PALE FOLKLORE

The debut of Agalloch is a surprising find for many who are accustomed to their more "stripped- down" style found on The Mantle and onward. Pale Folklore is a wonderful gem that features many folk and symphonic elements that Agalloch abandoned on their later albums in favor for more post-rock elements.

The obvious attraction of Pale Folklore is the She Painted Fire Across the Skyline suite. The mysterious, repetitive guitar invites us in before taking us on a haunting adventure featuring many moods and styles, but always retaining that trademark "haunting" feel that Agalloch is so good at painting. Other highlights of the album include the epic The Melancholy Spirit and the Opethian As Embers Dress the Sky.

I am tempted to give the album five stars, but John Haughm's vocals bring it down. The black- metal vocals permeate the album. The problem is that only a handful of vocalists can do that style well, and Haughm is not in that handful. He does sing clean on some of the songs, but he has not developed as a vocalist in that regard either.

Easily four stars. A rare style of work. While I do enjoy later Agalloch, their is a yearning inside of me that wishes that they did more material such as this.