The Mantle

The Mantle is the second studio album by American folk metal band Agalloch. The album was released on August 13, 2002 by The End Records.

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Chronicles of Chaos9.5/10[2]
Sputnikmusic4.5/5[3]

The Mantle
Studio album by
Agalloch
ReleasedAugust 13, 2002 (2002-08-13)
RecordedNovember 2001–April 2002
Genre
Length68:25
LabelThe End
ProducerRonn Chick, John Haughm
Agalloch chronology
Of Stone, Wind, and Pillor
(2001)		 The Mantle
(2002)		 Tomorrow Will Never Come
(2003)

Overview

Cinema "really emerged as a reference point for how we arranged out music [on The Mantle]," said guitarist Don Anderson. He suggested that the band was "thinking in images and how sound might express those images".[4] Taking a more mellow tone than Agalloch's first full-length, Pale Folklore, The Mantle still contains heavy electric guitar riffs as well as acoustic guitar portions.[5] Anderson pointed to the influence of neofolk music, particularly Death in June, as the impetus for using a strummed acoustic guitar in a darker musical context.[4] Present as well are long and melancholic double bass sequences, such as on the track "I Am the Wooden Doors". A critical influence upon Agalloch during this time period was Godspeed You! Black Emperor, with Anderson remarking:

Godspeed, in particular, was the major influence. Their approach to the guitar seemed aligned with black metal. The guitar was no longer a purely riff-based instrument, but provided an ambiguous atmosphere through tremolo-picking either large chords or single melodic lines.[4]

On March 28, 2005, Profound Lore Records released a double LP version of The Mantle on grey-colored vinyl. Limited to 500 copies, it also featured exclusive cover artwork.

The artwork features a photograph of the Thompson Elk sculpture in Agalloch's native Portland.[6]

Track listing

All lyrics written by John Haughm, except track 8 which contained an excerpt from Cherokee folk tale "Earth Making".[7]

No.TitleMusicLength
1."A Celebration for the Death of Man..." (Instrumental)John Haughm2:24
2."In the Shadow of Our Pale Companion"Haughm, Don Anderson14:45
3."Odal" (Instrumental)Haughm7:39
4."I Am the Wooden Doors"Haughm, Anderson, Jason William Walton6:11
5."The Lodge" (Instrumental)Haughm4:40
6."You Were But a Ghost in My Arms"Haughm, Anderson, J. William W.9:15
7."The Hawthorne Passage" (Instrumental)Haughm, Anderson, J. William W.11:19
8."...And the Great Cold Death of the Earth"Haughm, Anderson7:14
9."A Desolation Song"Anderson5:08
Total length:68:25

Personnel
  • John Haughm – vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, drums, percussion, EBow, woodchimes, samples, production, booklet photography and layout
  • Don Anderson – acoustic, classical and electric guitars, piano
  • Jason William Walton – bass guitar, noisescape on track 3
  • Ronn Chick – synths, samples, bells on track 8, mandolin on track 9, production
  • Ty Brubaker – contrabass on track 5, 8 and 9, accordion on track 9
  • Danielle Norton – trombone on track 7 and 8
  • Aaron Sholes – sample on track 4, hand-made grim cymbal bell used on track 2, art direction, pre-production
  • Neta Smolack – sample on track 4

References
  1. York, William. "The Mantle review". AllMusic. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
  2. McKay, Aaron. "CoC: The Mantle review". Chronicles of Chaos. September 1, 2002. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
  3. SowingSeason. "The Mantle review". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
  4. Dick, Chris (November 2012). "Hall of Fame: Northwest Passage - The Making of Agalloch's The Mantle". Decibel Magazine (97): 58–66.
  5. M, Steve. "Agalloch - The Mantle (staff review) | Sputnikmusic". Sputnikmusic. December 30, 2010. Retrieved January 13, 2012.
  6. "Metal-Rules.com: Interview With Agalloch". Metal-Rules. 2004. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  7. The Mantle (booklet). Agalloch. The End Records. 2002. p. 11.CS1 maint: others (link)
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