The Mantle

The Mantle
Studio album by Agalloch
Released August 13, 2002 (2002-08-13)
Recorded November 2001–April 2002
Genre Folk metal, black metal, post-metal, doom metal, progressive metal
Length 68:25
Label The End
Producer Ronn Chick, John Haughm
Agalloch chronology
Of Stone, Wind and Pillor
(2001)
The Mantle
(2002)
Tomorrow Will Never Come
(2003)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Chronicles of Chaos9.5/10[2]
Sputnikmusic4.5/5[3]

The Mantle is the second album by American metal band Agalloch. The album was released on August 13, 2002 by The End Records.

Overview

Cinema "really emerged as a reference point for how we arranged out music [on The Mantle]," said guitarist Don Anderson. He suggested that the band was "thinking in images and how sound might express those images".[4] Taking a more mellow tone than Agalloch's first full-length, Pale Folklore, The Mantle still contains heavy electric guitar riffs as well as acoustic guitar portions.[5] Anderson pointed to the influence of neofolk music, particularly Death in June, as the impetus for using a strummed acoustic guitar in a darker musical context.[4] Present as well are long and melancholic double bass sequences, such as on the track "I Am the Wooden Doors". A critical influence upon Agalloch during this time period was Godspeed You! Black Emperor, with Anderson remarking:

Godspeed, in particular, was the major influence. Their approach to the guitar seemed aligned with black metal. The guitar was no longer a purely riff-based instrument, but provided an ambiguous atmosphere through tremolo-picking either large chords or single melodic lines.[4]

On March 28, 2005, Profound Lore Records released a double LP version of The Mantle on grey-colored vinyl. Limited to 500 copies, it also featured exclusive cover artwork.

Track listing

All lyrics written by John Haughm, except track 8 which contained an excerpt from Cherokee folk tale "Earth Making".[6]

No. TitleMusic Length
1. "A Celebration for the Death of Man..." (Instrumental)Haughm 2:24
2. "In the Shadow of Our Pale Companion"  Haughm/Anderson 14:45
3. "Odal" (Instrumental)Haughm 7:39
4. "I Am the Wooden Doors"  Haughm/Anderson/J. William W. 6:11
5. "The Lodge" (Instrumental)Haughm 4:40
6. "You Were But a Ghost in My Arms"  Haughm/Anderson/J. William W. 9:15
7. "The Hawthorne Passage" (Instrumental)Haughm/Anderson/J. William W. 11:19
8. "...And the Great Cold Death of the Earth"  Haughm/Anderson 7:14
9. "A Desolation Song"  Anderson 5:08
Total length:
68:25

Personnel and credits

References

  1. York, William. "The Mantle review". Allmusic. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
  2. McKay, Aaron. "CoC: The Mantle review". Chronicles of Chaos. September 1, 2002. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
  3. SowingSeason. "The Mantle review". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 Dick, Chris (November 2012). "Hall of Fame: Northwest Passage - The Making of Agalloch's The Mantle". Decibel Magazine (97): 58–66.
  5. M, Steve. "Agalloch - The Mantle (staff review) | Sputnikmusic". Sputnikmusic. December 30, 2010. Retrieved January 13, 2012.
  6. The Mantle (booklet). Agalloch. The End Records. 2002. p. 11.
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