Marrow of the Spirit

Marrow of the Spirit is the fourth studio album by American metal band Agalloch, released on November 23, 2010.

Marrow of the Spirit
Studio album by Agalloch
Released	November 23, 2010
Recorded	June–August 2010
Studio	Audible Alchemy, Portland, Oregon
Genre	Black metal, folk metal, doom metal
Length	65:33
Label	Profound Lore
Producer	Steven Wray Lobdell
Agalloch chronology
The Compendium Archive 1996 - 2006 (2010) Marrow of the Spirit (2010) Faustian Echoes (2012)

Production

Marrow of the Spirit marked a change in record labels for Agalloch. Their first three full-length albums and EPs were released by The End Records, but after their contract was completed with the release of Ashes Against the Grain in 2006, the band opted not to renew it. Marrow of the Spirit was released by Profound Lore Records, which had also released the first two Agalloch albums on vinyl in 2005. It was the first album to feature Aesop Dekker (of Ludicra) on drums, replacing Chris Greene.

The band felt that their previous album, Ashes Against the Grain, sounded too polished, and opted for a more raw sound for Marrow of the Spirit, saying that it felt more "alive and real".[1] The album thus was recorded entirely on vintage analog equipment. Recording took place at Audible Alchemy Studios in Portland, Oregon with Steven Wray Lobdell producing.[2]

Release

On October 29, 2010, the track "The Watcher's Monolith" was released on the music website Stereogum, accompanied by an interview with John Haughm.[3] The track "Ghosts of the Midwinter Fires" was released on November 1.[4]

The full album was released on November 23, 2010.

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
About.com	[5]
AllMusic	[6]
Pitchfork	8.5/10[7]
Sputnikmusic	(staff review 1) 2.5/5[8] (staff review 2) 4/5[9]

The album was named one of NPR's Top 50 albums of 2010[10] and listed at No. 1 on Decibel's list of the 40 best albums of 2010.[11] PopMatters listed Marrow of the Spirit as the best metal album of 2010.[12]

Track listing

[13]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"They Escaped the Weight of Darkness"	3:41
2.	"Into the Painted Grey"	12:25
3.	"The Watcher's Monolith"	11:46
4.	"Black Lake Niðstång"	17:34
5.	"Ghosts of the Midwinter Fires"	9:40
6.	"To Drown"	10:27
Total length:		65:33

Personnel

Agalloch

• John Haughm – vocals, acoustic and electric guitars
• Don Anderson – acoustic and electric guitars
• Jason William Walton – bass
• Aesop Dekker – drums

Guest musicians

• Jackie Perez Gratz – cello on "They Escaped the Weight of Darkness" and "To Drown"
• Steven Wray Lobdell – backing vocals on "The Watcher's Monolith"
• Jeffrey Neblock – piano on "The Watcher's Monolith" and field recordings on "They Escaped the Weight of Darkness", "The Watcher's Monolith", "Black Lake Niðstång" and "To Drown"
• Nathan Carson – Moog MG-1, Moog Opus-3, vibraphone and glockenspiel on "Black Lake Niðstång"[14]
• Veleda Thorsson – petrified bone, glass and metal sheet percussion on "To Drown"[15]

Artwork

• Mark Thompson – cover art
• Veleda Thorsson – photography
• John Haughm – design

References

1. http://exclaim.ca/Interviews/WebExclusive/agalloch
2. "Agalloch Track Listing". Metal CallOut. Retrieved September 21, 2010.
3. Hear Agalloch’s “The Watcher’s Monolith,” Read Our Q&A With John Haughm stereogum.com. October 29, 2010. Retrieved on October 31, 2010.
4. Agalloch Streaming Another Song from Forthcoming Album Archived November 15, 2010, at the Wayback Machine voltagemedia.com.au. November 2, 2010. Retrieved on November 2, 2010.
5. Schalek, Dave. "Agalloch - Marrow Of The Spirit review". About.com. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
6. Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Marrow of the Spirit - Agalloch". AllMusic. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
7. Currin, Grayson (December 7, 2010). "Agalloch: Marrow of the Spirit". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
8. Ward, Kyle (November 15, 2010). "Agalloch - Marrow of the Spirit (album review - staff)". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
9. Angel (November 17, 2010). "Agalloch - Marrow of the Spirit (album review - staff)". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
10. 50 Favorites: From Thomas Ades To Buke And Gass December 1, 2010. Retrieved on December 2, 2010.
11. "Decibel's Top 40 of 2010". November 30, 2010. Retrieved January 14, 2013.
12. Begrand, Adrien (December 23, 2010). "The Best Metal Albums of 2010". PopMatters. Retrieved May 29, 2017.
13. Profound Lore (September 2010). "Agalloch - Marrow of the Spirit". Profound Lore news report. Retrieved September 21, 2010.
14. "Marrow of the Spirit" announced & West Coast Tour myspace.com. September 21, 2010. Retrieved on December 3, 2010.
15. "Marrow of the Spirit" CD