Released 20 years ago
Ashes Against the Grain
Agalloch · 2006
59 min · 8 tracks · black metal
Ethereal soundscapes intertwine with haunting melodies, creating a somber yet expansive atmosphere that evokes the natural world's stark beauty.
Top tracks — play these first
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Limbs — This opening track sets the tone for the album with its expansive soundscape and emotional intensity, showcasing Agalloch's signature style of melding melody and heaviness.
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Falling Snow — With its haunting melodies and an evocative atmosphere, this track encapsulates the thematic essence of nature’s beauty intertwined with melancholy.
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Our Fortress Is Burning… II: Bloodbirds — This track features an intricate layering of instruments that enhances its dramatic tension, illustrating Agalloch’s artistic ambition and narrative depth.
Elevation
Our rating, out of 100 — and why.
AI-generated from five scored dimensions. An opinion, not a measurement.
The album's intricate compositions and seamless flow create a deeply immersive listening experience.
What we noticed
- The album features long tracks, with several exceeding eight minutes, allowing for gradual development of themes and motifs.
- Each track often transitions seamlessly into the next, creating a continuous flow that enhances the immersive experience.
- Composition 25% of the score
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8/10
- Craft 20% of the score
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7/10
- Durability 25% of the score
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8/10
- Distinctiveness 18% of the score
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8/10
- Sequencing 12% of the score
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9/10
the writing — melody, harmony, structure, lyrics
production, performance, arrangement
whether it rewards returning to it
whether it sounds like itself
running order, pacing, length
Significant within its genre. Reported but not counted — how far a record travelled describes its reception rather than the record, and a newer release has had less time to travel than an older one.
Is this for you?
Good fit if you like
- long, immersive listening sessions
- dynamic emotional journeys
- atmospheric background focus
- gradual builds and payoffs
Where this album fits
- Career context
- By the time of its release in 2006, Agalloch was firmly establishing itself in the atmospheric black metal scene with 'Ashes Against the Grain' being their third studio album. Following their critically acclaimed 'The Mantle', this album showcased a mature evolution in their sound while maintaining their signature blend of metal and folk elements.
- Stylistic neighbors
- Alcest· Wolves in the Throne Room· Opeth
Tracklist
Best experienced from track one — press play and let it unfold.
- 1 Limbs 9:51
- 2 Falling Snow 9:38
- 3 This White Mountain on Which You Will Die 1:39
- 4 Fire Above, Ice Below 10:29
- 5 Not Unlike the Waves 9:16
- 6 Our Fortress Is Burning… I 5:25
- 7 Our Fortress Is Burning… II: Bloodbirds 6:21
- 8 Our Fortress Is Burning… III: The Grain 7:10
Reference: Wikipedia · MusicBrainz · Wikidata
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