THE MANTLE

The second full-length release from Agalloch is not without it's moments of beauty, moments that emerge from the dappled shade of both darkness and light. This is particularly true of the sections in which the instrumental work is allowed the space to breathe and develop.

That said, my overall impression of this album is something of a lack of impression of it. It's certainly an adequate release, but I'm not altogether convinced it goes much further than that. Singer John Haughm's voice can match neither the beauty nor the power of the instrumentation, which itself somehow falls a little beyond the edge of my memory. A decent enough release, but not one that sits as a post-metal great in my eyes.

In terms of highlights, this is an album that improves as it goes on. The track 'The Hawthorne Passage' is, in particular worth a listen. I hope moments such as these will make this album a grower, given time.

Overall, I give this album a 3/5