Agalloch - Marrow of the Spirit

i'll say it here first lads:

the first three tracks are the best

the last three tracks are the worst

'Into the Painted Grey' being the best track overall

i love all the metal that pitchfork loves. I AM SUCH A HIPSTER.

I'm not sure how relevant it is for Agalloch given their limited touring. But maybe you'll end up seeing more hipsters at other more actively touring Black Metal bands shows.

My vote would be something like:
1. Into the Painted Grey
2. Ghosts of the Midwinter Fires
3. The Watcher's Monolith
4. To Drown
5. Black Lake Nigger

not counting the opening track because it's really too short to compare with the others.

there's some faggotry up in this shit

Funny thing here, absolutely true... I was just loading up 5/8 and in my mind two words appeared: FAGGOT TREE

The opening track is the best track. at 3:41, I think it's long enough to not just be an intro.

So does anyone else think this is Agalloch's worst album?

I mean, it's really good, but not album-of-the-year material in the way that all three of their previous full-length albums were.

I'd say it's on par with Pale Folklore for me. Might even like it slightly better.

i hear you, tech. it's a good album, but not a show-stopper. still...a really good album.

I like it better than The Mantle. Yes, I'm a faggot.

The Mantle was the only other album I'd listened to by them before this. And it didn't really do anything for me. And I love this one.

I listened to the album again last night and it has it's moments but overall I think it's their worst ones. Sounds a lot more like just ordinary black/whatever metal.

I think it's better than the mantle and Ashes. Haven't heard pale folklore.

I prefer it to The Mantle, and would rate it just about the same as Ashes.

As an album listen, nothing tops The Mantle. As a listen as an album or individual songs, Ashes Against the Grain is the best. As a middle ground between both and a fantastic record overall, and somewhat forgotten between the aforementioned two, you have Pale Folklore. And for me personally, this album is like Pale Folklore with a much darker atmosphere, and better highs. So in short, it's another really fucking good Agalloch record.

wat

i'm on about two hours of sleep was trying to reply to those above me who are ranking this album against their others.

i also took a really long way of saying this album is pretty good.

not quite agtg or mantle levels, but still good.

For me it's like this, and where it would fit in lists of best albums of all-time:
#1. Ashes Against the Grain (top 10)
#2. The Mantle (top 50)
#3. Pale Folklore (Top 100)
#4. Marrow of the Spirit (top 1000)

I'm with Tech on this.

album gets better with every listen

i've come to the conclusion that "to drown" is my main problem with the album, it kinda puts a tired end to the album and doesnt offer much, i think i'd prefer it to just end after 'ghosts of the midwinter fires' orrr for there to be a small cello track much like the first to cap it off nicely

definatley would put this above Pale Folklore.... the mantle too? who knows in a few more listen it could

Ashes against the grain still remains at the top i think

I went to their LA show last night... amazing, so good. I'll have a pic or two I hope, have to charge the camera.

So my copy came in the mail for me when i got back from the desert

This album is some really awesome parts, with some awkward transitions, a little bit of meandering, and then some really amateur sounding parts, and then some bad production and destroying of the dynamics where i think it would help. Like breaking out of that arpeggio bit in that black lake song or whatever. It's like PSHWOPWA HWAOH AWESOME!! ANNNNND feeeeeeeeeeee weenie guitar stupid riff that is quiet! HOORAY

4/5

yeah, that bothered me too. it's like...two guitars are louder than the entire band? what?

I'll probably just fix it myself later. I need to edit this album to be the MANBIENT version. I used to do a lot of editing to music to make it what i want... most notably with the oldest 2 Opeth albums when i first found them lololol

Haughm's clean voice is superb. Don't know why he kicked it in the head. I guess this had to be the no-holds-barred heaviest thing they've done. The music is still great though.

I'd say this album isn't as good as their other three, but if there is one aspect of a band I most appreciate it is where they bring a fresh sound to every album. It's so easy to keep pumping out the same shit...credit where credit's due to Agalloch. keep it up boys

This album goes above Pale Folklore and The Mantle for me, but below Ashes...:
1. Ashes Against The Grain
2. Marrow of the Spirit
3. Pale folklore
4. The Mantle

yeah i don't know how to embed flickr photos on this forum go here for the 4 pics http://www.flickr.com/photos/25104174@N02/

Correct me if i'm wrong but didn't you guys and everyone else hype the turd out of this album when it first leaked? I hate hipster culture and the '"big" bands always getting so much jizz on on them and use a shit ton of superlatives and pretend lots of important things. It's a good album, but i mean really, it's not like it's a game-changer for the world of music or something. Back in my day before this whole internet music craze of hipsters and white kids who don't do anything creating their own hyped up culture, you didn't have all this herding from one album to the next and it was kind of fun. Now its fucking annoying and i wish you stupid kids would just not like music anymore and leave it alone because it's mine

I seem to a recall sort of a lukewarm reaction to the album when it leaked. I don't think anybody said it was their best.

Stop being such a hipster elitist.

don't boss me!

no one on sputnik likes it, thats a website

its ok

the music is great, but the vocals are crap to me.

you didn't even like them until we convinced you, fgt

i agree with manbient, although i'm not an angry old man like him. this album did get a kind of "OHHHH FUCK YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS" reception at first, and i was kind of disillusioned by it, as i love the album but it's not even anywhere near ashes to me. there are some absolutely incredible moments, but there are also some pretty meh ones, and i don't think that the closer can touch the "our fortress is burning" series. it's a great abum but NIGGA PLEASE.

a band that has had all three of their previous releases fellated as fuck, had their fourth release and their first in four years fellated as fuck, and people are complaining about this?

quit bitching about stupid insignificant shit like that.

calm down, buddy, and just don't take part in the discussion, or take it in a new direction if you feel that to be necessary. if it isn't obvious, a lot of us find the reception of music to be an interesting point of conversation and on a MUSIC DISCUSSION FORUM it's nice to sometimes talk about what kind of factors lend themselves to how an album is received.

tl;dr: U MAD?

mad as fuck.

WE? THERE WAS NO WE, I CREDIT MY EVENTUAL ACCEPTANCE OF AGALLOCH AS A GOOD BAND TO THAT NIGHT WHERE I STARED AT LAUREN WHILE SHE SLEPT WITH THE MANTLE PLAYING. THERE WAS NO WE, ONLY THAT BEAUTIFUL WOMAN AND THE TWILIGHT AND WEBCAMS

Just like a woman.

actually Jerald was there too so maybe he can has a probps

ok, my new conclusion

'To Drown'' is a useless track, should be taken out

'Black Lake Nidstag' has way too much fluff and COULD be condensed into a good song

the rest is great except for a few dodge'e sections and where they seem to FORCE the black metal side on too much when they are going into some lovely post-metal bits

i think 'into the painted gray' (which i'm feeling is the best track) highlights this the best
2:12 - 2:28 is beauty, but cut short by the black metal side (which is understandable and works here, although i would of liked to hear that part extended more)
and i think the song should end on a beautiful fade out from 8:33 - 9:04 buuut they just go back into the black metal bit as if they thought they needed to add it in lest they do too much post-metal stuff

Too bad To Drown and BLN are the best songs...

I enjoy this album, and I don't have to observe the enjoyment of this album by the general music loving populous to quantify my enjoyment of it.

I know Seth would Claim he really DOESN'T do this... But I think on a subconscious level he does.

In fact I think I do it a little bit too, just not as much.

Second best Agalloch album right here.

Y'all niggas crazy.

So much of this album sounds forced.

strong assumptions

i just think it's interesting to see how things are received. it's not like i LOVED the album and am trying to convince myself it's not as good. of course i have no way of knowing this for certain, since it is subconscious...but i still feel like this album is a bunch of great parts mixed in with some eh parts, whereas ashes is gold from start to finish. that said, i was definitely way more into this style when i first listened to ashes, too.

i won't deny the enjoyment of an album by the music listening public can often persuade me to stick with an album and give it more chances when it still hasn't stuck with me, but i honestly don't think that i like stuff less because of what others think. maybe i do, but i've been getting more of a grasp on what i enjoy in music and what i don't, and this album just didn't hit me as hard as the last. sometimes melodies really strike me, and sometimes they don't. i always loved agalloch's more "post-metal" moments the most, anyways.