Well, friends, it's time for another column where I mindlessly blab about music for a few paragraphs. If you have been paying attention, I was fleeing some ne'er-do-wells last time we spoke. I'm fine now - big misunderstanding and all that. Running around in the summer, though, got me wishing for colder weather. So I've been thinking of winter a lot. Winter, meanwhile, makes me think of one of my favorite muggle bands: Agalloch.
Agalloch is an atmospheric / folk / black metal band from Portland, Oregon in the United States. Formed in 1995 by front man John Haughm, they released five full-length albums and a handful of singles, compilations and EPs. The best way I can describe Agalloch is if an elk and a tree formed a metal band mixed with neo folk and doom. They forgo the usual screeching, distorted guitar riffs for more melodic pieces that go well with John's sometimes whisper-screamed vocals. The lyrical content centers around forests, winter, and pagan gods.
A lot of their songs will have long periods of melodic guitar work interspersed with the vocals soaring among the notes. In my mind, it calls forth images of long walks in a wintry forest in the wooded mountains while a lone deer picks through the snow for some traces of green in that snow white vista. If you were to ask me for a recommendation, I would recommend the album The Mantle. The entire album is a masterpiece of black metal and neo folk wed together to forge a unique listening experience you wont get in most other bands. I would also recommend you check out Ashes Against the Grain, another masterpiece of an album that will ease you into the band.
Sadly, the band broke up in 2016 with no intention of ever reforming together. All good things eventually come to an end, so I take solace in the fact that I can simply put on a record and lose myself for about an hour in their works. So, for fans of melodic metal and folk music, I would suggest the following albums:
- The Mantle
- Ashes Against the Grain
- Pale Folklore
- Marrow of the Spirit
With that, I'll bid you adieu. This sunny weather has me rushing for somewhere cool as we speak. This is Mordecai reminding you to keep cool and keep the music going.