Agalloch
Agalloch is an American Dark-Metal-/Doom-Metal-Band from Portland, Oregon. The name is derived from the Latin name Agallochum malaccense for the agarwood tree.
Band History
Frustrated by the failure of its first projects Haughm John and Shane Breyer Agalloch founded in 1996. During the summer they moved Don Anderson added to refine his help with the songs. The songs were later released in the fall on the demo tape From Which of This Oak, which was limited to 200 copies and showed a lot more black metal influence than the following albums. Shortly after the recording was Jason William Walton added as bassist.
In 1998, the band on a demo to be provided with a label. In this demo, there was material in revised form should also still be found on the following albums use. The demo caught the attention of The End Records and such a contract was concluded. As a result of this collaboration, the debut album Pale Folklore appeared in June 1999. It had less black metal influences than the demo tape, but much more folklore and Neoklassikeinflüsse. After the recording was complete, Breyer distanced from the band.
After a short break, the band released an EP with previously unreleased material from the years 1998 to 2001, which bore the name Of Stone, Wind and Pillor, which again included more folklore, and distorted vocal elements. The EP also contains a cover version of the song Kneel to the Cross of the band Sol Invictus.
Between 2001 and 2002, Agalloch recorded the album The Mantle, which brought together more than the previous albums post-rock influences in itself. The album represented a breakthrough for Agalloch, since they now also attracted the attention of mainstream magazines up. Following the publication of Agalloch entered on March 6, 2003 in Portland, Oregon on the first time. After that followed a few concerts in March and a tour along the west coast of the United States in May.
2003, the EP Tomorrow Will Never Come was published and the following year The Grey. On these EPs to Agalloch showed a very experimental side. On the EPs newly remixed and unedited / revised pieces were from the album The Mantle. On Tomorrow Will Never Come They also found an eponymous, hitherto unpublished piece. In 2004, Agalloch some concerts in 2004 on the East Coast, some of them in Toronto, Canada.
2004 picture disc was released together with the Finnish band Nest. This Agalloch processed more neofolk influences, while nest rather tends to Ambient and uses the support of guitar and vocals of Haughm and Anderson.
In August 2006, the third album Ashes Against the Grain has been published. 2008 The White EP, can be found on the almost no metal elements, as well as The demonstration appeared archives: 1996-1998, on which are the two songs and demos Of Stone, Wind and Pillor to find.
2009, the demo From Which of This Oak was re-released as a picture disc. That same year, the video recording of a live appearance in 2008 in Belgium appeared as a live album, The Silence of Forgotten Landscapes.
On 19 November 2010 the fourth album Marrow of the Spirit appeared. Drummer Aesop Dekker was heard for the first time on an album Agallochs. In December, followed accompany the new album, a tour on the U.S. West Coast, 2011, a tour on the east coast. Between April and May 2013 tour is planned through Europe.
Style
The music Agallochs distinguished in that the vocals and instruments in part difficult to superimpose, which is rather rare in the metal. The music is often described as atmospheric or scary, because of their melancholy, quiet mood.
Although Agalloch is usually classified under folk or doom metal, their music contains other regularly re-emerging influences, from neofolk, dark ambient and post-rock. A common theme, which is reflected in the images and in the music Agallochs, is also the allusion to paganism.
In an interview in 1999, which was led by Dan Tobin, Jason William Walton and John Haughm, the band members have influences of the band Katatonia, Ulver, The 3rd and the Mortal, Swans and Godspeed You! Black Emperor called.
Musically, the band is influenced by Black Metal, but since the text contains no satanic references, it is rather subordinate to the Extreme Metal or even the Dark Metal.
Discography
Demos
Albums
EPs
- 2001: Of Stone, Wind and Pillor ( ltd to 2500 )
- 2003: Tomorrow Will Never Come
- 2004: The Grey (ltd. to 1000 copies )
- 2008: The White (ltd. to 2000 copies )
- 2011: "White Division Grey" (quasi re-release, including the two EP's " The Grey" & " The White " )
- 2012: Faustian Echoes
- 2009: The Silence of Forgotten Landscapes
Others
- 2004: The Wolves of Timberline (Split with Nest, ltd to 1000 copies, picture disc )
- 2008: The Demonstration Archive: 1996-1998 ( Best of )
- 2010: The Compendium Archive ( Best of, ltd to 250 pieces )
- 2010: Agalloch Wooden Box
- 2010: Participation in the compilation The Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog (ltd. to 1000 copies )
- 2010: participation in the Oak Folk compilation