Day 19: Odal // 8

genre: folk metal, progressive, experimental
drink: water
Here's to song three of Agalloch's The Mantle. 

The tone of the guitar is completely different this time around. It's got a bright and clean sound to it, offset with the bellowing, beating drum in the background. Whatever that drum is, it sounds huge, maybe a concert bass? I wouldn't be surprised. 

Picking up at about 2:30, the guitar starts to build up. The march of the snare drum complements the newly distorted guitar chords. This build up actually dies out, which is disappointing to me, as I thought it would lead to a new section. However, it's more of what the intro was like, with variations of the guitar riffs. Around 5:30, the section descrescendos into near nothingness as a bright piano solos. It fills the surrounding silence with melancholic chord progressions. The delay and reverb on the piano enhances the sheer loneliness of the piece. And then, carried out by the wind below us, what sounds like the tribal instruments from the first song see us out the door. Incredibly haunting. 

What's weird about this whole piece is just how different it is. It doesn't seem like the previous songs at all. Apparently "odal" refers to a Germanic rune with an approximate meaning of "nobility". Seeing as how there are no lyrics to this one, I'm not quite sure how to interpret the title with respect to the song's content. I guess I can picture a medieval King worn out by the gravity of his decisions? LOL. 

Rating: 8/10