Agalloch

The Mantle (The End)
by Scott Hefflon

Always a great pleasure to see what The End unearths for our listening pleasure. Usually arty post-black metal, and these days, dipping into Pink Floydian territory, perhaps like smart metal dudes who heard bands on Neurosis’ label, Neurot, and realized an acoustic guitar could be more sinister and scary than all the distortion, blastbeats, and shrieking in the (nether)world if done with purity of (black)heart. Agalloch is from Portland, OR, and most black and post-black metal is from Norway and that generally (Celtic) frosty area, but there’s a real chilly, sparse beauty here. Mostly acoustic, with very few vocals (which is good, cuz the vocals are background, echo-drenched blah when they surface), Agalloch could combine with NOLA’s dark hero, Dax Riggs, and write gorgeous 10-15 minute epics of sorrow and beauty, Dax’s heart-rending lyrics and delivery complimenting Agalloch’s somber instrumentals like peanut butter and jelly, spaghetti and meatballs, or death and decay. For fans of In Flames’ acoustic stuff, Fields of the Nephilim, or anyone with a taste for the bittersweet saltiness of tears and blood.
(331 Rio Grande, #58 SLC, UT 84101)