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Agalloch
Origin	Portland, Oregon, USA
Genre(s)	Folk metal Dark metal Neofolk Post-metal Black metal Doom metal
Years active	1996–present
Label(s)	The End
Associated acts	Sculptured
Website	www.agalloch.org
Members
Don Anderson John Haughm Jason William Walton Aesop Dekker
Former members
Shane Breyer Chris Greene

Agalloch is an American dark metal band formed in 1996 in Portland, Oregon.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Formation 1.2 Pale Folklore 1.3 Of Stone, Wind and Pillor 1.4 The Mantle 1.5 Ashes Against the Grain 2 Influences 3 Discography 3.1 Full Lengths 3.2 Demos, EPs, and Splits 3.3 Compilations 3.4 Other releases 4 Members 4.1 Current 4.2 Former 5 External links 5.1 Unofficial

Agalloch began as the creation of John Haughm and Shane Breyer, named after the fragrant resinous wood of the Agarwood (Aquilaria agallocha). In early 1996, songs began to be produced by the duo and, during the summer, Don Anderson joined the band to further refine the material. These songs would later become the From Which of This Oak demo tape in the autumn of that year. This recording showed a large amount of black metal influence, with an amount of material which would later appear on subsequent albums in one form or another. Shortly after the recording, Jason William Walton was added to the line up as bassist.

In 1998, the three recorded a new promotional tape solely for labels. It caught the attention of The End Records, who offered them a record contract, resulting in the Pale Folklore album. The album features less of a black metal influence than before, many totally reworked demo songs, more folk elements and neoclassical interludes. The album was met with much critical acclaim. After the recording was complete, Breyer departed from the band line up.

After a period of quiet, the band released an EP of unreleased material from 1998-2001 entitled Of Stone, Wind and Pillor, revealing more of a neoclassical and experimental element. The EP also includes a cover of Neofolk band Sol Invictus' "Kneel to the Cross" that would later be released on Sol Lucet Omnibus, French label Cynerfierrd's tribute compilation to Sol Invictus.

During the 2001 to early 2002 period, Agalloch recorded The Mantle, featuring more of a post-rock influence. The album sleeve art contains photographs of public statues and fountains found in downtown Portland. This album marked a change in media attention for Agalloch, landing them interviews with a few mainstream magazines.

Following the release of The Mantle, Agalloch played their first show on March 6, 2003 in Portland, Oregon.[1] This was followed by a few shows in March and a US west coast tour in May.

In 2003, Tomorrow Will Never Come was released and in 2004 The Grey were released. These EPs showcased an even more experimental side of Agalloch, featuring remixed and reworked versions of songs from The Mantle as well as a new post-rock-influenced title track on Tomorrow Will Never Come. Agalloch also performed a series of shows on the US and Canada east coast in 2004.

A nature-themed split 10" picture disc EP with the Finnish band Nest was also released in 2004, showcasing a collaborative, neofolk effort by Agalloch. The Nest track was a more electronic, percussion-heavy effort with vocals and guitar contributed by Haughm and Anderson.

2005 saw a double vinyl re-releases of The Mantle and a double vinyl re-release of Pale Folklore in a limited wooden box, complete with new artwork for both albums. It was only available to commemorate the band's single 2005 live performance at Day of the Equinox, a music festival held in Toronto on October 14, 2005.

Ashes Against the Grain was released on August 8, 2006 by The End Records, featuring less focus on The Mantle's prominent acoustic guitars and instead more emphasis on electric guitars and metal elements, giving the album a different sound than their previous releases.

Agalloch's music features an intricate layering of vocal tracks and instruments (some of which are not common in traditional metal). Although Agalloch is usually filed under folk or doom metal, their music contains other regularly cited influences, such as Neofolk, dark ambient, post-industrial and post-rock music. Common themes in Agalloch's imagery and subject matter are natural beauty and allusions to ancestral Heathenry.

In a 1999 interview done by Dan Tobin with Jason William Walton and John Haughm [2], the band members have cited other influences including Katatonia, Ulver, The 3rd and the Mortal, Swans, and Godspeed You! Black Emperor.

In a 2005 interview done by Barry Lee Dejasu for the magazine Modern Fix, John Haughm was quoted as suggesting Agalloch's musical sound was "dark metal." "Sure, we have progressive and experimental elements but the root is dark metal." (Issue 54).

Agalloch have recently recorded a neofolk mini-CD, as indicated by frontman John Haughm on his eBay auctions. "All profits go directly to a neofolk mini-CD we are planning to record this month." The mini-CD, an EP entitled "The White", is a follow-up to 2004's The Grey. Featuring seven new songs, it will be released on Vendlus Records in late 2007 or early 2008.

Cover	Date of Release	Title	Label
	July 6, 1999	Pale Folklore	The End
	August 13, 2002	The Mantle	The End
	August 8, 2006	Ashes Against the Grain	The End

Cover	Date of Release	Title	Label
	1996	From Which of This Oak	The End
	2001	Of Stone, Wind and Pillor	The End
	2003	Tomorrow Will Never Come	The End
	2004	The Grey	Vendlus
	2004	Split with Nest	The End
	2008	The White	Vendlus

Year	Title	Format, Special Notes
2002	Sol Lucet Omnibus (2002)	Tribute to Sol Invictus. Agalloch contribute their cover of "Kneel to the Cross".

Year	Title	Format, Special Notes
1998	Promo 1998	2-song promotional cassette intended solely for labels - limited to 50 copies.
2005	The Mantle	2xLP vinyl re-release in deluxe packaging.
2005	Pale Folklore	2xLP vinyl re-release in deluxe packaging.

• John Haughm − vocals, guitar (Sculptured, ex-Nothing, Landfill, Lotus 78, A Den of Wolves)
• Don Anderson − guitar (Sculptured, ex-Nothing, ex-Darling)
• Jason William Walton − bass guitar (Especially Likely Sloth, ex-Subterranean Masquerade, Sculptured, Nothing)
• Aesop Dekker − drums (Ludicra)

• Shane Breyer − Keyboards
• Chris Green − drums (on The Waking Cold)

• Official Agalloch site
• Agalloch at The End Records
• Agalloch at Vendlus Records
• Agalloch at MySpace
• Agalloch at Encyclopaedia Metallum

• Unofficial Agalloch site
• Interview With Agalloch By Dan Tobin

v • d • e Agalloch
John Haughm | Don Anderson | Jason William Walton | Aesop Dekker
Former Members: Shane Breyer | Chris Green
Discography
Albums: Pale Folklore | The Mantle | Ashes Against the Grain
EPs and LPs: Of Stone, Wind and Pillor | Tomorrow Will Never Come | The Grey | Split with Nest | The White (album)
Demos: From Which of This Oak