Worm Gear

Tackling Goethe’s Faust, a literary subject as epic in scope and as essential an examination of the human condition as any ever written, would, in the hands of lesser musicians, fail miserably as an exercise of pretention or -worse- devolve completely into self-parody, as the level of skill, class, and intelligence required to succeed in such an undertaking would require Atlas-size shoulders and strength.

But – and I make no apology for the forthcoming hyperbole – we are not talking about lesser musicians. We are talking about Agalloch, a group responsible for not only successfully infusing neofolk and post-rock elements into a genre hitherto devoid of such, but of inspiring hundreds of others to do the same, all while resetting the standard for what constitutes critically-acclaimed extreme music. Agalloch remains the band thinking Metal fans direct heaviness haters and curiosity-seekers alike toward, as these Portland, OR, dwellers embody the height of what this genre of, by, and for outcasts can do at the pinnacle of its own potential.

So it is that John Haughm and co. embrace Faust as the focus for their one-song EP follow-up to Marrow Of The Spirit. Twenty-one minutes of what we have come to expect from Agalloch are on display herein; folk/atmospheric/black metal guitars from Haughm and Don Anderson, deftly-performed bass lines courtesy of Jason Walton, and talented, powerful drumming by Aesop Dekker, along with a subtle sharpening of the production techniques applied on the EP’s aforementioned predecessor. This time, however, samples from Jan Švankmajer’s film version of Faust are employed to keep the thematic focus on Goethe’s masterpiece at the forefront of the listener’s mind, preventing one from simply escaping into Agalloch’s expertly crafted, haunting melodies. For example, attention must be paid to and contemplation engaged upon during the song’s closing quotes taken from the film:

Faust: “Then what of longing, affection, pain or grief. I can’t describe these, yet I know they are in my breast. What are they?”

Devil: “Without substance, as mist is.”

Faust: “In that case man is only air as well.”

Admittedly, employing direct literal quotation runs the risk of hampering a listener’s ability to draw their own experience of the music, but Agalloch’s balanced handling of the sampled material, utilized for bookending the song and separating it into two halves , keeps the portal to one’s own mind open with its meld of aural art and intent. This melding lays the foundation for Haughm’s black metal wails to perfectly compliment Heinrich Faust’s willingess to forgo his own soul for the edification to be found both beyond human experience and any moral (or religious) constraints.

Suffice it to say, any fan of Agalloch or thought-provoking music should give this a spin, for this record challenges in the way that only powerful music can, and does so in unique fashion: by pulling its partakers into the world of written Word. And therein lies Faustian Echoes relevance, for -as is sometimes the case with those of us unconcerned with what BM vocalists are actually screaming about, because what’s being said likely has little to do with our daily lives- we too often allow ourselves to be enamored solely with the effect of the music as a whole, trusting that the lyrical content is dark and interesting enough to support the extremity of the instrumentation. But you will get no such easy out here, and will instead be compelled to dig a little deeper, to look beyond escapism, and remember:

Faust: “What? Do you mean that words are greater yet than man?”
Devil: “Indeed they are.” -Jim

– Dämmerung Arts

~ by cliftonium on September 30, 2012.

Posted in A-reviews, ALL REVIEWS
Tags: Agalloch, Black Metal, Dämmerung Arts, Faustian Echoes, Neo Folk, post-metal