What songs are like Agalloch's "Ashes"?

September 1, 2011 5:20 PM

Death MetalFilter: What songs are like Agalloch's "Ashes"?

I fucking love this song. And I'm not even a fan of death metal, per se. The only two albums in the genre that I ever return to are, fwiw, Nile's In Their Darkened Shrines and Cryptopsy's None So Live.

So any genre is eligible. What's important is sweep, power, expressiveness.

posted by Trurl to media & arts (15 answers total)

Agalloch is the band that Last.fm insists that I must like, yet I've never gotten around to listening to them. But based on what I've been listening to when they're suggested, I'd say that you should check out Opeth, Mastodon, and especially Baroness.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 5:40 PM on September 1, 2011

Yeah that is definitely not death metal. Nile and Cryptopsy are, but this is not. You want black metal for this.

Enslaved, Darkthrone, and yes Opeth. Opeth is the first band I thought of.

If you like Nile and Cryptopsy, though, you might check out Hate Eternal. Similar bpms, but more musical (and heavy).

Goatwhore walks some sort of line between black metal and old school thrash metal with lots of awesome sludgy melodic stuff, especially on their last two albums "A Haunting Curse" and "Carving Out the Eyes of God."

You might like Isis or Neurosis, too---both bands with sweeping epic oceanic slow chugging megariffs. Neurosis is more raw, trancy and nervy, Isis is more mellow.

And, don't forget the gool old same old, Cannibal Corpse. Try 'From Skin to Liquid' off of Gallery of Suicide. I would link you to YouTube, but the sound quality is so atrocious it's not really worth it.
posted by TheRedArmy at 6:00 PM on September 1, 2011

Well, first, Agalloch is not death metal. That's this, all chugga-chugga and cookie monster. Agalloch is more closely aligned with black metal with some symphonic and doom elements mixed in.

I wasn't familiar with the song you linked, but I'm a huge fan of Agalloch's latest album (Marrow of the Spirit), and it's not too far off what you linked, so check that out if you haven't.

The first several minutes of the song are really, really, reminiscent of Pelican, so check them out, probably starting with the albums Australasia and The Fire in Our Throats Will Beckon the Thaw. It's really long, expressive, and instrumental (Pelican - Red Ran Amber).

For more atmospheric black metal stuff with a feel similar to Agalloch, I'd check out Altar of Plagues first—their latest album Mammal is amazing (Agalloch - All Life Converges to Some Center). Really odd, lo-fi production, but it's a magnificent work. Wolves in the Throne Room may get you there too, but the sweep and majesty are a bit more buried in the black metal wall of sound, especially on their most recent album (Black Cascade). Start with the Malevolent Grain EP (WITTR - A Looming Resonance). Finally, you may like Sunn O))). You may not, too, but it's worth a listen. If you can, just put on Monoliths and Dimensions and listen to the whole thing twice through (track 1 - Aghartha, track 2 - Big Church, track 3 - Hunting & Gathering, track 4 - Alice).
posted by The Michael The at 6:01 PM on September 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

Don't say cookie monster, that's unfair. They merely are trying to sound as evil as possible, and that is what metal is for, no? It is certainly what DEATH metal is for.

What the hell other kind of vocals could go over Cannibal Corpse or Suffocation riffs, anyway?
posted by TheRedArmy at 6:06 PM on September 1, 2011

Now that I've previewed: yeah, the Isis and Neurosis recommendations are good ones, too.

Metal is a small world: Pelican was signed from a demo by Aaron Turner, who runs Hydrahead Records and was the frontman of Isis. Hydrahead also put out some vinyl for Neurosis, and both were signed to Ipecac for a while. When Pelican left Hydrahead, they went to Southern Lord Records, run by Greg Anderson of Sunn O))).

So, if you like Pelican or Isis, check out more stuff on Hydrahead. If you like Pelican or Sunn O))), go through the Southern Lord catalog. And definitely go through the Profound Lore catalog, as they've put out Agalloch and Altar of Plagues (they're maybe the metal "it" label at the moment).
posted by The Michael The at 6:09 PM on September 1, 2011

This is for you, TheRedArmy.
posted by The Michael The at 6:10 PM on September 1, 2011

The Michael The has solid advice. I really advise listening carefully to the second Wolves In The Throne Room album, Two Hunters. Particularly the track Vastness and Sorrow!

Isis, too, are a good bet, and a little more prog, a little less bleak. Grinning Mouths is one of my favourite of their tracks.
posted by nicolas léonard sadi carnot at 6:37 PM on September 1, 2011

Check out this performance of Grinning Mouths, I think it's very Agallochy!
posted by nicolas léonard sadi carnot at 6:39 PM on September 1, 2011

You might like these...

Black Math Horseman - Bird Of All Faiths And None/Bell from Madrone

Methadrone - Sterility

Nadja - Stays Demons
posted by Kandarp Von Bontee at 6:42 PM on September 1, 2011

I also warn you that the logical progression from being into progressive and black metal is smoking way too much weed and listening to nothing but Electric Wizard.
posted by nicolas léonard sadi carnot at 6:46 PM on September 1, 2011

Definitely agree with Opeth and Isis.

You might also like:

Alcest - Ecaillies de Lune
Ihsahn - Morningstar
posted by Bodd at 2:15 AM on September 2, 2011

Opeth is a given. They're the masters! (In my opinion, start with Still Life, Blackwater Park, Morningrise.)

Asunder, esp. 'A Clarion Call'
Anathema - I'd say 'Crestfallen' or 'Pentecost III'
older Katatonia, i.e. 'Brave Murder Day' album
Weakling's 'Dead as Dreams'
posted by medeine at 11:08 AM on September 2, 2011

Lots of good recommendations (definitely try Brave Murder Day and earlier Opeth and/or their Damnation album). I can also vouch for the following in the sorta doomy-folksy-black-metal vein:

Mar de Grises
Ulver
Isahn

In the Isis/Neurosis vein you could try:
Cult of Luna
Jesu
The Angelic Process
posted by vanar sena at 1:42 PM on September 2, 2011

Wolves in the Throne Room is good, sweeping, epic black metal.
posted by TheCoug at 5:09 PM on September 2, 2011

My boyfriend, a non-MeFite (gasp), wanted to contribute this:

As previously mentioned, Wolves in the Throne Room and Weakling are both excellent examples of sweeping, epic music, but both are much more in the black metal vein. Deafheaven - Roads to Judah is another black metal album worth checking out. Ihsahn has been mentioned, but why not back up a step and try Emperor - Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk? Also in this vein, Windir has some amazing albums, especially Arntor and 1184. For something even more grim, black and frigid, there's Coldworld - Melancholie².

For bands that are much prettier yet still powerful, the previously mentioned Alcest fits the bill, and so does Les Discrets. Mastodon - Leviathan, Wintersun's self-titled album and Machine Head - The Blackening aren't black or folk metal whatsoever, but all are stellar.
If you like doom, there's always Candlemass - Tales of Creation. Summoning might be the only example of Tolkien metal that I know of, and the albums Oath Bound and Dol Goldur are both very powerful. And if you like the the previously mentioned Sunn O))) and Nadja, you could check out Asva - What You Don't Know is Frontier.

posted by fiercecupcake at 1:40 PM on September 3, 2011