Agalloch
Marrow of the Spirit
Profound Lore Records
Nov. 23

By Chris Cox

Agalloch has reached cult status among the mysterious genre known as black metal. Their music is poetically macabre and mixed with acoustic instruments to create a dark naturey atmosphere.

Most of the lyrical content is poetically brilliant and uses nature and winter as metaphors for depression, suicide and love. Their unique genre, ‘dark metal’ is black metal with strong folk influences. The music creates an imagery of nature and winter that is sought after by many other musicians within the black metal scene, and since I discovered them in early 2005 I have never heard anything else like them. There has not been another band to utilize poetic lyrical content with a dark wintery feel like Agalloch. The intelligence behind the lyrics of Agalloch is a writing style that I admire.

Finally returning with their long awaited album Marrow Of The Spirit, Agalloch hasn’t failed to impress again. This album once again recreates their magical atmosphere given off by their music with cello and acoustic instruments on many parts in their songs.

This time drawing influences from second and third wave black metal bands like Immortal, Sacramentum, Rotting Christ, Dissection and early Ulver. Fast tremolo picking to create that black metal atmosphere created by such acts is a great new addition to the band’s music.

The album opens up with the nature soundscapes and violin of “They Escaped the Weight” then into a fast tempo tremolo picking in “Into the Painted Gray” which is played in a low key and doesn’t sound “brutal” at all but sets up the melancholic mood of the album. This sound is like Sacramentum’s “Far Away From The Sun.” “Black Lake Nidstang” is another favorite of mine on this album, the track starts off with a great Chopin like piano is very slow and passionate and breathes atmosphere, showing strong neo-folk influences.

I hope more music lovers will come to know Agalloch and enjoy their music as I and many metal fans have. They aren’t very successful commercially, and aren’t well known, but are probably one of the best obscure bands I can think of. Their older albums Pale Folklore and The Mantle are accessible to new listeners, and are remarked as some of the best metal albums ever written.