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September 3, 2010 |
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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
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AGALLOCH, the American band many believe are European, has returned after a four-year hiatus to deliver their most recent full-length album of progressive, folk-y Rock-Metal for the first time since 2002's acclaimed "The Mantle". Though the band hasn't been entirely silent since their last album, having released a couple of EPs and a split album with NEST in-between, the members have all kept busy with their own projects such as SCULPTURED and the truly odd one-man-band ESPECIALLY LIKELY SLOTH.
AGALLOCH has always been one of those bands that has never been technical wizards but have always held the Ace of superior craft. They won't dazzle you with supersonic blast beats or spring loaded biomechanical wrists that can play sixteen notes a second... but by golly can they write a song. The drums know precisely when to slightly change the beat in conjunction with the slight movements within the track and the guitars play so harmoniously together that it sounds like they've been playing together for the past 30 years in a classical Celtic band.
A couple of their tracks are more accessible than some of their former work and makes for easier digestion, though that should not be a warning sign for any purists lurking out there. The music itself has less folk influences and leans more towards post-rock and some of their American heritage seemed to have bled through the cracks. Both of these aspects are easily identified in "Fire Above, Ice Below", which has a bit of a slow, western-y, cowboy feel to the lead guitar in the early stages of the song, but sounds more like the sub-track "The Cowboy" from the Canadian independent band GODSPEEDYOUBLACKEMPEROR! than it sounds inspired by a movie like "Tombstone" or "The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly" (I am well aware that the latter is Italian, but you get the point) before becoming a bit a reminder of the beginning of "In The Shadow Of Our Pale Companion."
In fact, if AGALLOCH was not considered a part of the Metal empire, they would probably find a nice nitch within the independent music world somewhere around to where GODSPEED is today. While semi-epic in its own right, "Ashes Against The Grain" is neither stylistically all-encompassing as MOONSORROW's "Varisäkeet" nor is it as nearly as progressive as OPETH's "Ghost Reveries". The vocals have not changed much, voicing between harsh screeches and clean melodies. Once or twice the screams sound similar to Varg Vikners (in terms of pitch rather than uncontrolled banshee wails). The production is clearer, though not perfect, allowing each instrument to be heard, something the previous two albums lacked at times.
The only real critisim for "Ashes Against The Grain" would be the lack of a faster track along the lines of "Hallways Of Enchanted Ebony" to snap the listener out of their reverie and inspire them to bang their heads with the fuel of fresh adrenaline and subsequently might bore those looking for something speedier. The only other part that's nothing particular special is in the last track which is little more than random music, distortion and noise, lacking any form or structure or direction, which should be believed is intentional and created for stoners to go "wow" at. Thankfully this doesn't happen until the end of the album and can easily be ignored or tossed into the background for those not interested.
"Ashes Against The Grain", like all of AGALLOCH's releases, is not an everyday, anytime listen. Once the shine of the new release has worn off, outside of being perfect music to listen to during a chill, mid-Autumn walk, it takes a certain mood to want to listen to it. On the other hand, just like any of their previous work, once it has begun, it's not the type of music that will force the hand towards the skip button. Music this dynamic and interactive makes it hopeless to name exact genre listeners that might appreciate their latest oeuvre aside from those that have trouble stomaching a track longer than five minutes. The band has created their most moving and inspirational album to date. Hopefully the Metal world will recognize and come to the same conclusion and help them in celebrating having reached the highest point in their career thus far.
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