Review Summary: Agalloch show us an experimental side that truly shines.
Agalloch is either a saving grace for the American metal scene or one of the most over hyped bands in the world depending on how you would look at it. This EP is a prime example of just why they garnered the cult following that they have. It's only 20 minutes long with 2 songs and it still fetches for around, if not over 50 bucks due to its limited 1000 copy release. So why then does it deserve a four? Both tracks recycle riffs, sometimes for minutes at a time. They are both based off tracks from the superb Mantle release, but is a re-edit of these songs really necessary?
Yes, it is because Agalloch's songwriting is in-***ing-credible.
This gem of a release starts off with one of Agalloch's best songs from any release of theirs, The Lodge (dismantled). This title could be a joke from the band because where as the Mantle was all about acoustic melodies and subtlety, this version of the song is more like Falling Snow from 2006's Ashes Against the Grain. This song does everything right. From the epic build up in the beginning, to the electrified riffs from its acoustic version in the middle, Agalloch know just when to change the riff. This song is not for the feint of hear though, last over 13 minutes. The soundscape lasts about 10 minutes before the song literally blows up and fades out like Our Fortress is Burning...III: The Grain, again from Ashes Against the Grain. This song is alone worth the price of admission and what this EP is really about.
The other song on this release is truly puzzling. They could've called it anything they wanted, but it's name Odal (nothing remix). It is a mesh of noise akin to drone metal bands such as Sun 0))). The only resemblance to Odal is a feint cello line in the backround. It is an interesting listen nonetheless.
So can one song make an EP worth buying, or worth a four? When it is as good as the Lodge (dismantled) the answer is most definitely yes. The Odal remix could be your thing, but this version of the lodge is just ridiculously superb. I give this a four because it shows how they evolved from the Mantle to AATG and shows us what they can do when they experiment. This both an interesting and superb release, regardless of your opinion on this Portland Band. Download this now (seeing as buying it is near impossible.)
