The Serpent & the Sphere
Agalloch\'s claim to the throne of modern black metal supremacy is pretty much undisputable. Since 1995, the Portland quartet have been one of the genre\'s foremost innovators, merging coal-dark riffs and ferociously chugging tempos with a sylvan neo-folk aesthetic for a sound all their own. Following up 2010\'s critically acclaimed *Marrow of the Spirit*, the band return with *The Serpent & the Sphere*, a monolithic slab of heaviness full of ethereal segues into foreboding folk. Featuring classical guitarist Nathanaël Larochette (Musk Ox), the album includes three acoustic interludes that provide a respite from the otherwise pummeling material, like the blast-beats and Cookie Monster vocals of \"The Astral Dialogue\" and the stratospheric shredding on the 12-minute exploration \"Plateau of the Ages.\" When Agalloch play the game of (metal) thrones, they play to win.
For a band that’s spent the last 15 years gracefully and aggressively testing the limits of the sound of heavy metal, Portland’s Agalloch have committed very few errors. Their fifth album delivers the depth and development that have become synonymous with Agalloch.
For a band that’s spent the last 15 years gracefully and aggressively testing the limits of the sound of heavy metal, Portland’s Agalloch have committed very few errors. Their fifth album delivers the depth and development that have become synonymous with Agalloch.
Perhaps it's fitting then that Agalloch's triumphant return finds the band blending the best of each album into one cohesive piece of artistic expression.
Perhaps it's fitting then that Agalloch's triumphant return finds the band blending the best of each album into one cohesive piece of artistic expression.
A review of The Serpent & The Sphere by Agalloch, available May 19th in Europe and May 13th in North America via Eisenwald Tonschmiede.
A review of The Serpent & The Sphere by Agalloch, available May 19th in Europe and May 13th in North America via Eisenwald Tonschmiede.
Agalloch’s fifth album, The Serpent & the Sphere, is an entrancing, inter-dimensional construction zone.
Agalloch’s fifth album, The Serpent & the Sphere, is an entrancing, inter-dimensional construction zone.