This article needs additional citations for verification .(September 2008) |
Ashes Against the Grain | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Studio album by | ||||
Released | August 8, 2006 | |||
Recorded | December 10, 2005–January 2006 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 59:49 | |||
Label | The End | |||
Producer | Agalloch, John Haughm, Ronn Chick | |||
Agalloch chronology | ||||
|
Ashes Against the Grain is the third album by American metal band Agalloch, released by The End Records four years after the critically acclaimed The Mantle . It has been described as incorporating post-metal, folk metal and black metal. [1]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
AbsolutePunk | 91% [2] |
Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles | 8/10 [3] |
Chronicles of Chaos | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Metal Storm | 8.9/10 [5] |
PopMatters | 9/10 [6] |
Pitchfork | 8.0/10 [7] |
Punknews.org | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Sputnikmusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Stylus Magazine | B+ [10] |
Metal Crypt | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Following the release of The Mantle, Agalloch performed their first live shows. Due to the number of instruments and effects used on that album, the band had to make some changes to the arrangements of the songs so they could be more easily replicated when performed live. When it came time to record their next album, the band decided that a more stripped down approach was necessary, as they wanted to emulate the feeling of performing live on the new songs. Ashes Against the Grain focused more on electric guitars and metal elements, and had less of the post-rock and neofolk influence that was prominent on The Mantle.
In an interview on the Silence of Forgotten Landscapes DVD, John Haughm stated that the album was recorded during a time when he had renewed his liking for metal, after taking a break from it and focusing on other musical influences during the Mantle sessions. Lyrically, Haughm took a more simplistic and abstract approach, in contrast to earlier albums.
Haughm had played drums on the previous albums, but for Ashes Against the Grain, Haughm wanted to concentrate more on his songwriting and guitar parts, and drummer Chris Greene was brought in. Greene had joined the band when they began playing live in 2003, and played drums on all the tracks except for "Falling Snow" and "Not Unlike the Waves". Greene parted ways with Agalloch following their 2006 European tour, as the band felt that he was not developing well as a live drummer. He was replaced by Ludicra drummer Aesop Dekker. [12]
The recording process was described by the band as "hell from start to finish". A number of production problems were encountered, including a computer glitch which resulted in the Wave files being lost. [13] Many of the songs ended up being reworked from the original demos, in particular, "Fire Above, Ice Below", about which Haughm said "something got lost in the transition from the demo recording to the album recording". [14]
Despite the band's intention of Ashes being a more stripped-down album, Haughm has since stated that the album sounds "too polished", [15] and that he prefers the more raw sound of their later album, Marrow of the Spirit . In a 2013 interview, he said that Ashes Against the Grain is "definitely the worst album we have made". [16] During a 2021 interview with Metalist Magazine, however, he appeared to have softened towards the album and the production, saying, "In hindsight, it suited the songs alright." [17]
A music video was recorded for the fifth track on the album, "Not Unlike the Waves". It was filmed in the woods near Portland [14] by cinematographer Juan Mosqueda.
Haughm has stated that he is unhappy with the final version of the video, which was very different from the original sketch filmed by Mosqueda. Mosqueda's sketch featured smooth transitions between shots and what Haughm described as "glacial imagery", which pleased the band. However, the record company insisted on using an abridged version of the song, despite strong opposition from the band, and the final version of the video was heavily edited. "Frankly I do not consider the video to be finished and I hope we will get to make the full version…with a different editor", Haughm said. "All of the gorgeous, epic slow panning stuff was cut to hell. We wanted a cinematic video and the editor instead made something which he perceived as 'hip' and 'cool'". [14]
Mosqueda's original sketch for the video was included as a bonus feature on Agalloch's 2009 DVD, The Silence of Forgotten Landscapes , with an introduction by Mosqueda and Haughm.
The album was dedicated in memory of Christoph Florian Rehse (of Escape the Day), who committed suicide in 2005.
Before the release, the track "Falling Snow" was made available in its entirety on the label's website and on the band's MySpace page. A pre-release review in the July 2006 issue of Toronto-based Exclaim! magazine described the new album as a "departure and an extension" from the band's previous work:
Three versions of the album were released: a slipcase edition, a deluxe wooden box version (limited to 500 copies) and a vinyl version (limited to 1000 copies). The vinyl version was released on March 2, 2007 on The End Records' Infinite Vinyl Series. It was pressed in three different colors:
All three vinyl editions included an exclusive bonus track, Scars of the Shattered Sky (Our Fortress Has Burned to the Ground).
The album artwork was done by Aslak Tolonen. [18]
Ashes Against the Grain was the final Agalloch album released on The End Records. The band opted not to renew their contract, and chose Profound Lore Records to release their following album, Marrow of the Spirit. In a 2010 interview, Haughm said that conflicts with The End founder Andreas Katsambas (possibly having to do with the treatment of the "Not Unlike the Waves" video) led to their decision not to renew their contract, though he stated that he had nothing personal against Katsambas. [19]
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Limbs" | 9:50 |
2. | "Falling Snow" | 9:38 |
3. | "This White Mountain on Which You Will Die" (Instrumental) | 1:39 |
4. | "Fire Above, Ice Below" | 10:28 |
5. | "Not Unlike the Waves" | 9:15 |
6. | "Our Fortress Is Burning... I" (Instrumental) | 5:25 |
7. | "Our Fortress Is Burning... II - Bloodbirds" | 6:20 |
8. | "Our Fortress Is Burning... III - The Grain" (Instrumental) | 7:09 |
Total length: | 59:49 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
9. | "Scars of the Shattered Sky (Our Fortress Has Burned to the Ground)" (Instrumental) | 19:38 |
Total length: | 79:27 |
Heiðrún or Heidrun is a nanny goat in Norse mythology, that consumes the foliage of the tree Læraðr and produces mead from her udders for the einherjar. She is described in the Poetic Edda and Prose Edda.
Lamb of God is an American heavy metal band from Richmond, Virginia. Formed in 1994 as Burn the Priest, the group consists of bassist John Campbell, vocalist Randy Blythe, guitarists Mark Morton and Willie Adler, and drummer Art Cruz. The band is considered a significant member of the new wave of American heavy metal movement.
Machine Head is an American heavy metal band from Oakland, California. The band was formed in 1991 by vocalist/rhythm guitarist Robb Flynn, who remains the only original member of the band. Machine Head's aggressive musicianship made it one of the pioneering bands in the new wave of American heavy metal. Its current lineup comprises Flynn, bassist Jared MacEachern and drummer Matt Alston. Bassist Adam Duce, lead guitarists Logan Mader, Ahrue Luster and Phil Demmel, and drummers Tony Costanza, Chris Kontos and Dave McClain are former members of the band; Mader and Kontos toured with the band in 2019 and 2020 as part of the 25th anniversary tour for its first album, Burn My Eyes (1994).
Agalloch is an American extreme metal band from Portland, Oregon. Formed in 1995 by frontman John Haughm, they released five full-length albums, four EPs, two singles, one split single, two demos, four compilation albums and one live video album. They announced their disbandment in May 2016, but reunited in 2023.
The Mantle is the second studio album by American folk metal band Agalloch. The album was released on August 13, 2002, by The End Records.
Tear from the Red is the second full-length album by American metalcore band Poison the Well. It was released via Trustkill Records on February 19, 2002. The album was the band's first release to appear on Billboard's Independent Albums and Heatseekers Albums charts, and was responsible for landing Poison the Well a major record label deal. It also featured the band's first single and music video for "Botchla". The release received numerous reissues on various formats over the years through such record labels as Good Life Recordings, Roadrunner Records, Shock Records, Rise Records, Ides of March, and Undying Music, and was digitally remastered in 2012.
Nothing to Fear is the second studio album by American new wave band Oingo Boingo, released in 1982 by A&M Records.
Matthew Kiichi Heafy is a Japanese-American musician, best known as the guitarist and lead vocalist for heavy metal band Trivium. He was also the lead vocalist for the band Capharnaum, along with Trivium's former producer Jason Suecof. In 2017, Heafy was voted sixth on the Ultimate Guitar list "Top 25 Greatest Modern Frontmen".
Pale Folklore is the debut studio album by American metal band Agalloch. The album was released on June 6, 1999 by The End Records. It featured an eclectic mix of acoustic folk reminiscent of Scandinavian bands such as Ulver; doom and black metal-esque riffs; growled, clean, whispered, and shrieked vocals; and a production style and atmosphere that borrowed heavily from black metal. The lyrical themes focused mainly on depression, nature, folklore and the supernatural. It featured the roots of a post-rock influence which was greatly expanded on with Agalloch's second studio album, The Mantle.
Sculptured is an American experimental and progressive metal band, mixing melodic and atonal segments.
John Haughm is an American musician and artist. He is most known for being the founder, guitarist, and vocalist of the band Agalloch, and later Pillorian. He is also a designer who has created packaging and merchandise for several record labels and bands, including every project in which he has performed. From 2008 to 2018 he was the co-owner, creative director, and curator of the Dämmerung Arthouse.
"Brave New World" is a song by the English new wave band Toyah, fronted by Toyah Willcox, released as a single in 1982 by Safari Records. It promoted Toyah's 1982 studio album The Changeling and was a Top 40 chart success in the UK.
The White is an EP by American metal band Agalloch, released on February 29, 2008. A follow-up to Agalloch's 2004 EP The Grey, it completed a dichotomy of releases for Vendlus Records. The White contained seven neofolk and dark ambient tracks written and recorded between 2004 and 2007. The release was limited to 2000 copies.
The Demonstration Archive 1996 - 1998 is a compilation album by Agalloch featuring music from the band's unsigned years from 1996 to 1998. Tracks 1 through 3 were taken from Agalloch's first demo from 1997, From Which of This Oak; tracks 4 through 6 were from an unreleased 7" vinyl EP recorded in autumn 1998 called Of Stone, Wind and Pillor ; and tracks 7 and 8 came from Agalloch's second demo Promo 1998.
In the Shadow of a Thousand Suns is the debut album by American black metal band Abigail Williams. It was released on October 28, 2008 on Candlelight Records. A vast majority of the album was written and composed by lead vocalist Ken Sorceron, who played guitar on all the tracks, including bass and also co-produced the record.
Marrow of the Spirit is the fourth studio album by American metal band Agalloch, released on November 23, 2010.
The Grey is the third EP by American metal band Agalloch. It was released by Vendlus Records on February 29, 2004, in a limited run of 1,000 copies. The two songs on The Grey are reinterpretations of two tracks from The Mantle album. This EP is part of a dichotomy, completed by The White EP.
Faustian Echoes is an EP by American metal band Agalloch, released on June 26, 2012 by Agalloch's own label Licht von Dämmerung Arthouse. It is actually a single, two-part song over 21 minutes in length, making it the longest song Agalloch ever wrote. The song is based on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s play Faust.
The Silence of Forgotten Landscapes is a 2009 live DVD by American metal band Agalloch. It features a 2008 performance by the band at the Biebob venue in Vosselaar, Belgium. It was co-directed by Juan Mosqueda and Agalloch frontman John Haughm.
The Serpent & the Sphere is the fifth studio album by American heavy metal band Agalloch. It was released on May 13, 2014 in the U.S., followed by releases on May 16 in Germany and May 19 in Europe.