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Agalloch - Gothic Theatre, Englewood, USA - 8 Jul 2014


Event: Agalloch: Serpens In Cvlmination Tour 2014
Written by: D.T. Metal
Published: 13.07.2014

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Agalloch - Gothic Theatre, Englewood USA - 8 Jul 2014 by D.T. Metal (19)


I was out of town two years ago when Agalloch played in Denver the last time, so when I first saw that they were scheduled to play at the Gothic Theatre in Englewood, CO (a suburb of Denver) I was actually rather surprised. Are they really that big? Would the thousand plus capacity venue be largely empty?






But, I had the distinguished pleasure to see them perform at this year's Maryland Deathfest and my doubts about a possible Colorado attendance issue went away. Ignorance is bliss, the word had spread over the years that Agalloch is a band not to be missed, and by the time I arrived at the venue a substantial line had already formed to enter the venue.

The one-man-project Thrones actually opened for Agalloch at the Colorado gig and while this was not my cup of tea, kudos to Joe Preston for doing his own thing and making music. Apparently he was also the driver for Agalloch and performed only at the last couple tour stops; with Colorado actually being the last date on their run.

Then, accompanied with the soothing sounds of "(Serpens Caput)" and holding a lit candle, John Haughm stepped out of the dark and onto the smoke filled stage to light some incense, which he put into some small cauldrons right up front. Surreal moment to say the least, but very fitting for the music Agalloch plays nevertheless.



After the intro they followed promptly with "The Astral Dialogue" off their latest release The Serpent & The Sphere and people really got into their new material. So much that during the second (or third?) song a small group of people started a mosh pit Odd, but I guess these days' people will mosh to just about anything. Thankfully they either came to their senses or the stern and disapproving looks by us up front deterred them from continuing and the pit stopped as promptly as it had started.

Agalloch played an assortment of new as well as old songs and their arrangement within the set made for a very pleasant, and at times dreamlike, listening experience. John Haughm was in top form, not only on guitar, but his raspy voice carried the tunes with such emotion - again, surreal. Emotion? Hell yes. It is very easy to get lost in trance during some of Agalloch's tunes.



About an hour into their set, while standing in the back of the venue by the bar so I could take it all in from a different perceptive, the promoter told me that the band originally was scheduled not to play a full set because their drive over to Denver was long and exhausting. Bummed out I was happy to hear that the initial info to the promoter changed a couple of times during their performance.

Somehow Agalloch got a 'second wind', fueled by the awesomeness of the crowd. A song into their encore, John dedicated a song to a guy who has/had a record store in Montana and drove all the way to Colorado just to see them. He explained that said dude handed him Slayer's Hell Awaits back when he was a (music)hungry teenager and the rest was history. "Normally the set would be over by now, so enjoy the next 30 minutes ? buddy, here is "Of Stone, Wind, And Pillor" just for you". Amazing! And after this one they played one more song, "Plateau Of The Ages" I think, but could be wrong.



What an awesome night that was and I can't wait for the mighty Agalloch to return to my neck of the woods, but hopefully I won't have to wait another two long years.






Written on 13.07.2014 by Former boss lady. Now just a professional concertgoer... dangerously armed with a camera!


Comments

Comments: 7   Visited by: 160 users
13.07.2014 - 16:37
Bad English
Tage Westerlund
I miss this band in Umeå 3 years ago because it was students bar and same time tickets enar venue and I didnt risk go 300km and be emthy ... seems they are good live , love this band
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Life is to short for LOVE, there is many great things to do online !!!

Stormtroopers of Death - ''Speak English or Die''
apos;'
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I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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13.07.2014 - 16:43
D.T. Metal

Written by Bad English on 13.07.2014 at 16:37

... seems they are good live , love this band

Dude, they are AWESOME live
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13.07.2014 - 19:04
Auntie Sahar
Drone Empress
Moshing to Agalloch is indeed a bit strange, I felt the same way when some people started a pit when I saw Enslaved
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I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go.

~ II. VII
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13.07.2014 - 23:27
BlueMobius
Account deleted
Some people moshed in Atlanta too, I believe during Into the Painted Grey. I dont mind it. Some of the older audience members were glaring at the moshers. That reaction kind of bothered me a bit. It's a metal show. I don't care if it's Cannibal Corpse or Devin Townsend, some people will find something to mosh to. I've seen two wheelchair-bound guys get into a mosh pit before and tear it up. If you mind getting pushed a little due to the energy of the moshpit, then make sure you are in the back or on the fringes of the venue.
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14.07.2014 - 21:13
MHShokuhi

the idea of attending is great
awesome report though...
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Shake the silence and hear what it say ~In Flames
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15.07.2014 - 15:39
oshgar

I saw them in Raleigh 2 weeks ago, definitely not to be missed. There was moshing there too, I got shoved a bit but didn't bother me too much. No blood was shed . Also tons of incense, it was a small venue so the smoke covered everything, definitely added to dreamlike quality of the music. Awesome that they played Of Stone Wind and Pillor at the Denver gig!
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19.07.2014 - 10:31
Segmentvs

I missed this show sadly. I have just relocated to Colorado for a job and had to work that night. Thankfully, I had seen the CD release show in Portland. I would have been great to see the beginning and the ending of the tour though.
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