From the world of sin we retreat to the Carpathian mountains in quiet meditation...
#4
Agalloch - Marrow of the Spirit
Fading in with a solitary violin, we hear the sound of water babbling as trees rustle through the breeze. Thus begins a journey through the pained hearts of men - Agalloch's oblique and antagonistic Marrow of the Spirit.
Written in the isolation of the Romanian mountains and recorded on all analog equipment under the tutelage of Faust (USA) guitarist Steven Wray Lobdell, the effort is certainly opaque, imbued with a quiescent melancholy and in a way, transcendental. Taking even more inspiration from neo-folk and pagan bands such as Sol Invictus they steadfastly return to nature, eschewing their brief flirtation with the more artificial drone and post-rock sounds. At the end of a track we hear the guitars dissolve into insects chirping during night time as a piano solemnly plays - the great strength about this disc is taking ambient and found sounds, pairing them with minimalistic black metal all the while making them feel compelling.
Raw and earnest acoustic guitars dominate in tandem with a stream of consciousness style guitar melody. Trance-like, lumbering rhythms are like the marrow; haunting, aspirated growls and pained shrieks with atmospheric synth textures are the undoubted and ephemeral spirit that seems to speak like ghostly apparitions from the heart of the Earth.
It's a very sensual and natural expression of metal that's difficult to capture. Where others have cautiously ventured and failed, Agalloch have overwhelmingly triumphed.
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