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Agalloch > Of Stone, Wind, and Pillor > Reviews
Agalloch - Of Stone, Wind, and Pillor

Highly recommended - 90%

erebuszine, April 12th, 2013

Agalloch continues to impress me. This time it is in the form of this collection of old and new material, and a gathering of their output which stretches through their entire ouevre, their flexible repertoire of sounds, influences, styles, motivations, and artistic ambitions. Beginning with the more 'traditional' (meaning close to their debut album) title track, running through the ambient piano/choral/keyboard soundscape 'Folorium Viridium', contributed by exiled member Breyer, falling into the embrace of ringing, chiming acoustic guitars in band leader Haughm's 'Haunting Birds', stretching upwards into the excellent rendition of Sol Invictus's 'Kneel to the Cross', which serves to highlight their influences and pays homage to an inspiration, and then finishing with the morose, fallen angel diatribes of Breyer's 'A Poem by Yeats' - an illustration and homage in itself - this album is a bridge, I am thinking, as it was probably designed to be, between the past and present for Agalloch, between what has come before (the first three tracks, from '97 and '98) to what will be appearing in the future (the last two songs) if the band continues on the path of evolution hinted at on 'Pale Folklore'.

'Of Stone, Wind, and Pillor', the song proper, is a perfect introduction to this record, not only because it is in the vein of Agalloch's earlier album (the actual recording of this track is three years old, going by the liner notes) and, as such, serves to dispel one's fears early on (and this is a nice trick) that the band may have changed completely in the space of two years, but it also displays almost all of the elements that makes this band unique. I know that Haughm says (or at least said, the last time I talked to him) that Agalloch are not original, and most of this record, especially 'Kneel to the Cross' strives to both picture these separate segments of their sound (or what I think is new in their presentation, their entire style) as they have come together during their history and expand upon their initial growth, but I also know he probably has to say this in order to deflect the inevitable criticisms that come when one claims one's music is new, invigorating, or emotionally viable... I guess, in the end, that you just have to judge for yourself, but I still maintain that there isn't really another band out there quite like this one. This first song is a reminder of this for me, among other things. Within the greater transition state of this album, this song serves in it's rightful place as a microcosm of the whole, as a link between the past and the future... and so while I know it may have been placed as a shrouded doorway from 'Pale Folklore' into this other world, I also can't help but think of it as a memorial, an epitaph spelling out what this band has transcended or hopes to transcend.

'Foliorum Viridium', (Latin for, essentially, a new, blooming or blossoming leaf of a plant - viridium is also the name of a drug that cures urinary infections, by the way), is very close in feel to Breyer's earlier piece 'The Misshapen Steed' - which completely took 'Pale Folklore' to a new level, musically - combining a serene, lyrical piano introduction with harmonious levels of descending angelic choirs, the spirits of solitude, before slipping deftly into the skin of a ritualistic celebration, a pagan dance on the edge of a forest... moonlit, eerie, almost in slow motion, like a mirage or vision glimpsed from afar... and somehow just out of reach, no matter how hard one tries to grasp it or bring it completely into view. This then falters, collapses all at once, and one is transported again beneath the waves of a black lake, washed bodily back and forth beneath the night tides - dead, perhaps, but dreaming in a lost world, on the trembling edge of a resurrection...

As always with Daniel's music, I wish this work could have lasted a little while longer... and this may just be a coincidence, but I can't help but notice certain affinities between the emotions summoned by this short tone poem and my recent re-reading of Tennyson's 'Idylls of the King', which is based on the Arthurian legends and the gnostic/mystical traditions of England's ancestry - a connection, once again, to the finishing track on this record, the eloquent, Swans-influenced 'A Poem by Yeats' - Yeats being, as everyone knows, a great proponent and archivist of Albion's folklore.

It would be highly satisfying to see Breyer release even more material, on his own, in this range and style, but this song pinpoints Agalloch's entire sound and evocative power accurately: the blending of a stoic, mannered tranquility with a melancholy view of the Earth, its past, and its present proceedings. 'Of Stone, Wind, and Pillor', maybe even more than 'Pale Folklore', is a set of variations based on the essential theme of the true nature of reality - the dark heart that slows and pauses, brooding, at the center of all life.

'Haunting Birds', arising out the ashes of 'Foliorum Viridium', is an interesting composition, all strident acoustic guitars, blending various folk-influenced melodies into a melancholy whole, referencing, at times, something of an Eastern influence, almost a hint of Native American melody. The war marches, tribal or totem myths, and lamentations of the dispossessed here speak out in a loud declamatory voice, ending in a slow wash of crackling flames. A road to ruin? Or a road from ruin? Throughout its brief three and a half minutes it is the construction, mainly, of a lead guitar, running through connected melodies and variations (telling a tale), and a backing accompaniment of linking chord progressions and pulsing, understated percussion. It serves to remind that Agalloch, while their roots may lay in extreme metal (early Ulver especially, but Haughm has taken so much more away from his Ulver listenings/screenings than just 'metal' - this is obvious) and while, also, they may be marketed or forced upon the metal audiences, who are split into heterogenous splinter groups, their aspirations are much deeper, and ultimately much more ambitious. One feels, as usual when listening to this band, that they have fully imbibed not only the viciousness or darkest threads of despair latent in black metal, they have also been infected with the Scandinavians' yearning for a return to nature and, ultimately, the desire for a new world, a new music, or a novel mode of expression that refreshes one's links to the harmony of the earth - or, rather, not influenced blindly by the European penchant for including these extracurricular/spiritual motivations in music, but finding their own aspirations and profundity echoed there, as if by displacement and return. Destruction, cataclysm, and rebirth. This notion... the entire 'homecoming' feel of Agalloch, is something that must be understood if one is to approach their music along the most prosperous angles... and while I believe that most of the time this group is trying to paint a picture of isolation or anomie - the bitter sadness of feeling out of step, socially or spiritually lost, wandering back and forth (and they succeed at it beautifully, mind you) - there is also the undercurrent in their melodies of an emotional centering, of having found something special which they are loathe to reveal to the light completely, but which they treasure away, each on his own independently. Agalloch only hints at this in order to insure that you - the external, the audience, the other - know that while they may be cast out, they are following their own left hand path... and they are reaping the rewards. Again and again, this band is saying 'there is more to music, there is more to explore'.

I can't really say that much about their cover of Sol Invictus's 'Kneel to the Cross', other than it is a remarkable version of the song, and serves to show, once again, that their influences stand bold, completely outside the typical 'metal' framework of compositional tradition and, also, that Agalloch is inspiring to meet models other than the boring rote, rank and file, of the hackneyed metal 'pioneers'. Agalloch, I feel, must continue to explore and expand their style - their power to draw on disparate/separate musical genres - as I believe it is their destiny to do so, if only in order to reach their full potential and strength as a band. I also know that they included this song for various/conflicting reasons... but let's just say that when one listens to this, it becomes fairly clear just where this band's (especially Anderson and Haughm) ears are pointed when it comes to following musical sources of inspiration and novel veins of darkness... and while there have may have been other bands operating in the metal scene, in the past, who have taken ideas from World Serpent cults (I'm using this term very loosely - basically the nexus/space where Wakeford, Stapleton, etc. meet and then diverge), I don't think there has been another group that have ever shown, in the space of one song, not only how this music reflects on what has come before with their own compositions ('Pale Folklore' and the first song on this record, the title track, opened up for me even more when I heard 'Kneel to the Cross'), but how Wakeford's 'apocalyptic' acoustic/folk style can be mixed with the shadowed floods of metal music very easily, and retain both its own internal integrity/reserve of emotional import and its ability to mesmerize. And so we get another clue as to Agalloch's motivations...

In any case, I could write much more about this collection of songs... but I really don't want to spoil it for you. Rest easy that this is another excellent, well-planned, skillfully conceived recording from this group, who are one of the few truly bright lights in the American metal scene, and as it serves, as I have said above, to connect their reserves of potential with their past, their newer material can only be anticipated with excitement...

UA

Erebus Magazine
http://erebuszine.blogspot.com

Lamentation of the Leaves - 85%

TowardsMorthond, August 16th, 2012

Of Stone, Wind, and Pillor is a limited edition five-song EP containing previously unreleased material recorded from 1997 to 2001. The title track sounds like a leftover from Pale Folklore, a mix of black, doom, and folk metals very similar to the material from the debut in structure, sound and mood, only slightly rawer and less technically refined. The purposeful yet enigmatic "Foliorum Viridium" is a neoclassical darkwave track composed by Shane Breyer in January 1997, one of two Breyer pieces on offer. The first is similar to the dreamy enchantment of "The Misshapen Steed" from Pale Folklore, without that track's sense of fragility, more mysterious and triumphant. The second Breyer composition was recorded in 2000 and is the disc's final track, "A Poem By Yeats", in which Yeats's poem "The Sorrow Of Love" is dramatically recited in a ponderous tone over brooding keyboard orchestrations led by an arresting melody. An ancient atmosphere flows with the text and tone of the voice, resulting in the most emotionally affecting track of the disc. "Haunting Birds" is an acoustic instrumental composed by John Haughm and recorded in 1999, featuring some tasteful percussive accents, working together to create an ambience thick with the fragrance of burning oak. "Kneel to the Cross" is a Sol Invictus cover recorded in May 2001. It sounds exactly like Agalloch covering Sol Invictus, with the most interesting element being the double-tracked vocals during certain passages, where Haughm's cold singing voice is layered with his sinister growl. The harsh voice is used in an effective manner, just under the surface to provide the bitterness ingrained in this particular sentiment.

These songs reach thematic revelation in a fashion similar to dreamland awakening, in which the meaning of a sequence of events reaches clarity of expression and purpose through the reflection upon the relations of interacting elements, in both instrumental interplay and structural form. Like a novel in five chapters, the disc offers distinct movements defined by a singular voice expressing essential aspects constructing a unified theme.

"Is this life the pillor I must bear?
To grow in this wretched world?
...With hate each day I burn...
The birds above, they ride the winds
And from each piercing talon dangles a soul"

Each song calls for certain instrumentation according to its stylistic purpose. The neoclassical ambient tracks are the most musically sophisticated, using keyboards, programmed ambient percussion, spoken word voice and atmospheric melodic singing to create medieval moods. The neo-folk songs are based on acoustic guitar, using ambient percussion and chant-singing as rhythmic guidance. The title-track is the only metal song, featuring acoustic guitars played along with distorted riffs for a naturalistic darkness elucidated melodically by lead guitar and driven rhythmically by growling vocals and flexibly simple, at times awkward, drumming.

The booklet quotes Thoreau: "Instead of no path to the front yard in the great snow, -no gate, -no front yard, and no path to the civilized world!". The sentiment is that we are one with nature. We are nature. Our boundary attempts to stave off the wildness of forests and lifestyle disharmony with the seasons serve only to separate us from our primal essence in the endeavor to cast moral illusions promoting social and economical objectives. Only when we reunite with wild nature do we recognize the truth within the reality of existence, and see our social structures and moralistic religions for the fabrications they are.

The material is worthy of the status enjoyed by Pale Folklore. The majority of the music stresses the band’s neo-folk and neoclassical darkwave influences over its metal elements through isolating these non-metal influences in individual tracks, whereas before they were mostly included within metal compositions. The instrumentals are particularly meditative and hauntingly apocalyptic. Overall, Of Stone, Wind, And Pillor stands as reflective commentary on Pale Folklore and further exploration of the ideas of the first stage of the band’s creative development.

Summer is a-coming in; arise, arise - 80%

linkavitch, June 23rd, 2009

This EP is a lot like their first album Pale Folklore. It has the same dark atmosphere that Pale Folklore had, has the same acoustic instrumentation, and has some neofolk elements.

The atmosphere that Pale Folklore had can be found here, even if it can only be found in the first three tracks. The title track itself feels like it was a rejected track from the Pale Folklore album. The next two tracks are acoustic instrumental pieces. The first one of these two “Foliorum Viridium” sounds a lot like the track “The Misshapen Steed” off of the Pale Folklore album. It builds the same dark atmosphere that quickly changes to a more uplifting one towards the end of the song.

My favorite song on here hands down is the Sol Invictus cover “Kneel to the Cross”. It opens with that “Summer is a-coming in; arise, arise” verse over and over for almost two minutes so it might feel overused the first time listening to it, but once you get past that it actually fits the song and makes it better. It’s a very mellow and somewhat calming song. All the songs on here are rather slower and calming, no experimentation with anything on this EP. Well except for the last track maybe. It starts off rather decent, calming piano and some deep atmospheric vocals in the background. Then it just stops halfway through the song, so you’re left with four minutes of nothingness. But it you just stop the song at the halfway mark you’ll be ok.

The only real problem this EP has is that the tracks feel so much like they belong on Pale Folklore that they end up sounder like filler tracks after listening to them for a while. A lot of these songs (first three to be exact) feel like rejects from the Pale Folklore album, and were just strapped on so the other two tracks wouldn’t look so pointless to release separately. Get past the fact that this is mostly filler this is an alright EP for any Agalloch fan, for this is the only crowd this will appeal to also.

Enjoyable - 92%

Gidet, June 25th, 2008

Of Stone, Wind and Pillor is a EP that was released after some time after their first full length album, Pale Folklore. This EP contains 5 tracks that were previously unreleased that dated from 1998 to 2001 with a total run time of about 28 minutes. And according to Wikipedia as of 2008 there are no plans to re-release this album. This EP is like the previous album and any person who was a fan of that album would enjoy this EP.

The opening track “Of Stone, Wind and Pillor” (6:59) is also the title track, obviously. This song has the usual heavy distortion, some acoustic parts thrown in, overall good riffs, drums and vocals and would please any Agalloch fan. The lyrics in this song are of course dark and actually sound like they belong with the music. Next up is “Foliorum Viridium” (2:43). This song was on a previous EP (From Which of this Oak) and is re-recorded. Cut down by 3:04 from the previous version but is still excellent. It is an all-instrumental track, which means no vocals. It contains some excellent piano parts and of course transitions well into the next song, “Haunting Birds” (3:45).

“Haunting Birds” (3:45) is also an instrumental track with beautiful dual acoustic parts. It starts out with one guitar strumming in the beginning but soon adds more elements into the equation (another guitar, and drums). Near the end of the song you can hear the crackling of a fire and the “dropping out” of the other instruments until it is back down to that lone acoustic guitar playing. Next is “Kneel to the Cross” which is a cover from Sol Invictus. It starts out with the repetitive chanting of “Summer is-a-coming, Arise, Arise” which may sound really annoying at first but bear with it. The pay off is great. Unlike the original version gives a more descant feel to it through the more instrumental parts. This EP finishes up with “A Poem by Yeats” (8:38), which is really a poem by William Butler Yeats. The lyrics from this song are from a poem by Yeats called “The Sorrow of Love”. The poem is repeated over and over again with the instruments in the background setting the mood.

For any Agalloch or just instrumental fan I would recommend this EP. This EP is like a branch off of Pale Folklore. It is dark and very instrumental. Overall, I found this very enjoyable and would recommend it to anyone that is willing to try out something new.

My Land of Frostbitten, Ageless Night - 80%

Frankingsteins, December 17th, 2007

One of the most interesting American metal bands of this decade, Agalloch combines elements of European neofolk, doom and depressive black metal and fuses them with the burgeoning American post-metal sound of bands such as Isis. All this genre name-dropping may be a bit confusing and off-putting, but it combines to give Agalloch a refreshingly unique and inimitable sound that still has solid foundations in bleak transatlantic music.

Each of the band’s major releases has been wide enough apart to properly demonstrate its transition, and focus on quality over quantity. To satiate fans craving for more from the increasingly acclaimed Portland group, Agalloch have mercifully released several intermittent E.P.s between the major releases, of which 2001’s ‘Of Stone, Wind and Pillor’ is the most significant and eagerly anticipated. Released over a year before the second album ‘The Mantle,’ this five song E.P. provides a greater insight into the band’s evolution with songs from as early as the 1997 demo, a few later songs that can essentially be seen as B-sides to the full-length ‘Pale Folklore,’ and a brand new song to demonstrate Agalloch’s new softer sound, which balances their influences more evenly than the black metal-oriented debut and is also highlighted by the interesting choice of an English neofolk cover song of Sol Invictus.

1. Of Stone, Wind and Pillor
2. Foliorum Viridium
3. Haunting Birds
4. Kneel to the Cross
5. A Poem By Yeats

The album cover, band photos and song titles give a clear indication that this is to an extent woodland-based music, and indeed that is the mental image conjured by the sweeping orchestration, folk guitars and crackling fire effects. It’s a less threatening wilderness than that conjured by the earlier ‘Pale Folklore’ and the ambient black metal bands it drew its inspiration from, particularly Ulver’s first album ‘Bergtatt,’ but it’s still a far cry from a cheerful hand-clapping rendition of Kum Ba Ya. The mood of the dual acoustic song ‘Haunting Birds’ is one of deep contemplation, and the fire that creeps in at the end would be one absently stared into by all present as they contemplate their lives, rather than toast marshmallows. This song is a perfect showcase of the band’s unplugged side to contrast with the heavy presence of keyboard and distortion elsewhere, with crashing drums heard far away as a menacing but distant threat in a technique pretty much lifted from Ulver’s ‘Een Stemme Locker’ and later re-used on the final song of ‘The Mantle.’

The other instrumental is an older song, which is unsurprising considering its similarity to the beautiful ‘The Misshapen Steed’ from Agalloch’s debut. ‘Foliorum Viridium’ evokes a similar atmosphere to its acoustic neighbour, but this time in full daylight in a panoramic sweep of forest landscapes depicted by a soft keyboard lead over soaring violins and a lead cello section. It’s understated enough to avoid approaching the realm of film soundtrack, and is simply a peaceful ambient piece that opts to leave all thoughts of metal behind it, although it pales in comparison to similar songs on more substantial releases. The final song, ‘A Poem By Yeats,’ aims to be more majestic with a prominent rising violin repeated over John Haughm’s spoken word rendition of Yeats’ ‘The Sorrow of Love,’ and this time thoughts of a film score aren’t so far away. Yeats’ ‘lyrics’ can hardly be heard as Haughm chants them in the first section before taking a more standard monotone, but it still works excellently and at no points feels like a cheap, gimmicky B-side tagged on to increase the track length, though the final four minutes of complete silence are an irritating addition. The violin ‘swells’ are hardly original, but can’t help but move me, reminding me of the final song from My Dying Bride’s ‘Like Gods of the Sun.’

With the shorter and perhaps more forgettable pieces dealt with, the two main pillars of ‘Of Stone, Wind and Pillor’ are the excellent title track and the cover of Sol Invictus’ neofolk song ‘Kneel to the Cross.’ The first is a fair preview of the sound to come on ‘The Mantle,’ based on alternating acoustic and electric guitars at a fairly slow but steady pace, with a great balance between being gloomy and vicious, and melodic and catchy. After the acoustic guitar introduces the song and sets the tone, the metal comes in for the only real time on this release, and again still reminds me mostly of Ulver at this point in the band’s development. Haughm screeches his lyrics in a mostly indecipherable black metal growl (apart from a shockingly vulgar final pronouncement), and ties in excellently to the restless and constantly changing melodic lead guitar and riffs. Those unaccustomed to growling vocals would most likely approach this song with a degree of confusion, as the inhuman screams contrast starkly with the generally pleasant-sounding instruments, and in this case I tend to agree that clean singing vocals would have been more appropriate, even if Haughm’s singing voice (as demonstrated on ‘Kneel to the Cross’) takes an equal amount of getting used to. The second half of this ever-changing song is where the aforementioned catchiness comes in, with a gothic-sounding guitar and drum rhythm reminiscent of Katatonia’s influential ‘Brave Murder Day’ album providing a bouncing point for some great, slow guitar solos that lead the song out.

As I’ve never heard the original version of ‘Kneel to the Cross’ I’m unable to make a comparison, though it’s certainly intrigued me about Sol Invictus and that whole school of home-grown neofolk, but this was an excellent and unusual choice of cover song. I could do without the opening, in which Haughm repeats the same line over and over in his nasal clean voice over a backdrop of keyboard and organ melodies, and if this wasn’t a cover I’d once again link it right back to Ulver, this time their experimental and rather dodgy ‘Themes From William Blake’s The Marriage of Heaven and Hell’ release. A sudden pause makes way for much better things, and the more familiar acoustic guitar and drums return, the latter resonating nicely in what proves to be easily the most upbeat sounding cut of the E.P. The electric guitar can still be heard filling in the spaces in the background along with the reliable but ultimately unremarkable bass, but this is really a demonstration of the band’s folk roots to follow on from ‘Haunting Birds.’ It’s probably the most enjoyable part of the E.P. For being so different, but of equal value to the first and third tracks. It’s also the only song that can be easily found elsewhere, on a later compilation of Sol Invictus cover material.

‘Of Stone, Wind and Pillor’ is primarily a piece of fan merchandise, generously provided to ease the wait for Agalloch’s second full-length album and providing some nice rarities and effective B-side instrumentals to go with it. At twenty-five minutes (excluding the pointless pause at the end of the final song), there’s not really enough room to explore the intricacies of Agalloch’s sound, especially as two of their currently three albums are dominated by multi-part epic compositions, and also because the band’s sound continues to change substantially every few years. Nevertheless, anyone who enjoys ‘The Mantle’ or even ‘Pale Folklore’ or perhaps the more recent ‘Ashes Against the Grain’ should place this high on their list of releases to check out, as well as the albums I can’t help but repeatedly cite as a direct influence.

‘Foliorum Viridium’ is taken from Agalloch’s first demo, which I would guess is extremely hard to come by and only worthwhile for the most hardcore fan of their early sound, and as mentioned earlier the Sol Invictus cover was later added to a compilation. There’s still enough enjoyable unique material here to keep this bizarrely titled release slipping into oblivion for many years to come, especially if Agalloch’s music continues to improve and achieve even greater acclaim. Of course, another release may take a few more years yet.

Middle of the Road for Agalloch - 80%

eViLbOrIs, October 16th, 2007

I had the good fortune of finding this cd used in a Coconuts that seduced somewhere along the highway on a long road trip. I payed the 6 bucks for it, tore open the crappy second-hand shrink wrapping and carefully injected this silver pill into my cd player. So fascinated was I by it, that it remained there for the entire trip.
Ah, but here clarification is needed. The fascination was not with its beauty, as was the case with prior Agalloch cd's I had heard (at this time, that was only PF and the Mantle), but by it's apparent lack of the magic Agallochian X factor that imbued such beauty into said cds. 'Of Stone Wind and Pillor' was thoroughly entertaining me, but it was not sweeping me away to the palaces of oak and citadels of stone I was expecting. I figured, perhaps it's because I'm driving while listening. Fine. Hours and a whole bunch of repeat rotations later, I arrived at home. Blah blah blah yadayadayada I sat down to listen again, and...bam? Nope. No bam! Same thing. 'Of Stone Wind and Pillor' remained as fine a listen as it ever was, and as lacking as it ever was.
Clarification again: There are no duds here. Every song is really good and there's never a question that this is indeed Agalloch. But when the best song by far is a Sol Invictus cover (Kneel to the Cross), you know that the magic is just not there.
So, I go on-line to see what other people think of this cute little thing, and hey! I find out it's limited to only 1000 copies! Groovy. I give it one more listen to make sure I'm not missing anything, and quickly post it on eBay, where I make over ten times what a paid for it. It's a grand little disc, and I appreciate it keeping me company on a long and lonely drive home, but it's not worth 60+ bucks to me just to own an original.
That said, a friend of mine recently played it for me, and I was like 'Damn, I miss this little fella...'

Pertinent addition for any Agalloch fan - 88%

IcemanJ256, November 19th, 2004

This album is essential for fans of either full-length Agalloch album. The title track is very similar to the songs on Pale Folklore; one couldn't enjoy one without the other. It is just as dark, and atmospheric yet very agressive as songs on Pale Folklore, with dark. poetic lyrics. It mostly is heavy with a little acoustic plucking on top of heavy distortion. The next two tracks are instrumentals, "Foliorum Viridium" sounds similar to "The Misshapen Steed" on Pale Folklore, but not too similar, and it's the oldest song on here, coming from their 1997 Demo "From Which of This Oak" (which fans should also try to obtain, it is an excellent demo). It contains some piano, and 3 layers of very majestic keyboard playing. Next, "Haunting Birds" is a very nice twin-acoustic instrumental, beginning with simple, dark strumming, adding new ideas along the way, with sounds of the campfire at the end. Anyone who enjoys the instrumentals on both full-lengths (or softer instrumental song parts) should definitely savor these two little ones.

Next comes "Kneel to the Cross," which is a Sol Invictus cover. It starts out with chanting "Summer is-a-coming, Arise, Arise" for about a minute, which was kind of annoying when i first heard it, but turns out to be a great build-up to the rest of the song. Think of songs on Pale Folklore but a little more accessible or simple, but that definately doesn't ruin it.

When I originally got this, I never heard the original, or any Sol Invictus at all, and I was very interested in doing so. Well, a lot has changed since then. Agalloch's cover totally enhances the old, industrial influenced Sol Invictus version of the song, adding so much more atmosphere and melody. In the original, it had monotonous vocals and annoying sounds and beats, and was more repetitive. Agalloch spiced it up so much and that greatly escalates my respect for the band. This is not to say I don't like Sol Invictus, in fact, that is one of the only songs of theirs that I'm not too fond of, and a few years after they made that song, they made a much better one anyway. Over 2 years have passed now and I pretty much own the entire Sol Invictus catalog, and they are my favorite folk-noir band, and it's all thanks to Agalloch covering that song that I got into them in the first place. Even getting into them has sparked my interest in all folk-noir in general; I'm starting to collect albums from Current 93, Death In June, and more to come. The last song, "A Poem by Yeats" is literally a poem by Yeats read over a farily short, very ambient primarily keyboard/piano piece.

Sorry for getting off track, but I want to emphasize how It has inspired a ridiculous amount of new music for me, for a 25-minute EP.

A good effort - 85%

Laserhawk, October 10th, 2003

Firstly, the first 3 tracks feel just like filler that could have been on Pale Folklore, As Folirium Viridium sounds very similar to The Misshapen Steed, and Haunting Birds could have been a deleted part from She Painted Fire Across The Skyline II. A Poem by Yeats, is a weak song, with over half of the 8 minutes being nothing but silence, and the lyrics not even decipherable.

The only things that save this album are the 2 remaining songs, Of Stone Wind and Pillow, and Kneel to the Cross. Of Stone Wind and Pillor is a solid song, with it's simple, catchy(to me) beat, and it's good guitar harmonies. But the highlight of this album IMO is Kneel to the Cross. In this song, Haughm gives an excellent clean-vocalled performance, perhaps his best. Haughm's clean vocals are very captivating, and i find myself singing along inadvertently here and there. I haven't heard the original version which was recorded by Sol Invictus, but I can't imagine it being any better than Agalloch's version.

As you can probably guess, this is only for Agalloch fans really.