The Serpent & the Sphere

The Serpent & the Sphere

Agalloch's claim to the throne of modern black metal supremacy is pretty much undisputable. Since 1995, the Portland quartet have been one of the genre's foremost innovators, merging coal-dark riffs and ferociously chugging tempos with a sylvan neo-folk aesthetic for a sound all their own. Following up 2010's critically acclaimed Marrow of the Spirit, the band return with The Serpent & the Sphere, a monolithic slab of heaviness full of ethereal segues into foreboding folk. Featuring classical guitarist Nathanaël Larochette (Musk Ox), the album includes three acoustic interludes that provide a respite from the otherwise pummeling material, like the blast-beats and Cookie Monster vocals of "The Astral Dialogue" and the stratospheric shredding on the 12-minute exploration "Plateau of the Ages." When Agalloch play the game of (metal) thrones, they play to win.

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