Faustian Echoes

Pacific Northwest dark metal legends Agalloch follow up their magnificent 2010 LP, Marrow Of The Spirit, with an EP, Faustian Echoes, which will feature one song, in two parts, and is (according to the band) “based on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s epic masterpiece ‘Faust.’” The song is epic even by Agalloch standards; at 21:34 it’s the longest track ever recorded by the band. And while it may be broken into two parts, there have got to be more than a dozen distinct sections here — so far my favorite is the instrumental breakdown that comes in at 6:13 and builds over two minutes, but the torrential hailstorm that closes out the song is pretty knee-buckling. The EP will be released concurrently with a North American tour. Don’t miss the band — an Agalloch appearance is a rare thing indeed, and more importantly, they’re one of the best live bands in the world. Check out “Faustian Echoes.”