Agalloch - Marrow Of The Spirit - review
Agalloch - Marrow Of The Spirit - review
Tracklist
01. They Escaped The Weight Of Darkness02. Into The Painted Grey
03. The Watcher's Monolith
04. Black Lake Niðstång
05. Ghosts Of The Midwinter Fires
06. To Drown
07. Nihil Totem [tour edition vinyl bonus]
08. The Weight Of Darkness [tour edition vinyl bonus]
A review by
Susan December 08, 2010
Agalloch once again accosts us with their inescapable heavy atmosphere. You will be brought to this place and made to listen, to feel. Musically, we're treated to a barrage of blast beats and intense cymbal work layered with dark melody and John Haughm's vocal attack (often almost black metal style vocals with excellent diction: nearly every lyric is understandable). If you expected a crushing, moody, intense, epic journey, then you guessed right. Sometimes the speed pushes and pulls us along this rough, forested path, other times we're staggering slowly through acoustic instrumentation and whispered vocals. Cold guitars lend their icy melody throughout.
Since the beginning, Agalloch has created a sound that is uniquely their own. Though they straddle many genres (bits of folk, black, doom, gothic, ambient) they are none of these and all of these. Fans from across the spectrum find a favourite ingredient in Agalloch and are uncontrollably drawn to the rest. Marrow of the Spirit seems to draw bits more from black and doom metal at times than some of their previous albums, but fans of their folk and ambient side will not be disappointed, there's plenty for everyone. And it's all in the atmosphere: despite the speedy drum work, you can soak up this album in front of a fire on a rainy night, if you so desire, or let the crushing intensity in with a more physical gesture, headbanging options included. There is no wrong way to let this music overtake you.
The album closes with "To Drown," a slower tempo track that seems to lead us on an endless death march. Relentless rhythm and those freezing cold guitars lead this mesmerizing 10-minute instrumental closer. In the last minute, the assault ends and it seems we've been led to the ocean. It is here that we are gently laid to rest, only to crave the journey once more.
Comments page 4 / 4
 Posts: 21306 |
Posts: 21306 Written by Tetravirulence on 07.06.2011 at 22:16 That's pretty arrogant of you to assume the rest of us don't have the intellectual capacity to understand such a grandiose album such as this. : 
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
Loading...
|
|
Posts: 133  |
Posts: 133 Written by Troy Killjoy on 08.06.2011 at 14:26 hmm Agalloch issues makes me sensitive, sorry
Loading...
|
|
Posts: 22  |
Posts: 22
After initially being disappointed that this was not a Mantle or Ashes, I have to say Marrow is growing on me fast
Loading...
|
 Posts: 707 |
Posts: 707
I actually believe that Marrow is maybe their most mature album. Not that the rest have a lack of maturity, and not necessarily my favourite album. Highlight? .. Hm difficult indeed but i would say Black Lake Nidstang followed by Into the Painted Grey
---- give praise for the blood it bled, grant a rose for the dead...
Loading...
|
 Posts: 64503 |
Posts: 64503
Somehow I agree its awesome album after few ep nep folk soundingf(I do like neo folk) but somehow it was like kick into such genre and kick and inspire more bands to play such music
---- I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens. Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die"  I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
Loading...
|
Hits total: 15246 | This month: 11