The Mantle
| The Mantle | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Agalloch | ||||
| Released | August 13, 2002 | |||
| 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 | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Chronicles of Chaos | 9.5/10[2] |
| Sputnikmusic | 4.5/5[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. | Title | Music | 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
- John Haughm – vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, drums, percussion, EBow, woodchimes, samples, production, booklet photography and layout
- Don Anderson – acoustic, classical and electric guitars, piano
- Jason William Walton – bass guitar, noisescape on track 3
- Ronn Chick – synths, samples, bells on track 8, mandolin on track 9, production
- Ty Brubaker – contrabass on track 5, 8 and 9, accordion on track 9
- Danielle Norton – trombone on track 7 and 8
- Aaron Sholes – sample on track 4, hand-made grim cymbal bell used on track 2, art direction, pre-production
- Neta Smolack – sample on track 4
References
- ↑ York, William. "The Mantle review". Allmusic. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
- ↑ McKay, Aaron. "CoC: The Mantle review". Chronicles of Chaos. September 1, 2002. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
- ↑ SowingSeason. "The Mantle review". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
- 1 2 3 Dick, Chris (November 2012). "Hall of Fame: Northwest Passage - The Making of Agalloch's The Mantle". Decibel Magazine (97): 58–66.
- ↑ M, Steve. "Agalloch - The Mantle (staff review) | Sputnikmusic". Sputnikmusic. December 30, 2010. Retrieved January 13, 2012.
- ↑ The Mantle (booklet). Agalloch. The End Records. 2002. p. 11.