And... it rules. It's interesting and refreshing to hear John playing along with a fully competent metal drummer. I love Aesop, and he did have some creative drumming moments with Agalloch, but I really wouldn't consider him great.

I'm enjoying this more than anything on Serpent personally. To me it's the sound I'd expect from them if they continued experimenting with the Faustian Echoes direction. The last minute of this track is fantastic.

Well, that was fun.

Even better than I thought it would be

damn, im actually a little disappointed. pretty standard black metal.

a lot more metally than agalloch innit

Man the first few minutes of this give me Dissection/Enslaved vibes, this is sweet.

Good song

Great song.

A LOT heavier than I expected.

But damn how good is this! Liking the production too!

yea good shit

surprised about the warm reaction this is getting, it just sounds like a standard black metal song to me, nothing special about it.

dungeonboy, listen to VHOL

i guarantee you Aesop is great, having seen him live

i think it's unfair to judge his drumming work based on a band that never called for technical drumming

for the track: i can hear John's/Agalloch's sound all over this. it's pretty much the logical extension of Agalloch past Faustian mixed with modern sensibilities

wow that was nice

@AdolfChrist

It flows well, the production is great, the vocals are great, the drumming is great and while not as original as Agalloch I don't think this is really standard.

It's just well executed, which is nice for a change.

The section that starts at 2:22 with the slower part at 2:45 that follows and that guitar solo at like 3:36, Haughm's trademark whispered vocal at like 4:20. The entire rest of the song after 2:22 definitely doesn't sound like standard Black Metal to me. I can actually hear quite a bit of Agalloch influence there.

idk, i guess i was just expecting something a little more experimental and fleshed out, not something so straightforward.

I'm pretty sure Khôrada will fill that void when they start releasing their new material.

I don't find this standard, but I agree with you a little bit Chris, that I expected a little more experimentation. It still pumped me for the full release though.

That little lead at like 4 minutes in makes me think of Marrow for whatever reason

it was alright. ending was straight agalloch

great

"I love Aesop, and he did have some creative drumming moments with Agalloch, but I really wouldn't consider him great."

Dude was pretty shitty for being in a popular band and I don't feel bad saying that bc from what I've heard he's a complete diva/egotistical douchebag

it's solid. I'm expecting the fact that it's only like 5 minutes to account for how straightforward and uninventive it is.

who plays drums on ashes, cuz that guy is great. superb ear for production too

@Essence, wow, yeah I've never checked Vhol before, but didn't expect that. I was also basing that statement off his loose playing on his Agalloch releases, including on The Silence of Forgotten Landscapes (live) and my own personal experiences seeing Agalloch live. The drumming on this Pillorian track is tighter than anything Aesop ever did with Agalloch IMO and was certainly a notable difference for me. Thanks for sharing Vhol, I'll have to dive more into that project.

Drums on the first 3 Agalloch albums were John right?

Excited to hear it

John drummed on the first two and only on two tracks for their third.

drummer on ashes was Chris Greene apparently

Yeah, John drummed on not unlike the waves and falling snow. Forgot to say, this track rules way harder than the last two agalloch albums. Surprised at how different from agalloch it sounds

As expected it is Black Metal. Great Black Metal

ive only heard the mantle and ashes against the grain, but this is a huge leap away from those, even if 10 years has passed

Btw am I the only one who initially read the title as "A Steaming Pile"

yeah i mean my opinion on aesop aside, this is still a huge step up

and idk how people don't hear agalloch in this, it's super obvious for at least half the track

definitely faster than Agalloch. That melodic riff in the second half sounds like something ripped from the Agalloch playbook, just played faster.

it's okay i suppose

That little lead at like 4 minutes in makes me think of Marrow for whatever reason

truth.

Pretty solid track. I am beyond excited for the LP.

I hear so much potential in the second half of this song.

Loved it, especially the second half. Hoping the break up is the blessing in disguise I thought it could be.

Feels like the logical continuation of the late Agalloch albums, honestly. Great stuff.

I'm not at all getting that vibe tbh. I hear a lot of Marrow, a little bit of Pale Folklore, and some new stuff that Agalloch never really explored

Kinda lukewarm on it but it sounds good

I think I'm just happy that it doesn't sound like an uninspired continuation of late agalloch. And I thought it was pretty solid

Track is fucking rad, good to see some quality to back up my hopes for the record

that was incredibly boring

this is sick

The vocals are ridiculously good, and the song is great too (especially the second half).

Sounds instantly better than anything Agalloch have ever done

about time they grew some balls

Sounds like more uninspired Agalloch.

I'm actually really fucking digging this. It's like Agalloch if they cut out all the fat and shot straight to the point, metallic riffs juxtaposed against uplifting melodic segments that creates DYNAMIC FORCE

Seriously. The entire track after that riff that comes in at 2:22 is incredibly Agalloch, but without all the fluff. Really excited to hear the rest of the album.

When does the album actually come out?

song is pretty okay

@Hawks March 10

it seems like you can get a copy already on the 10th of february from their bandcamp site

That's a 7" single of this track with an exclusive on the B side, not the full album

Pre-order of A Stygian Pyre. The moment the album is released you'll get unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus a high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
releases February 10, 2017

dont know if im just misunderstanding this

"Pre-Order of a Stygian Pyre"

Yeah, that's this track's name. The album title is Obsidian Arc.

By "the moment the album is released" they mean the moment the 7" that contains this track and the exclusive on the B side is released on the 10th of Feb, you can download them digitally. The rest of the album is released on the 10th of March

oh right now i see

Second half of the track is pretty great

Hmm solid track for sure but I also expected something a little more "out there". I figured John was leaving the band behind to pursue something more abstract rather than closer to straight BM.

Still though, track starts off a little underwhelming but gets a lot better as it progresses

Another side note about Aesop. One time when I saw them live the dude had a manic episode and kicked over a bunch of his drums and stormed off stage ending the set prematurely. Dude was cancer

How can a drummer be so moody

I quite like it.

"How can a drummer be so moody"

Idk maybe he was a junkie or something. Buddy of mine used to post on a message board that Aesop posted on and said he was a pretentious douche there too

both times i saw aesop he was totally professional so idk

everyone has really shitty days. that doesn't excuse being a brat and messing up a show, but its hard to say what was going on with him that day

I met Aesop. The only thing I really remember was his disgusting, plaque-filled, unbrushed teeth.

Lmao yeah when I saw him outside the venue that day I just thought he was a homeless dude and then someone told me that was their drummer. Idk maybe Aesop not a dick and maybe John is just a pain in the ass to work with which wouldn't surprise especially since he seems determined to play drums even though he sucks at it

From what I heard John lately has become a diva.

Austin Lunn was saying that there was a LOT more drama behind the scenes than we saw concerning the agalloch breakup

it was apparently very, very messy

more like pillowrian because that shit put me to sleep

"Austin Lunn was saying that there was a LOT more drama behind the scenes than we saw concerning the agalloch breakup

it was apparently very, very messy"


Considering how heartbreaking Don's statement was to read, I'm not surprised. That dude always gave off such a chill, down to earth vibe.

His statement on the breakup is truly sad.


Don is really really cool, everyone that is an Agalloch fan should watch this talk he did, it's long but provides a ton of insight.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Y6DcENupuw

I second that link^^ Great talk

"From what I heard John lately has become a diva."

That's what happens when you lose all semblance of humbleness. The poor quality of Marrow and especially Serpent was basically a personification of John Haughm's inflated ego.

Except that Marrow is a great album

i'm so sorry you think that

[2]

I dont know how to feel.

Its solid, but it isnt what I expected or really wanted.

The poor quality of Marrow

DEFENESTRATION

lol what

new song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBYHAqYhT_s

Marrow was awesome, just not as awesome as the previous 3.

ashes/mantle > marrow > first one > any old folk metal band off the shelf > serpent

marrow/ashes > the white > the mantle > pale > faustian > the rest

that new track is much more death metally than expected from Jon

Just get the album leak guyz

guys you're all wrong, correct ranking is;

Pale >= Mantle > White > Ashes > Marrow > Serpent

lol nah