MIDDLE SECTION HAD ME O.O // Agalloch - As Embers Dress the Sky // Composer Reaction & Analysis

[@The-Crypt]

Came out in 99. My favorite of theirs. This, The Mantle and Marrow of the Spirit are all classics to me. They recently did a show so I'm hoping they're back together with new music on the horizon.

[@terrynieuwoudt8586]

Absolutely love this album. The sonic theme of 'uplifting yet melancholy' runs throughout the entire tracklist, perfect for rainy days

[@Dragobrath]

This track is probably in my top 5 favorites of all time. And it's the only song that I can play from start to finish on the guitar. That middle section is my most favorite acoustic piece of all time. When I pick my guitar to kills some time or jam, I almost always play it as my warm up routine.

[@jonathanhenderson9422]

This was very early Agalloch off their first album, but they pretty much knew exactly who they were even on their debut. Their later albums refined their sound/style a bit, but they were already arguably the premiere proggy blackened folky doomish metal band on the planet, and this track is a fine representative. I really need to revisit their discography soon as it's been way too long.

[@samaelresurrection]

Agalloch was ahead of time, since today there are bands that mix many sounds like them- I love them

[@BrianYates-ue8hf]

Hello hello....This is a vibe man...That single guitar run in the verses is a nice touch...The guitar solo brought a proggy yet bluesy and melancholic feel...And then enter the female singer my God man this was a trip.. Then the acoustic breakdown in the middle...Minus the vocals this is giving me Iron Maiden vibes...Yet again you turn me on to another band I wouldn't usually have come across ✌️🧐🤘

[@Arrow2theACL]

Went from Early Opeth to Iron Maiden with a gorgeous middle section. Pretty cool. Makes me want to check more out.

[@SkaiiV]

Yess!!!! more agalloch!

[@Altfax]

Found your channel a few weeks ago and was hoping after seeing some of the other agalloch coverage was hoping that you'd do this song, one of my favs

[@thegrimner]

If I remember correctly, Don Anderson their lead guitar player, did have a few connections to Jazz music and payed in some side projects that boasted some unorthodox structures and dissonances. At either rate and while I agree with you that the solos seem to go nowhere and add very little, I'd put it down to a bit of first album sindrome. There are a few instances where the album sounds like a band finding their footing and I'd say this is definitely one such instance, especially with the benefit of having the rest of their musical output as means of comparison.

[@CriticalReactions]

I could see that. Agalloch is a big name so I associate strong writing with them. But it's good to remember that even the biggest names were, at one time, small bands taking their first shot at music making and that those early endeavors aren't going to be perfect.

[@colemantrebor6574]

You probably have picked the songs for this theme already and maybe you've even recorded them already but early Opeth (first two albums) would be perfect for the theme. Black Rose Immortal is an obvious answer but given that it's 20 minutes long I will also recommend The Twilight Is My Robe, which is a bit more manageable at 11 minutes.

[@metalzonereactions]

Great band and this whole album is awesome

[@deolum01]

All good and sh*t but ... WTF is a Midwest Emo Vibe hahaha 😂 Jokes aside, u do nice reactions. greetings from Chile

[@CriticalReactions]

Midwest Emo is one of the three main subgenres of popular emo. I don't remember specifically why I brought it up in this track but it's sort of like a cross between indie rock and post-hardcore/emo and predominantly features bright, higher pitch guitar work. I must have heard something that reminded me of that style.

[@cyberdrace]

@@CriticalReactions Agalloch definitely has a strong Post-Rock influence so you're basically on track. There's also some Death Doom and Gothic Metal in there (like Katatonia's early work, you definitely gotta do a reaction to Brave Murder Day at some point) which in turn has a lot of overlap with Alternative Rock and Metal, sort of coming full circle again to the Emo vibe you mentioned in a really interesting way.