Agalloch

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Biography

Agalloch is an United states|American heavy metal music|metal band formed in 1995 in Portland, Oregon . The band is led by vocalist and guitarist John Haughm and so far have released four limited EPs, four full-length albums, two demos, one split album, one compilation album and one live DVD.

History

Formation and early years (1995–1997)

Agalloch began as the creation of John Haughm and Shane Breyer, named after the resin ous wood of the Agarwood ( Aquilaria agallocha ). In early 1996, the duo began producing songs and, during the summer, Don Anderson joined the band to further refine the material. These songs would later become the From Which of This Oak demo (music)|demo tape in the autumn of that year. This recording showed a large amount of black metal influence, with an amount of material which would later appear on subsequent albums in one form or another. Shortly after the recording, Jason William Walton was added to the line up as bassist.

Pale Folklore and Of Stone, Wind and Pillor (1998–2001)

In 1998, the three recorded a new Demo (music)|demo tape solely for labels. It caught the attention of The End Records , who offered them a record contract, resulting in the Pale Folklore album. The album features less of a black metal influence than before, many totally reworked demo songs, more folk music|folk elements and Neoclassicism (music)|neoclassical interludes. The album was met with much critical acclaim. After the recording was complete, Breyer departed from the band lineup due to lack of interest in music.

After a period of quiet, the band released an Extended play|EP of unreleased material from 1998-2001 entitled Of Stone, Wind and Pillor , revealing more of a neoclassical and experimental element. The EP also includes a cover of neofolk band Sol Invictus (band)|Sol Invictus ' "Kneel to the Cross" that would later be released on Sol Lucet Omnibus , France|French label Cynerfierrd's tribute compilation to Sol Invictus.

The Mantle (2002–2005)

During the 2001 to early 2002 period, Agalloch recorded The Mantle , featuring more of a post-rock influence. The album sleeve art contains photographs of public statues and fountains found in downtown Portland, Oregon|Portland . This album marked a change in media attention for Agalloch, landing them interviews with a few mainstream magazines.

Following the release of The Mantle , Agalloch played their first show on March 6, 2003 in Portland, Oregon.. Metal-rules.com. Retrieved December 14, 2005. This was followed by a few shows in March and a US west coast tour in May.

In 2003 Tomorrow Will Never Come was released, and in 2004 The Grey (Agalloch EP)|The Grey was released. These EPs showcased an even more experimental side of Agalloch, featuring remixed and reworked versions of songs from The Mantle as well as a new post-rock-influenced title track on Tomorrow Will Never Come . Agalloch also performed a series of shows on the US and Canada east coast in 2004.

A nature-themed split 10" picture disc EP with the Finland|Finnish band Nest (band)|Nest was also released in 2004, showcasing a collaborative, neofolk effort by Agalloch. The Nest track was a more electronic, percussion-heavy effort with vocals and guitar contributed by Haughm and Anderson.

2005 saw double gramophone record|vinyl re-releases of The Mantle and Pale Folklore in limited wooden boxes, complete with new artwork for both albums. It was only available to commemorate the band's single 2005 live performance at Day of the Equinox , a music festival held in Toronto on October 14, 2005.

Ashes Against the Grain and The White (2006–2008)

Ashes Against the Grain was released on August 8, 2006 by The End Records , featuring less focus on The Mantle s prominent acoustic guitar s and instead more emphasis on electric guitar s and metal elements, giving the album a different sound from that of their previous releases.

On February 29, 2008, Agalloch released The White (EP)|The White , the second half (and stylistic opposite) of their 2-part EP release for Vendlus Records. This was a collection of dark folk/ambient work from between the years 2004 and 2007. The sound had reverted away from the sound of their last release, Ashes Against the Grain , and is more akin to the acoustic guitar sound of The Mantle . The tracks "The Isle of Summer", "Sowilo Rune" and "Summerisle Reprise", are themed on The Wicker Man (1973 film)|The Wicker Man , with all three tracks utilizing samples from the film. Also, the track "Birch White" borrows its lyrics from a song by A.S.J. Tessimond titled "Birch Tree". The track "Sowilo Rune" was posted on their MySpace roughly two months before the album was released. As with The Grey , the album was limited to 2,000 copies.

The Demonstration Archive and Marrow of the Spirit (2008 onward)

On August 4, 2008, Agalloch released a compilation album called The Demonstration Archive . It was a compilation of material recorded in between 1996 and 1998 that came from From Which of This Oak , the then-unreleased Of Stone, Wind and Pillor , and their 1998 promo album. Ashes Against the Grain completed the band's contract with The End Records and in April, 2008 the band decided against renewing the contract.. Blabbermouth.net. 2008-04-23. Retrieved on 2009-08-21.

On August 12, 2009, the demo From Which of This Oak was re-released as a LP album|picture disk through the German label Eisenwald.. Myspace.com. 2009-08-13. Retrieved on 2009-09-12.

Agalloch recorded a track with German artist Mathias Grassow for the compilation album, Der Wanderer über dem Nebelmeer (English: " Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog ") released by Pest Productions in March, 2010 and distributed by Prophecy Productions. The track is named "Nebelmeer".. Myspace.com. 2009-04-06. Retrieved on 2009-10-27.

Agalloch released a two-CD compilation album named The Compendium Archive on March 20, 2010; this release was restricted to 250 copies. The album was intended to be sold exclusively at two shows played by the band in Romania during March, 2010; however, 85 unsold copies were subsequently sold by the band during May, 2010 on eBay. Disc one is an exact copy of The Demonstration Archive . Disc two contains material recorded during the 2000-2006 period and previously released on Of Stone, Wind and Pillor , Tomorrow Will Never Come , the split with Nest (band)|Nest , alternative versions of tracks from The Mantle and Ashes Against the Grain and some previously unreleased tracks.

On June 7, 2010, Agalloch posted a blog on the band's official MySpace page stating that the fourth album would be released under the Profound Lore label, which also released the first two Agalloch albums on vinyl in 2005. The band stated the album will be recorded throughout June and July 2010 but did not comment on the album's title or release date. Myspace.com. 2010-06-07. Retrieved on 2010-06-07.

On September 21, 2010, Agalloch officially announced the title of their fourth full-length as Marrow of the Spirit . The album was released in mid-November on Canadian independent record label Profound Lore Records .. Metalcallout.com. 2010-09-21. Retrieved on 2010-09-21.

In an interview with Exclaim! magazine, in regards to the production of Marrow of the Spirit , Jon Haughm states, “We wanted an album that sounded more alive and real....Our last album was a bit too mechanized, too polished, and that kind of disturbed us. So we brought back the older methods that we had utilized on our demos and first album to try and get back a more organic feeling.”. Exclaim.ca. Retrieved on 2011-01-06.

On March 31, 2012, Agalloch officially announced they had completed the recording of their forthcoming EP, entitled Faustian Echoes.
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Style

Agalloch performs a progressive metal|progressive and avant-garde metal|avant-garde style of folk metal that encompasses an eclectic range of tendencies including neofolk , post-rock , black metal and doom metal .

Common themes in Agalloch's imagery and subject matter are natural beauty, melancholy and allusions to ancestral Heathenry .

One of the non-traditional instruments Agalloch has been known to use is the skull of a deer. In the song "The Lodge" John Haughm strikes the deer skull in order to create an unusual clicking sound.

In a 1999 interview done by Dan Tobin with Jason William Walton and John Haughm. Earache.com. Retrieved March 2, 2006. the band members have cited other influences including Katatonia , Ulver , The 3rd and the Mortal , Swans (band)|Swans , and Godspeed You& #33; Black Emperor . In another interview with metal-rules.com, the band cites filmmakers such as Alejandro Jodorowsky , Jim Jarmusch , and Ingmar Bergman as influences. http://www.metal-rules.com/interviews/agalloch.htm

Discography

Full-length

Pale Folklore ( The End Records , 1999)

The Mantle (The End Records, 2002)

Ashes Against the Grain (The End Records, 2006)

Marrow of the Spirit (Profound Lore, 2010)

Demos, EPs, and splits

From Which of This Oak (self released, 1997)

Promo 1998 (self-released, 1998)

Of Stone, Wind and Pillor ( The End Records|The End , 2001)

Tomorrow Will Never Come (The End, 2003)

The Grey (Agalloch EP)|The Grey ( Vendlus Records|Vendlus , 2004)

Agalloch / Nest|Split with Nest (band)|Nest (The End, 2004)

The White (EP)|The White (Vendlus, 2008)

Faustian Echoes (TBC)

Live albums

"The Silence of Forgotten Landscapes" (DVD, Shiver Records, 2009)

Compilations

Sol Lucet Omnibus (tribute to Sol Invictus (band)|Sol Invictus , contributed "Kneel to the Cross"; 2002)

The Demonstration Archive (Licht von Dämmerung, 2008)

Der Wanderer über dem Nebelmeer (album)|Der Wanderer über dem Nebelmeer (contributed "Nebelmeer", 2010)

The Compendium Archive (Licht von Dämmerung, 2010)

Oak Folk (contributed "Where Shade Once Was", Ahnstern 2010)

"Fall into Darkness 2009" (live compilation DVD, contributed "Bloodbirds")

"Whitedivisiongrey" (2CD Compilation, released February 2011)

Boxsets

The Wooden Box (Viva Hate Records, 2010)

Marrow of the Spirit (Licht von Dämmerung/Profound Lore, 2010) (tour only including CD, photo cards and 7" vinyl featuring two tracks: "Nihil Totem", piano & field recordings by J. Neblock, and "The Weight of Darkness", redesigned by C. Greene and J. Haughm)

The Demonstration Archive (Eisenwald, 2012) (triple vinyl collection of early demos)

Music videos

"Not Unlike the Waves" ( The End Records|The End , 2006)

*Short version of the song is used for the video

Members

John Haughm - singing|vocals , Electric guitar|guitar , drum kit|drums (ex- Sculptured , ex-Nothing, ex-Uncomposing, ex-Pessimyst)

Don Anderson - Electric guitar|guitar ( Sculptured , Nothing, ex-Darling, ex-Necropolis)

Jason William Walton - bass guitar (Especially Likely Sloth, ex- Subterranean Masquerade , Sculptured, Nothing, ex-Susurrus Inanis)

Aesop Dekker - drum kit|drums ( Ludicra , Worm Ouroboros)

Former members

Shane Breyer - keyboard instrument|keyboard (ex-Susurrus Inanis)

Chris Greene - drum kit|drums

Copyright Citations

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1. Novembers Doom 2. Sculptured 3. The 3rd And The Mortal 4. Virgin Black

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