Ashes Against the Grain
Encyclopedia
Ashes Against the Grain is an album by American metal
band Agalloch
under the Brooklyn, New York-based label, The End Records
. It is Agalloch's third full-length release, four years after the critically acclaimed The Mantle
.
Before the release, the track "Falling Snow" was made available in its entirety on the label's website and on the band's MySpace
page. Reports indicate a version of the album was leaked on the web in May 2006.
A pre-release review in the July 2006 issue of Toronto
-based Exclaim! magazine
described the new album as a "departure and an extension" from the band's previous work:
Three versions of the album were released: a slipcase edition, a deluxe wooden box version (limited to 500 copies) and a vinyl version (limited to 1000 copies).
The vinyl version was released on March 2, 2007 through The End Records' Infinite Vinyl Series. It was pressed in three different colors:
All three vinyl editions include an exclusive bonus track, Scars of the Shattered Sky (Our Fortress Has Burned to the Ground)
was recorded for the fifth track on the album, "Not Unlike The Waves". Despite strong opposition from the band, an abridged version of the song was used. Juan Mosqueda was the cinematographer
for the video; he had shot a sample of footage that, although the band liked, was not used in the final version of the video. This sketch of Mosqueda's version was later included as a bonus feature on Agalloch's 2009 DVD, "The Silence of Forgotten Landscapes", with an introduction by Mosqueda and Haughm.
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band Agalloch
Agalloch
Agalloch is an American metal band formed in 1995 in Portland, Oregon. The band is led by vocalist and guitarist John Haughm and so far have released four limited EPs, four full-length albums, two demos, one split album, one compilation album and one live DVD....
under the Brooklyn, New York-based label, The End Records
The End Records
The End Records is an independent record label, founded in 1998 in San Diego. Founder Andreas Katsambas initially wanted to bring attention to some underground bands he admired. In 2002, The End moved to Salt Lake City, when his wife took a job at the University of Utah. The label moved...
. It is Agalloch's third full-length release, four years after the critically acclaimed The Mantle
The Mantle
The Mantle is the second album by American metal band Agalloch. The album was released on August 13, 2002 by The End Records.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...
.
Before the release, the track "Falling Snow" was made available in its entirety on the label's website and on the band's MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page. Reports indicate a version of the album was leaked on the web in May 2006.
A pre-release review in the July 2006 issue of Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
-based Exclaim! magazine
Exclaim!
Exclaim! is a monthly Canadian music magazine that features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with special focus on Canadian and cutting-edge artists...
described the new album as a "departure and an extension" from the band's previous work:
- The songs tend to move with restraint, as Agalloch's characteristic threads of black metal, folk and ambient sounds coalesce with more doom and art rock.
Three versions of the album were released: a slipcase edition, a deluxe wooden box version (limited to 500 copies) and a vinyl version (limited to 1000 copies).
The vinyl version was released on March 2, 2007 through The End Records' Infinite Vinyl Series. It was pressed in three different colors:
- A clear/orange splatter edition limited to 200 copies.
- A black edition limited to 400 copies.
- A clear orange edition limited to 400 copies.
All three vinyl editions include an exclusive bonus track, Scars of the Shattered Sky (Our Fortress Has Burned to the Ground)
Track listing
Personnel
- John HaughmJohn HaughmJohn Haughm is a heavy metal musician and an artist from the United States. He is most famous for being the vocalist and guitarist of the band Agalloch...
: Vocals, acoustic & electric guitars, Drums (on "Not unlike the Waves" and "Falling Snow") - Don Anderson: Acoustic & electric guitars
- Jason William Walton: Bass
- Chris Green: Drums (all tracks except "Not unlike the Waves" and "Falling Snow")
- Ronn Chick: E-BowE-BowThe EBow or ebow is a hand-held, battery-powered electronic device for playing the electric guitar, invented by Greg Heet in 1969...
, Keyboards, Piano, production, mixing, engineering, editing
Music video
A music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
was recorded for the fifth track on the album, "Not Unlike The Waves". Despite strong opposition from the band, an abridged version of the song was used. Juan Mosqueda was the cinematographer
Cinematographer
A cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera . The title is generally equivalent to director of photography , used to designate a chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image...
for the video; he had shot a sample of footage that, although the band liked, was not used in the final version of the video. This sketch of Mosqueda's version was later included as a bonus feature on Agalloch's 2009 DVD, "The Silence of Forgotten Landscapes", with an introduction by Mosqueda and Haughm.
External links
- Official press release from The End RecordsThe End RecordsThe End Records is an independent record label, founded in 1998 in San Diego. Founder Andreas Katsambas initially wanted to bring attention to some underground bands he admired. In 2002, The End moved to Salt Lake City, when his wife took a job at the University of Utah. The label moved...
- John Haughm Interview
- Review on Schwermetall.ch (12/13)