Agalloch: The Serpent and the Sphere
It's no secret that I've always been a huge fan of Agalloch, the diversity in their music really keeps me interested in everything they do. So when I heard they were writing a new album I was extremely excited, this excitement was well founded as this album is Agalloch through and through, experimental and emotionally charged, no two albums are ever the same and this is no exception.
This album starts light and airy then builds in to an exceptional black metal track with a nice feel, they keep it kind of sparse for the most part. Agalloch are adept at adding a story like structure to their albums, it's not just a collection of songs it's a sonic journey through the deep and dark passages of time.
The instruments on The Serpent and the Sphere sound great, as with all Agalloch releases.
One thing that keeps me coming back to their music is the guitars and drums, they play off one another so perfectly that it's almost that they were written in unison by one person if you listen to them, everything is just so well timed and spaced that there is no room for error and there isn't any and this album is certainly no exception. The unique riffs and solo's are another reason that I'm glued to my headphones it's not the same old tired stuff, it's something different from almost everything else out there. The vocals are Agalloch through and through, with the harsh screams and the haunting whispers that they put in their music always keeps me entertained. The really really surprising thing on this album is the bass, the bass in some parts holds the tracks aloft and it is really commanding in certain tracks, such as “Dark Matter Gods” it thunders away in the back ground like a war drum almost while the song finds it's way through all of the twists and turns to the end.
The album as a whole has an awesome rise and fall, each track has a different feel to it but it all adds up to the great rise and fall of the entire album... then within each track the rise and fall continues it's like a heart beat monitor, it's truly something to behold. The tracks also have so many twists and turns and stylistic changes that sometimes it almost seems to much but ultimately it all adds up to an epic story with an awesome sound and feel to it. Track 5 “Celestial Effigy” for instance has quite a few stylistic changes within the confines of it's 7 minute length and at the time it seems to busy and hard to focus on, but the way it ends and leads in to track 6 “Cor Serpentis” an awesome acoustic instrumental; ends the chapter and you know that it had to be in there. The entire album runs in this fashion but you know that ultimately the story is being told the only way it can be told, which is a very special thing and something that Agalloch are exceptional at. The way this album ends is possibly the best ending to any album I've ever heard, I'm not saying any more than that, you'll just have to see for yourselves.
Agalloch have come up with another great album, it's something that I could listen to again and again and still not get all of it, it has so many layers and depth that you'll never get it the first time.
Pros:
Great story driven album
The great riffs and drumming
Classic Agalloch sound
Cons:
The amount of changes and right angle turns, at times it doesn't flow as well as it could.
Overall Impression:
The Serpent and the Sphere is another great album by Agalloch which is no surprise, Throughout the album you witness the journey and exploration of the outer limits of our universe and it's an absolutely momentous feeling.
Track List:
Birth and Death of the Pillars of Creation
(serpens caput)
The Astral Dialogue
Dark Matter Gods
Celestial Effigy
Cor Serpentis (the sphere)
Vales Beyond Dimension
Plateau of the Ages
(serpens cauda)
Total Running Time: 59:45
Line-up:
Don Anderson - Guitars, Piano, Vocals (backing)
John Haughm - Guitars, Vocals
Jason William Walton - Bass
Aesop Dekker - Drums
Genre: Black Metal
Release Date: 13th May 2014
Label: Profound Lore Records
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