Agalloch
The Mantle

THE REVIEW

Experimentation and never resting on one's laurels.

This is the goal set by these three guys from Oregon, united under the name Agalloch. Don Anderson - guitar, John Haughm - vocals, guitar, drums, and Jason William Walton - bass, after debuting in 1999 with the astonishing 'Pale Folklore', which leaned more towards doom/death, released this beautiful album, almost entirely diverging from canonical metal in favor of a fusion with folk and a hint of ambient.

Rarely has a CD of over 60 minutes (with a total of 9 tracks, 4 of which are instrumental) managed not to bore me, thanks to the emotional charge of every single song, which seems to speak to the listener's soul. The main influences are Ulver, Katatonia, and not strictly metal bands like Swans, Godspeed, Nick Cave, Tom Waits. The lyrics follow a recurring theme: depression, but also the aspect of nature bound to its struggle against humanity, which seems inclined to destroy it.
The intro "A Celebration for the Death of Man..." is entirely supported by an ethereal acoustic guitar arpeggio, then joined by electric guitar, bass, drums, and keyboards, leading to the masterpiece "In the Shadow of Our Pale Companion", a quarter-of-an-hour suite, where for the first time we hear John's icy voice, capable of transitioning from a subtle scream, never too intrusive, to clean vocals or a nasal whisper. The song is very intricate, alternating slower, melodic parts with more cadenced ones, and the lyrics are applause-worthy, especially in the section: "If this grand panorama before me is what you call God. . . Then God is not dead" which personally struck me deeply.

"Odal" is a slow instrumental marked by drums that alternate almost black riffs with acoustic sections. At the end, a melancholy piano introduces "I am the Wooden Doors", a more driven track that doesn't forego guitar phrases and fine acoustic inserts, with the one in the central part being legendary. "The Lodge" features a single acoustic arpeggio over a cello base, calming the waters before the other more intense track, "You Were but a Ghost in My Arms", with lyrics about a lost love tormenting the abandoned lover, leading them to utter despair.
"The Hawthorne Passage" is the longest instrumental (over 11 minutes), dedicated to the theme of gray life in cities. What sets it apart from the others is the unexpected blues solo that makes the piece even more melancholic and suffering. "...And the Great Cold Death of the Earth" follows the same path as the other songs, with the difference that now electric guitars provide the background to acoustics, extending into fantastic solos, and at the end, the theme of the intro is revisited.

This great album closes with "A Desolation Song", where the sadness is almost palpable, scream put aside for mere whisper over a base of accordion and acoustic guitars and a stunning mandolin (!) solo.
In short, an album to experience rather than listen to passively, catapulting Agalloch among the best metal bands in circulation today (waiting for the new album to be released in early August).