buddyhunter1]

1: Plateau Of The Ages
2: Dark Matter Gods

3: Celestial Effigy
4: Birth And Death Of The Pillars Of Creation
5: The Astral Dialogue

6: Values Beyond Dimension
7-9: The interludes


The middle tier is all extremely close, so I could see those shifting around a lot.

[adace]

My ranking would go something like this:

1. Astral Dialogue
2. Celestial Effigy
3. Vales Beyond Dimension
4. Dark Matter Gods
5. Plateau of the Ages
6. Birth and Death of the Pillars of Creation
7-9. interludes

[Zantera]

Plateau of the Ages
Dark Matter Gods
Celestial Effigy
Birth and Death of the Pillars of Creation
Vales Beyond Dimension
Astral Dialogue
acoustic interludes

[senecadawg2]

Bumpin this bitch to make a public service announcement:

Agalloch never fails to impress. Perhaps the only band/artist that I can honestly say has never let me down. Serpent and the Sphere gets better and better with each listen. In a way it feels like a slight backlash against MotS. Whereas that was more wandering and spacious, this feels like a more focused and coherent album. It also feels a little more restrained, but not necessarily in a bad way. I enjoy both albums a lot, just in different ways. This album is also incredibly consistent.

It's interesting the way each album seems to respond to the one before it. AAtG has been described as getting back to their roots after the more experiMantle, and then MotS's production was a little more raw in response to the polished feel of AAtG. Now this one feels quite different than Marrow. Their sound continues to evolve but they've never really pinned it and tried to repeat. Of course you hear elements of the prior albums in SatS, particularly Pale Folklore imo, but it's still a new sound. Evolution of a language to come, some might say.

[Zantera]

I haven't listened to it in a few weeks now, but I might take it for a spin during the weekend or something. It's another very good release from them. I haven't listened or had any big interest in spinning Agalloch so far this year, but that shouldn't say too much, because they are still one of my main go-to autumn/winter bands. I rarely think "Its a hot summer day, lets listen to Agalloch!" so to speak. It's almost a bummer that they released it in May instead of the autumn, but I would imagine that this is the kind of album I will keep coming back to. With several of their albums (Marrow especially), it took me a while before I fully loved all of it. I see this being something similar.

[Xanthul]

I haven't listened to it in a few weeks now, but I might take it for a spin during the weekend or something. It's another very good release from them. I haven't listened or had any big interest in spinning Agalloch so far this year, but that shouldn't say too much, because they are still one of my main go-to autumn/winter bands. I rarely think "Its a hot summer day, lets listen to Agalloch!" so to speak. It's almost a bummer that they released it in May instead of the autumn, but I would imagine that this is the kind of album I will keep coming back to. With several of their albums (Marrow especially), it took me a while before I fully loved all of it. I see this being something similar.

Nice coincidence to see you here, I was just doing some cleanup in my Excel sheets and out of curiosity I opened the one I used for my roulette a couple of years ago. I saw that it was you who sent me some Agalloch (Fire Above, Ice Below) and that I didn't really rate it that highly - I gave it a seven.

Two years later, all I can say is that the Mantle and Ashes are two of my top 10 albums ever, so THANK YOU 

I haven't had much time lately so I haven't bought the last one yet but I intend to. I listened to it a couple of times in the online stream and it seemed interesting, though I really don't dare to rate an Agalloch album so early. If the previous efforts are any indication, it will take quite a bit to click (and hopefully I will end up loving it too). Definitely agree on the release date though, Agalloch fits a lot better during autumn or winter than summer.

[Zantera]

I have a vague memory of that. Nice to see you loving them now though!

[senecadawg2]

Agalloch puts on quite the show...

One of the most exhausting things I've ever been a part of/witnessed. I don't know how they do it night after night. So cathartic... And I'd highly recommend them to anyone even mildly interested in their music.

[Buddyhunter1]

I'm seeing them for the first time on Tuesday.

[Scorpion]

Why can't they come to Europe? 

[Zantera]

They probably will. I've seen them both times they've visited Sweden, and they played several shows in Europe both tours.

[senecadawg2]

I'll refrain from posting the setlist since it's easily found online and at least one other person is going to see them this tour and may not want to have the setlist spoiled.

I will say though that I didn't particularly like the opening band, and that I wish the vocals had been a bit higher in the mix. The rest of the experience was fabulous though. Unlike any concert I've ever been to (apart from the first time I saw them lol). The smoke, the incense, the stage presence (especially Anderson's)... Man oh man what a treat.

I hope you enjoy Buddyhunter, and let us know what you think afterwards!

[Buddyhunter1]

Well, that was pretty awesome.
I could have done without the MBV-style wall of noise at the very end, though.

[FiberglassMoon]

I saw them in Philly a few days ago.  I was seriously impressed.  Most notably the quality and clarity of the show was amazing; I could make out all the fine details and intricacies in most songs. Like senecadawg said, the stage presence was great, and Don Anderson in particular was a lot of fun.

My only complaint was that the show didn't start until 9:00....with two opening bands I didn't get out of the venue until almost 1:00am. Also wasn't the biggest fan of the opener (the psychedelic, spacey, doom metal-esque band with the female vocals).

Overall a great show, great experience....I'm glad I went and will definitely try to make it the next time them come around.

[Zantera]

They are reissuing the first 3 albums on vinyl: https://www.theomegaorder.com/AGALLOCH-LP-REISSUE?sc=13&category=-113

I already had Pale Folklore and Ashes Against the Grain, but I ordered the silver version of The Mantle. 

[HarlequinForest]

Listening to The Mantle all the way through with Uncle Cid and Milkdrop visualizer, does it get better than this?

[ThatOneGuy2112]

Following 20 years, 5 full length albums, many tours around the world, and numerous other recordings, John Haughm and the rest of the band (Don Anderson, Jason Walton, and Aesop Dekker) have parted ways. What the future holds for the separate parties remains undetermined. We collectively thank all of our fans across the world. There are also way too many other people to thank who made this band possible. You know who you are.

From their Facebook page.

Very upsetting to see these guys go. What a great run, and truly delivered some of the greatest metal albums ever.

[Scorpion]

[Tomislav95]

Nooooo

[Xanthul]

Crap, I had been playing the hell out of Ashes lately, I was on a huge Agalloch binge.

I think I'll get Pale Folklore and pretend it's a new Agalloch album since I've never listened to it.

[Zantera]

RIP 

[SoundscapeMN]

sucks.

but I did get to see them live once at least.

And this may at least lead to another Sculptured album soon (it's been 8 years since Embodiment).

[senecadawg2]

What the fuck... This is so out of the blue to me.

My favorite metal band these past couple years, I can't believe it! 


I know John in particular has been increasingly interested in his solo work and other projects, but I'm still shocked. The second time I saw Agalloch was easily one of the best concerts I've been to and the first was a phenomenal experience as well. So much so that these past couple months I've been periodically checking for a new tour announcement. In fact, when I saw this thread bumped, I thought that's exactly what this was. Unbelievable...

[senecadawg2]

After being inundated by a barrage of responses, I feel that I should clarify some things. I take full responsibility for the decision to part ways with the other guys. It was difficult, well thought-out, and something that had been culminating over the past couple of years. I simply could not continue any further with the band as it was. I had to make a change as my motivation and inspiration had started to completely deteriorate. Whether this is the permanent end of Agalloch altogether or a possible fresh start, I don't know. I probably won't know for awhile. The band has simply been reduced back to its founding, visionary member for the first time in 20 years. Beyond that, the future is unknown.
- J. Haughm

[Elite]

[Buddyhunter1]

What the fuuuuuuuck. 
This sucks. These guys have released some of my favorite albums and it's depressing as hell there won't be any more, especially since I was only able to see them live once. It's also kind of a shame that they went out on (in my opinion) their worst album, though with the news of this breakup maybe sheds some light on why that album felt kind of uninspired to me.

Damn...

[seasonsinthesky]

It's also kind of a shame that they went out on (in my opinion) their worst album, though with the news of this breakup maybe sheds some light on why that album felt kind of uninspired to me.

See, I found Marrow of the Spirit the least inspired. Nothing special really happens until "Black Lake Niðstang" comes into the picture. The songs prior are boring, typical, and expected.

Meanwhile, Serpent & the Sphere opens with one of the most atypical Agalloch songs, followed by a White EP-style number, then into three typical but excellent pieces. It's only really the last half that's boring, but "Vales Beyond Dimension" has really become a highlight to me (it was weakest at first imo), so it's just the extended amount of "serpens" tracks and "Plateau of the Ages" that bore me.

I guess my ultimate point is that half of Marrow and half of Serpent make one amazing record. The decline has been ongoing.

[Buddyhunter1]

Marrow Of The Spirit has actually grown on me exponentially since the first time I heard it to the point where it's practically tied with The Mantle as my second favorite album from them. I just love how thick and dense the atmosphere is on that record, and that's what I thought The Serpent was lacking the most.