GALLOWBRAID – ASHEN EIDOLON EP

Artist: Gallowbraid
Album: Ashen Eidolon EP
Release Date: September 2010
Genre: Melodic Black/Folk Metal

Given this band’s frequent and close comparisons to Agalloch, one of my favourite bands, and a style few bands have been able to replicate, I was eager to investigate Gallowbraid’s recently released Ashen Eidolon EP. While some EPs can be somewhat scarce in solid material, Gallowbraid here have two songs breaking the ten-minute mark and two short instrumentals to give the release a respectable running time of thirty minutes, during which the listener is treated to a well-rounded overview of Gallowbraid’s sound.

Stylistically, the comparisons to Agalloch are proven accurate, often using simple lead melodies over a backing rhythm section, short acoustic breaks, and alternating raspy/clean vocals. Despite the comparisons, it would be short-sighted to write off Gallowbraid as a simple clone. Overall, the band’s material on this EP is heavier than anything Agalloch have released, except perhaps the opening of Not Unlike the Waves. Gallowbraid draw much more upon their Black Metal influences, while Agalloch leaned more toward the Folk and Ambient side on The Mantle and Ashes Against the Grain. Ultimately, this album sounds perhaps what Agalloch could have sounded like if they focused on their Black Metal aspects after Pale Folklore. In addition, the harsh vocals sound very similar to Haughm’s on Agalloch’s three LPs, but the clean vocals do not share as similar a delivery, coming across as almost a chant/hymn to the natural scenes the lyrics paint. To place the album between two media, it sits between Agalloch’s melodic, folk-inspired tracks such as Falling Snow or The Melancholy Spirit, and Ulver’s Black Metal classic Bergtatt, while the two acoustic instrumentals, Autumn I & II, draw upon Ulver’s second release Kveldssanger.

Despite it being a very impressive first glimpse at Gallowbraid’s ability, I feel the EP suffers slightly on its longer songs from unsubtle transitions. Individually the segments of the two main tracks on the album, Ashen Eidolon and Oaken Halls of Sorrow, are excellent melodic Black/Folk Metal, but at times it seems they are forced together in an unnatural manner. This can have an effect on the listener’s immersion in the music, which is central to the style of music delivered by Gallowbraid and their counterparts such as Agalloch or Alcest.

Despite this, the EP is certainly a more than enjoyable one to listen to and if you are a fan of this style of music, Gallowbraid is almost certainly going to be a big name in the scene over the coming years. It will be interesting to see how Agalloch progress their sound on the upcoming Marrow of the Spirit, and indeed how Gallowbraid progress their own sound on a full-length release in the coming years.

Key tracks: Ashen Eidolon, Oaken Halls of Sorrow.