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Agalloch - Ashes Against The Grain



9.1 | 1607 votes |
Release date: 8 August 2006
Style: Neofolk , Atmospheric black metal

Owners:

1665 have it
147 want it
4 trade it


01. Limbs
02. Falling Snow
03. This White Mountain On Which You Will Die
04. Fire Above, Ice Below
05. Not Unlike The Waves
06. Our Fortress Is Burning... I
07. Our Fortress Is Burning... II - Bloodbirds
08. Our Fortress Is Burning... III - The Grain
09. Scars Of The Shattered Sky (Our Fortress Has Burned To The Ground) [Double LP Vinyl 1000 Copies Limited Edition bonus]

Top 20 albums of 2006: 1
Top 200 albums of all time: 13
Featured in "Getting Into: Agalloch"

Staff review by
Dream Taster
Rating:
8.9
In today's world of overplayed musical styles and boring sameness, a few bands stand out as innovators. Agalloch from Portland, Oregon is one of those bands. With their unique blend of Doom, Gothic and elements of Death metal, those musicians managed to break through the US scene with the highly-acclaimed album The Mantle back in 2002. The band witnessed the arrival of Chris Greene taking over drumming duties for John Haughm (who remains very busy with guitars and vocals) while the rest of the lineup is still rounded up by Jason William Walton (bass) and Don Anderson (guitars).

Read more ››
published 20.06.2006 | Comments (46)

Guest review by
strade
Rating:
8.0
Agalloch's Ashes Against The Grain. Never have I found another release I love so much yet feel so unsatisfied by. There's so much here, yet it feels as if so much is missing. It's so spot on, but I just don't find it a flawless or even exemplary demonstration of the genre in question. I'd call it the perfect musical embodiment of a love/hate relationship. With that said, however, I must admit that I feel a far greater abundance of the former than the latter.

Read more ››
published 11.03.2012 | Comments (26)

Guest review by
Gothic Metalhead
Rating:
10
The god of man is a failure indeed.

Read more ››
published 06.07.2021 | Comments (3)

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Comments page 2 / 2

Comments: 60   Visited by: 2936 users
08.12.2014 - 16:06
Frodd
Account deleted
Worst album ever.
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08.12.2014 - 17:50
Rating: 9
InnerSelf
proofread free
Written by Guest on 08.12.2014 at 16:06

Worst album ever.

I know, YUCK ... especially that awful song Falling Snow
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He who is not bold enough
to be stared at from across the abyss
is not bold enough
to stare into it himself.
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08.12.2014 - 17:53
Frodd
Account deleted
Written by InnerSelf on 08.12.2014 at 17:50

Written by Guest on 08.12.2014 at 16:06

Worst album ever.

I know, YUCK ... especially that awful song Falling Snow

eww Falling Snow, i couldnt listen to it more than 160 times. absolutely appalling.
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08.12.2014 - 17:57
Rating: 9
InnerSelf
proofread free
Written by Guest on 08.12.2014 at 17:53

eww Falling Snow, i couldnt listen to it more than 160 times. absolutely appalling.

I was like: "I should absolutely 8 this", but then I thought it's totally not worthy of an 8.
----
He who is not bold enough
to be stared at from across the abyss
is not bold enough
to stare into it himself.
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08.12.2014 - 18:01
Frodd
Account deleted
Written by InnerSelf on 08.12.2014 at 17:57

I was like: "I should absolutely 8 this", but then I thought it's totally not worthy of an 8.

i know right? i bet i could make a better album using nothing but this album and john haughm.
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08.12.2014 - 18:06
Rating: 9
InnerSelf
proofread free
Written by Guest on 08.12.2014 at 18:01

Written by InnerSelf on 08.12.2014 at 17:57

I was like: "I should absolutely 8 this", but then I thought it's totally not worthy of an 8.

i know right? i bet i could make a better album using nothing but this album and john haughm.

This band could make use of you as a devoted listener.
----
He who is not bold enough
to be stared at from across the abyss
is not bold enough
to stare into it himself.
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29.07.2015 - 08:30
Maco
Pvt Funderground
Man, I've forgotten how amazing this album is.
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Crackhead Megadeth reigns supreme.
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12.11.2016 - 01:05
Rating: 8
Metren
Dreadrealm
After falling in love with The Mantle, this album truly was a disappointment. It's self-indulgent, all over the place with regard to the musical ideas and just plain boring in the final third. All that by Agalloch's own very high standards of course. It's not all bad or even average, there are plenty of brilliant moments here, but just not enough to make it a masterpiece, which it isn, by a long shot.
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28.02.2017 - 01:16
Bad English
Tage Westerlund
Gosh if ppl says its worst album ever, Its like voting for trump something
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Life is to short for LOVE, there is many great things to do online !!!

Stormtroopers of Death - ''Speak English or Die''
apos;'
[image]
I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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17.01.2018 - 16:34
Rating: 10
Jack_Torrance

Masterpiece.
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07.05.2018 - 18:38
Rating: 8
Metren
Dreadrealm
I've come to like this album a lot more this past year. Still not on The Mantle level though, not that many albums are.
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My one-man project's Bandcamp with free downloads: https://dreadrealm.bandcamp.com/
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14.05.2018 - 01:12
Maco
Pvt Funderground
Written by mz on 19.12.2010 at 11:31

Its one of the best metal albums of all and the first album of agalloch that I heard and I really like our fortress is...(II)

Agreed
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Crackhead Megadeth reigns supreme.
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04.09.2018 - 03:45
Rating: 8
DeathMetal

Pretty decent.
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31.12.2019 - 15:34
Rating: 10
Gothic Metalhead
Pro Introvert
I really am not a fan of agalloch to listen to their entire discography, but ashes against the grain is the only album I love. Truly a masterpiece of atmospheric black/doom
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31.12.2019 - 15:54
Bad English
Tage Westerlund
Written by Gothic Metalhead on 31.12.2019 at 15:34

I really am not a fan of agalloch to listen to their entire discography, but ashes against the grain is the only album I love. Truly a masterpiece of atmospheric black/doom

Then you are weird, one of rare bands what play decent music in each albums
----
Life is to short for LOVE, there is many great things to do online !!!

Stormtroopers of Death - ''Speak English or Die''
apos;'
[image]
I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
Loading...
21.05.2020 - 17:08
Rating: 9
nonZero

Not as strong as The Mantle, but still an excellent album from start to finish.
----
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Top 200 Overlooked Albums (with genres)
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22.05.2020 - 12:36
Rating: 10
musclassia

Written by nonZero on 21.05.2020 at 17:08

01. Limbs - 10/10
02. Falling Snow - 10/10
03. This White Mountain On Which You Will Die - 9.5/10
04. Fire Above, Ice Below - 9/10
05. Not Unlike The Waves - 8.5/10
06. Our Fortress Is Burning... I - 8.5/10
07. Our Fortress Is Burning... II - Bloodbirds - 9.5/10
08. Our Fortress Is Burning... III - The Grain - 8.5/10

Overall: 9.2/10

Not as strong as The Mantle, but still an excellent album from start to finish.


I definitely wouldn't rate the 2-minute interlude higher than Fire Above, Ice Below and particularly Not Unlike The Waves, but yeah, I think it's a notch below The Mantle whilst being very special (a 9.5 to The Mantle's 10). The Grain has grown on me over time, to the point where I can now at least appreciate its contribution, but more often than not I finish the album with Bloodbirds
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22.05.2020 - 12:40
Rating: 9
nonZero

Written by musclassia on 22.05.2020 at 12:36

Written by nonZero on 21.05.2020 at 17:08

01. Limbs - 10/10
02. Falling Snow - 10/10
03. This White Mountain On Which You Will Die - 9.5/10
04. Fire Above, Ice Below - 9/10
05. Not Unlike The Waves - 8.5/10
06. Our Fortress Is Burning... I - 8.5/10
07. Our Fortress Is Burning... II - Bloodbirds - 9.5/10
08. Our Fortress Is Burning... III - The Grain - 8.5/10

Overall: 9.2/10

Not as strong as The Mantle, but still an excellent album from start to finish.


I definitely wouldn't rate the 2-minute interlude higher than Fire Above, Ice Below and particularly Not Unlike The Waves, but yeah, I think it's a notch below The Mantle whilst being very special (a 9.5 to The Mantle's 10). The Grain has grown on me over time, to the point where I can now at least appreciate its contribution, but more often than not I finish the album with Bloodbirds

It's quite difficult to rate intros, outros and interludes. I try and rate them on their own merit (I think TWMOWYWD works very well at creating atmosphere). I would say that it does a better job of creating atmosphere as an interlude than FA,IB does at being an engaging song, but that's just my opinion
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22.05.2020 - 12:42
RaduP
CertifiedHipster
Written by musclassia on 22.05.2020 at 12:36

more often than not I finish the album with Bloodbirds

Disgusting
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22.05.2020 - 13:04
Rating: 10
musclassia

Written by RaduP on 22.05.2020 at 12:42

Written by musclassia on 22.05.2020 at 12:36

more often than not I finish the album with Bloodbirds

Disgusting


Some days, I just can't be arsed to listen to a full 7 minutes of guitar noise, and I make no apologies for that
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05.11.2020 - 16:46
Rating: 9
Spawdophonik

I could listen to Falling Snow for hours and not get bored
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15.02.2021 - 17:12
Rating: 10
metalriff

Written by Gothic Metalhead on 31.12.2019 at 15:34

I really am not a fan of agalloch to listen to their entire discography, but ashes against the grain is the only album I love. Truly a masterpiece of atmospheric black/doom

Even i feel like none of the other albums sound like this one or even come close. Not that the other releases are bad. Just that they don't strike a chord with me like this one does
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17.09.2021 - 07:57
Rating: 10
Kvothe

Written by Bad English on 31.12.2019 at 15:54

Written by Gothic Metalhead on 31.12.2019 at 15:34

I really am not a fan of agalloch to listen to their entire discography, but ashes against the grain is the only album I love. Truly a masterpiece of atmospheric black/doom

one of rare bands what play decent music in each albums

That's exaggerated man
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22.09.2021 - 12:05
Alakazam
spendin' cheese
Written by Kvothe on 17.09.2021 at 07:57

Written by Bad English on 31.12.2019 at 15:54

one of rare bands what play decent music in each albums

That's exaggerated man

It isn't ;]
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25.09.2021 - 20:16
Rating: 10
Kvothe

Written by Alakazam on 22.09.2021 at 12:05

Written by Kvothe on 17.09.2021 at 07:57

Written by Bad English on 31.12.2019 at 15:54

one of rare bands what play decent music in each albums

That's exaggerated man

It isn't ;]

It is. Looks like you haven't really listened to many bands
----
Here, waiting very quiet right in front Valaritas, the door that hides the tomb.
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27.09.2021 - 09:05
Alakazam
spendin' cheese
Written by Kvothe on 25.09.2021 at 20:16

Written by Alakazam on 22.09.2021 at 12:05

Written by Kvothe on 17.09.2021 at 07:57

Written by Bad English on 31.12.2019 at 15:54

one of rare bands what play decent music in each albums

That's exaggerated man

It isn't ;]

It is. Looks like you haven't really listened to many bands

It does appear that way. It's the Schrödinger's assumption.
----
I may not have the largest collection but I certainly have the absolute best

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30.09.2021 - 01:47
Rating: 8
JavierPaper

Very good successor, more black than the previous one and a bit worse, this opinion is very popular in the comments but "Falling Snow" is a song on another level, it's too good.
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10.10.2022 - 18:25
Rating: 8
AndyMetalFreak
A Nice Guy
I always remember thinking The Mantle was far more superior to this one, but I will have to admit this is a grower indefinitely. Although I prefer ther latter album overall this has some top quality moments, but "Not Unlike The Waves" is by far the standout track for me, and imo one of the best song ever written
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20.11.2022 - 10:52
Stormm

Written by God Alone on 18.10.2014 at 20:21

Written by Guest on 18.10.2014 at 18:41

What is special about this album? I've heard a few seconds of the first song, and the first thing I noticed was that lacks an atmosphere like that of The Mantle, something weird coming from Agalloch.
No offense intended.


That's because it's not supposed to be The Mantle part 2.
The Mantle is quiet and intimate, whereas this one is harder, majestic and often devastating. Just listen to Bloodbirds. Also, people usually think the last song is the worst but for me it's the perfect way to close such a masterpiece: everything eventually crumbles and turns to ashes, wrapped in thick fog and smoke.


It suits the overall atmosphere well, but it's not really a song to be honest. It's just... Outro. It's cool, but why is it 7 min. long?! 7 minutes of noises from highly distorted bass guitar? It's dragging too much.
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07.02.2024 - 10:38
Rating: 8
miekka18

Good autumn vibes and atmospheric yet powerful release
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