AGALLOCH - The Silence Of Forgotten Landscapes (DVD) on sale

I have been following the likes of Agalloch for about two full years now. The second I heard the hypnotic strumming of "Sowilo Rune", I was hooked. Over time, I added each album and EP to my collection and fell in love with most, if not all, of their work. If you are familiar with Agalloch and their releases, you don't need a dissertation about their expertise in creating a specific ambiance and atmosphere. I had always been extremely curious to see how they would enter into the concert, or "rock star" realm of metal.To be quite honest, I was skeptical at first about this DVD release but was eager to pick it up. In fact, I bought it the minute I found it. Could Agalloch command and captivate a live audience the same way they do to a listener of their recorded material? Actually, no. They cannot. But do NOT let this deceive you. They can't do it the SAME way. They do, however, somehow hypnotize and take hold of the audience (the live one in Belgium and us sitting at home watching) for the entirety of the performance. Very few DVD performances do this for me. I was very impressed with the rewrites and reorganizing of a few of my favorite songs to give the performance practicality.I would love to comment on every song of the set list and all of the extras, but honestly, I do not want to ruin the experience for the true Agalloch fan.Its beyond a bold statement for a band to release a groundbreaking debut DVD of this quality and not promote it at all. Its what I like most about Agalloch: they're not shameless self-promoters and will release what they think is a good work, whether you and I like it or not. I cannot explain enough how much I commend them for this.Another noteworthy comment: I have known for some time that Agalloch's music is heavily inspired by cinema (example: Antonious Block and Death from "The Seventh Seal" in "The Mantle" and Lord Summerisle from "The Wicker Man" in "The White" EP). I was stunned to see how well Agalloch's debut DVD release mirrored their favorite moviemakers. Haughm's and Mosqueda's direction and editing reflect heavily upon long, black and white, superimposed shots of the band which is a characteristic trademark of many of Ingmar Bergman's masterpieces. As a film student, I commend them greatly for their attention to these details.I was born and raised here in Texas and the chances of this band coming this far south for a show anytime soon are slim to none. I bought this hoping to fulfill all of my wishes of seeing a recording of an Agalloch performance. Now, I'm convinced that someday, before I die, I will see this band live. I don't care where, and I don't care how, but I cannot die a happy man without experiencing this project in a live setting. But, for now, this DVD will tide me over just fine. A must-buy for any true Agalloch fan.

I have been following the likes of Agalloch for about two full years now. The second I heard the hypnotic strumming of "Sowilo Rune", I was hooked. Over time, I added each album and EP to my collection and fell in love with most, if not all, of their work. If you are familiar with Agalloch and their releases, you don't need a dissertation about their expertise in creating a specific ambiance and atmosphere. I had always been extremely curious to see how they would enter into the concert, or "rock star" realm of metal.To be quite honest, I was skeptical at first about this DVD release but was eager to pick it up. In fact, I bought it the minute I found it. Could Agalloch command and captivate a live audience the same way they do to a listener of their recorded material? Actually, no. They cannot. But do NOT let this deceive you. They can't do it the SAME way. They do, however, somehow hypnotize and take hold of the audience (the live one in Belgium and us sitting at home watching) for the entirety of the performance. Very few DVD performances do this for me. I was very impressed with the rewrites and reorganizing of a few of my favorite songs to give the performance practicality.I would love to comment on every song of the set list and all of the extras, but honestly, I do not want to ruin the experience for the true Agalloch fan.Its beyond a bold statement for a band to release a groundbreaking debut DVD of this quality and not promote it at all. Its what I like most about Agalloch: they're not shameless self-promoters and will release what they think is a good work, whether you and I like it or not. I cannot explain enough how much I commend them for this.Another noteworthy comment: I have known for some time that Agalloch's music is heavily inspired by cinema (example: Antonious Block and Death from "The Seventh Seal" in "The Mantle" and Lord Summerisle from "The Wicker Man" in "The White" EP). I was stunned to see how well Agalloch's debut DVD release mirrored their favorite moviemakers. Haughm's and Mosqueda's direction and editing reflect heavily upon long, black and white, superimposed shots of the band which is a characteristic trademark of many of Ingmar Bergman's masterpieces. As a film student, I commend them greatly for their attention to these details.I was born and raised here in Texas and the chances of this band coming this far south for a show anytime soon are slim to none. I bought this hoping to fulfill all of my wishes of seeing a recording of an Agalloch performance. Now, I'm convinced that someday, before I die, I will see this band live. I don't care where, and I don't care how, but I cannot die a happy man without experiencing this project in a live setting. But, for now, this DVD will tide me over just fine. A must-buy for any true Agalloch fan.