Agalloch is an American metal band formed in Portland, Oregon, United State… Read Full Bio ↴Agalloch is an American metal band formed in Portland, Oregon, United States in 1995. For twenty years the Pacific Northwest group defined what it means to combine influences from a variety of musical genres into one brooding, colossal, and cinematic sound that provides the soundtrack to existential themes concerning man, nature, loss, and death.

After two demo releases in the late 1990’s the band released three full-length albums: Pale Folklore (1999), The Mantle (2002), and Ashes Against the Grain (2006). “The Mantle” has since been heralded as a classic for having been one of the first albums to combine elements from black metal, neo-folk, progressive rock, post-rock, and ambient music. The influence of this record can be heard in the music of multiple “post-black metal” bands.

In 2008 Agalloch began re-releasing their demos, B-sides, and EPs under their own Dammerung Arthouse label. In 2010 their fourth album Marrow of the Spirit made number one on numerous critic’s top ten lists. In between each of these full-lengths the band pushed on the flexible boundaries they had developed around themselves through a series of EPs that found the band experimenting with post-rock/instrumental rock (The Grey, 2004), neo-folk/psychedelic folk (“The White EP, 2008) and a mammoth twenty-minute epic work entitled Faustian Echoes (2012) released through Dammerung Arts. Their fifth and last full-length album The Serpent & the Sphere (2014) has continued to earn praise for solidifying the now identifiable sound of the band.

Agalloch earned a reputation for explosive and emotional live performances. They sold out tours across Europe and the US and played a variety of major international festivals including: Roadburn, Inferno, Ragnarok, Tomahawk, Noctis, Asymmetry Fest, Maryland Deathfest, Scion Fest and others. The band took special care constructing the environment of each and every show with wood, incense, and imagery taken directly from their home in the Northwest. Such care made an Agalloch show more than just a typical heavy metal concert.

However, on May 13th, 2016, Agalloch announced their disbandment.

Regarding the band's disbanding, John Haughm previously released the following statement regarding the status of Agalloch:

"After being inundated by a barrage of responses, I feel that I should clarify some things. I take full responsibility for the decision to part ways with the other guys. It was difficult, well thought-out, and something that had been culminating over the past couple of years. I simply could not continue any further with the band as it was. I had to make a change as my motivation and inspiration had started to completely deteriorate. Whether this is the permanent end of Agalloch altogether or a possible fresh start, I don't know. I probably won't know for awhile. The band has simply been reduced back to its founding, visionary member for the first time in 20 years. Beyond that, the future is unknown."

In 2019, Haughm made comments on Facebook widely criticized as being anti-Semitic, and the other members of Agalloch released a statement claiming, "We vehemently condemn our former bandmate and want to make it clear that none of us share his reprehensible viewpoints. We have not had any direct contact with him since the breakup nearly 3 years ago... We are not friends."

The band later reformed in 2023 "with the intent of playing limited shows."

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Discography:

Studio albums:
1999 - Pale Folklore
2002 - The Mantle
2006 - Ashes Against the Grain
2010 - Marrow of the Spirit
2014 - The Serpent & the Sphere

EPs:
1997 - From Which of This Oak (demo)
1998 - Promo 1998 (demo)
2001 - Of Stone, Wind and Pillor
2003 - Tomorrow Will Never Come
2004 - The Grey EP
2004 - Agalloch / Nest (split with Nest)
2008 - The White EP
2012 - Faustian Echoes

Compilations:
2008 - The Demonstration Archive 1996-1998
2010 - The Compendium Archive

Singles:
2004 - A Fragment (Second Phase)
2010 - Nebelmeer (split with Mathias Grassow)
2010 - Fragment 4
2010 - Scars of the Shattered Sky
2010 - Where Shade Once Was
2011 - The Death of Man III
2011 - The Wolves of Timberline
2013 - Nihil Totem
2013 - The Weight of Darkness
2014 - Alpha Serpentis (Unukalhai)

As Embers Dress The Sky
Agalloch Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

The shallow voice of the wind
Cries between these ebony wings
The shallow cries of the win
Sing a swansong for mankind

Shine on morning skyfire
Ablaze this final day
The autumnal end, the dawn of man

The centuries fade below my feet

I soared above them
As they worthlessly poured
Thought from a chalice
As wisdom would flow,
Twilight would come to pass
Drink oh hallowed cup of life

Shine on evening skyfire
Paint the sky with the blood of a raven

Bereavement, oh garment of ebony
As embers dress the dusk of man

Overall Meaning

The song, As Embers Dress The Sky by Agalloch, is a melancholic and introspective observation of the passage of time and the eventual end of human existence on earth. The opening lines, "The shallow voice of the wind, cries between these ebony wings, The shallow cries of the wind, sing a swansong for mankind," are a reference to a choir of angels or other ethereal beings singing the lament of the world's last days. The black wings could be symbolic of death, darkness, or even sorrow, as they stand opposite to the lightness of the wind's voice. Overall, the image of a forlorn and desolate atmosphere is conveyed through these opening lyrics.

The next verse, "Shine on morning skyfire, ablaze this final day, The autumnal end, the dawn of man, the centuries fade below my feet," paints a picture of the end of the world but also the beginning of a new era. The reference to the "centuries fading below my feet" implies a sense of time passing relentlessly away, like sand through an hourglass. The singer has seen it all before, and he is almost indifferent to the destruction that will soon take place, as he is already looking forward to the coming of a new dawn.

As the song progresses, the singer is elevated above the scene of devastation, watching as humanity's end unfolds below him. He sees that all the human race has created is meaningless, as they were "worthlessly pouring thought from a chalice, as wisdom would flow." As such, he encourages listeners to "drink oh hallowed cup of life," to take advantage of their mortality and enjoy the fleeting moments of existence. Finally, the song concludes with the lines "Shine on evening skyfire, paint the sky with the blood of a raven, Bereavement, oh garment of ebony, as embers dress the dusk of man." Here, the scene is set once again at dusk, as darkness envelops the world. The image of the ebony garment is a symbol of mourning for the loss of humanity, and the embers represent the final remnants of human civilization burning into the night.

Line by Line Meaning

The shallow voice of the wind
The soft sound made by the wind

Cries between these ebony wings
The sorrowful wind produces cries as it flows around the black wings of the subject

Sing a swansong for mankind
The wind's cries are as mournful as the swan's dying song, symbolizing the end of humanity

Shine on morning skyfire
The sun's light illuminating the early skies

Ablaze this final day
The sun's light is breathtaking on this final day of the world

The autumnal end, the dawn of man
The end of civilization occurs in autumn, which passes the baton to the success of mankind

The centuries fade below my feet
The changing of time is observed and controlled by the subject standing above them

I soared above them
The artist is above the 'them', which can be interpreted in multiple ways

As they worthlessly poured
Their pouring is deemed insignificant

Thought from a chalice
Intellectual essence coming from a ceremonial cup

As wisdom would flow, Twilight would come to pass
As the singer gains knowledge, their time to die approaches