As I'm stalked by the shadow of death's hand,
The fire in my heart is forged across the land.
I dig the Beachland Ballroom quite a bit. Good beer selection, good acoustics,
and a nice indoor atmosphere.
Reminds me of being at the school dance, except no shitty DJ and more
metalheads. Agalloch has played the same venue last year, so I was optimistic
about how well they would sound and perform.
Taurus was out there, like
somewhere in the depths of the abyssal zone. Just in terms of their sound alone, the creeping guitar
rhythm echoed and reverberated in a haunting manner. Voice modulation, reminiscent of vocal techniques used by
Bruce Lamont, intensified the distance between man and machine. Drums exploded often in a thunderous
roar, but would settle down to add ambiance. The intriguing part of the female duo’s set was the overall
atmosphere, which gave cause to emote.
It was as if Taurus were covering “Requiem” from 2001: A Space Odyssey and the Monolith was materializing from within the darkness. Only thing to do was to stare into the
abyss and be drawn in.
Lucky for us Agalloch geeks, the
Cleveland gig was one of the few tour dates without a local opener, which meant
our favorite neo-folk metal band would be performing a two-hour set. As John Haughm stood center stage and
plucked a few drawn out guitar notes, his fellow band mates joined in, one by
one. Shortly after, “Limbs” began to manifest itself as instruments, incense,
and smoke culminated before the audience.
Silence withdrew itself as excitement heightened and bursts of joy
called out in glee for the Portland quartet.
Much
of the evening flew by as the band unleashed lengthy epics like “In The Shadow
Of Our Pale Companion,” as well as the brand new 21-minute behemoth, “Faustian
Echoes.” Agalloch’s latest hit
consumed the ballroom within a blackened tempest; a calling that beckoned to
the beauty and the savage of both folk and black metal. At this juncture, and only three songs
in, the guys could have given everyone the finger and say, “Fuck you, we’re
done!” But the night only went
onwards to the heavens.
The majority of Agalloch’s set
delved into Ashes Against The Grain and Pale Folklore, though there were
iconic gems like “Kneel To The Cross” that gave cause for jubilation amongst
fans. “Hallways of Enchanted Ebony”
stood out as a powerhouse hitter, commanding at least a few audience members to
air guitar and bang heads with Don Anderson’s flowing riffs. The final encore song with “Falling
Snow” was in high demand, as sporadic shouting called out for it by name during
the evening.
It’s hard to be disappointed with an
Agalloch concert. Every shred of
credit is deserved, mainly due to the how well their performances hold up to
their recordings. It’s also how
well they keep their fans entertained during their expansive songs. Just a few nuances between the stage
and the recordings, that created subtle differences, but develop into a
stunning and memorable concert.
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