Earlier this year, Agalloch teased us with a single track off their upcoming album, The Serpent & The Sphere. All components were present: acoustic guitars, trademark vocals and a cold chill permeating throughout. Now, Agalloch’s first album in four years is fully available for streaming. Readers, it’s not often that we say this, but we’ve been duped. Agalloch have wholly managed to surprise us.You see, Celestial Effigy sounded like a return to the more folky days of Pale Folklore, with its persistent tempo and lilting melody.
However, it now appears that this track is the exception rather than the rule in the new release. Instead of a return to the olden days, The Serpent & The Sphere appears to be a further exploration of a slower, deeper, more robust sound interspersed by the unique acoustic passages that only Agalloch can produce. This album requires several more listens, but its without a doubt that we say that this release will feature heavily on top of the year lists.
The Serpent & The Sphere is available for streaming over at NPR and releases on May 13 via Profound Lore and in Europe on May 19 via Eisenwald.
– EK