After a wee little dry spell of no newer music for me to dig into, I got some nice discs in the mail courtesy of Metal Blade (thank you!) and a disc I ordered from Vendoio records. The former two CDs will be reviewed in the next two upcoming issues, but the latter will be reviewed in this edition. That CD is...

Agalloch
The White EP

This limited (to 2,000 worldwide) CD is Agalloch's companion piece to their Vendoio records recording entitled The Grey (which was limited to 1,000 pieces worldwide).

I got into the band by hearing one of their songs on a compilation CD and immediately ran out to get the CD the song was on: Ashes Against the Grain. I loved the ambient and majestic feel that the album had and went out to sample the other releases in their catalogue (that don't go for hundreds of dollars on Ebay). With my fondness for the band growing, when I heard that The White EP was coming, I preordered way back in January and the excitement for this to be delivered grew and grew.

On Agalloch's past few length albums, the band mixes black metal, folk elements and neoclassical interludes. The band also experiments with vast ambience and acoustic guitars, giving the listener the feeling that they are out in nature listening to their music. While electric guitars and repeated riffs gave Ashes Against the Grain it's overall feel, The White brings the band back to its roots.

The band experiments with synths, accordions, harps, Peruvian ceremonial horns and goat horns and blend these instruments with acoustic guitars and field samples that were captured in Germany (to give that outdoors feeling).

The White EP isn't something that you'd put on during a party. You have to be in the mood to take in all eight tracks because they all play on each other's themes. This isn't a rock record: it's an actual experience. I can't wait for the warm weather in the summer to be able to lay out in the backyard as the sun sets and just embrace the whole atmosphere that the album delivers.

If you have the dough and know of the band, get your copy on Ebay before they go through the roof (they're currently going for about $30). If the musical style that The White EP isn't your thing, definitely go to their Myspace page and hear some of their more accessible work. I'm giving this one a four out of five with definite room to grow on me with even further spins.