Maximum Metal Rating Legend
5 Excellent - Masterpiece. A classic.
4.5-4 Great - Almost perfect records but there's probably a lacking.
3.5 Good - Most of the record is good, but there may be some filler.
3 Average - Some good songs, some bad ones at about a half/half ratio.
2.5-2 Fair - Worth a listen, but best obtained by collectors.
1.5-1 Bad - Major problems with music, lyrics, production, etc.
0 Terrible - Waste of your life and time.

Note: Reviews are graded from 0-5, anything higher or not showing is from our old style. Scores, however, do not reveal the important features. The written review that accompanies the ratings is the best source of information regarding the music on our site. Reviewing is opinionated, not a qualitative science, so scores are personal to the reviewer and could reflect anything from being technically brilliant to gloriously cheesy fun.

Demos and independent releases get some slack since the bands are often spent broke supporting themselves and trying to improve. Major releases usually have big financial backing, so they may be judged by a heavier hand. All scores can be eventually adjusted up or down by comparison of subsequent releases by the same band. We attempt to keep biases out of reviews and be advocates of the consumer without the undo influence of any band, label, management, promoter, etc.

The best way to determine how much you may like certain music is to listen to it yourself.
Band
Agalloch
Title
The White EP
Type
LP/EP
Company
Vendlus Records
YOR
2008
Style
Heavy/Extreme
9/19/2008 - Review by: Raising Iron
Inducive, and not intrusive
For those of you not aware, fortunate, or insightful enough to snag Agalloch's latest EP, simply entitled, "The White EP", then my sympathies go out to you in your quest to pick it up, as it's pressing is limited to a mere 2500 copies, all of which are sold out and already commanding prices of $40 to $60 on ebay. If you're not aware, their 2001 limited press EP, "Of Stone, Wind, and Pillor", regularly sells for over $100 and I've seen it go as high as $230, so if you're a die-hard collector and still need this one, shell out the bones now, for it's only going to increase in desirability.

Now, the question is, is it worth the price? Well, for one, it is Agalloch, who have yet to release a disappointing album. If you're not familiar with these Northwestern Oregon woods-dwellers (their name is derived from a tree!), then this EP is probably not the place to start to get a true feel for what they are all about as "The White EP" is a seven song collection of acoustic melancholic tracks recorded over roughly the last four years but never released. So, the thrust of this release is to tide the fans over until the release of their next opus, and to answer our earlier question, it certainly is meritorious of some extra cash since the stellar writing team of John Haughm (vocals, guitar) and Don Anderson (guitar) provide a quiet, solitary, arboreal excursion with this effort.

Here we have an entirely instrumental release, quick to digest at a mere 32 minutes long, aside from a bit of spoken word, some whispered word, and some samples of children playing. There's also dialogue (from a film?) massaged into one of the tracks as well. Most of the songs revolve around acoustic guitars, pining away the minutes in dour indifference, with a lot of unique percussion underlying the prose.

This issue reminds me a lot of Opeth's "Damnation", a shorter album perfect for a respite from all that is heavy, fast, and loud. This record will give you a chance to take a few contemplative moments alone, the music being inducive, and not intrusive to your thoughtful meditations. Hell, all of Agalloch is as such, but "The White EP" squarely resides at the mellowest end of their musical spectrum.
  • 1 :REVIEW COUNT
    4 :AVE RATING

ALL REVIEWS FOR: AGALLOCH
TITLE
DOR
COMPANY
REVIEWER DATE MADE RATING
Ashes Against The Grain
2006
The End
Veritas10/27/2006
4.5
The White EP
2008
Vendlus Records
Raising Iron9/19/2008
4

ALL INTERVIEWS FOR: AGALLOCH
INTERVIEW INTERVIEWER DATE TAGLINE

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