氛圍民謠/陰暗/黑金屬Atmospheric Folk/Dark Metal很難想像Agalloch是一支出自於美國的樂隊,塑造出的大自然淒冷而決絕的氛圍我只是在北歐一些樂隊的作品中感受到,有時會想像一下俄勒岡州到底會是個什麼地方,那片土地可以滋生出這樣一支獨特的樂隊。相同的樂器不同的人不同的演繹方式,便可以讓人固執地區分開哪些是噪音而哪些又可以讓人銘記在心,那些用心去品味大自然的芬芳並將感受鐫刻在音符里的人,他們所需的或許只是一個寒冬和一片寂林而已。98年的Promo之後,Agalloch於99年發行了第一張全長Pale Folklore,風格類似於From Which of this Oak,曲目編排更加細膩。六首歌(其中一首被分成三段)很連貫流暢地承接下來,反覆的riff並不會讓人枯燥,很厚實,像是急速的瀑布一樣順應而下。時不時會有寒風之聲呼嘯而過,輕彈的鋼琴聲讓我想起《未來水世界》中那段沐浴海水的段子,而整專輯更像是描述風雪中屹立的某一小木屋,沐浴嚴寒,沉默靜謐,時緩時急,張弛有度。我最喜歡Hallways Of Enchanted Ebony這曲,雙吉他結合,給人密不透風的震撼感,有種一邊嘶吼一邊偏偏起舞的味道,末尾的風聲鳴叫聲又給人一種淒涼的迷失感。02的全長The Mantle是我聽金屬兩年的時間裡最中意的一張專輯。A Celebration For The Death Of Man,多大氣的名字,悽美啊!而In The Shadow Of Our Pale Companion又是所有歌中我感覺最浩瀚最暢快淋漓的一首,還有Odal的空靈,The Lodge的靜寂,The Hawthorne Passage的悲愴,...And The Great Cold Death Of The Earth的荒涼。更新穎的是A Desolation Song,手風琴與木吉他交錯,冬夜迷失於愛的荒蕪,讓人心碎得不得了。總之你會在此張專輯中感觸到蒼涼的冬,孤寂的夜,散落的雪,靜默的森林,以及每一份滄桑的生命,滄桑的愛。唉,不說了,自己體會。
06年第三張全長Ashes Against the Grain就不多說了,以下是此張專輯的歌詞翻譯:Agalloch - Ashes Against the Grain倚於穀物的塵燼1.LimbsThe texture of the soul is a liquidthat casts a vermillion flood.From a wound carved as an oath;it fills the river bank a sanguine fog.These arms were meant to be lost!Hacked, severed and forgotten.The texture of time is a whisperthat echoes across the flood.Its hymn resonates from tree to tree,through every sullen bough it sings.These boughs were said to be lost!Torn, unearthed and broken.Earth to flesh, flesh to wood,cast these limbs into the water.Flesh to wood, wood to stone,cast this stone into the water.肢靈魂之紋宛若撒播砂洪之汁,源於誓言般鐫刻的傷痕,浸於血霧,湮沒河堤。行將遺落之臂,被殘侵,被割裂,被遺忘。時光之紋宛若回喚洪潮之語,聖詩縈繞於林地,穿越沉吟的郁枝。行將遺落之枝,被撕碎,被啟掘,被毀棄。塵世墜於軀體,軀體墜於林地,肢翼棄於水;軀體墜於林地,林地墜於孤石,孤石棄於水。2.Falling SnowThe water pours its embracing arms round the stone.Decay drips from the unquiet void.Where the ice forms. Where life ends.The stone is by the crimson blood, swallowed.The red tide beyond the ebon wound, contorted.My sacrifice bids farewell in this river of memory:a wave to end all time.Red birds escape from my wounds,return as falling snow,to sweep the landscape a wind haunted.Wings without bodies.The snow, the bitter snowfall.You want to die in her pale arms, crystallineto become an ode to silence.In the soul of a mountain of birds, fallen.The cascading pallor - of ghostless feather.The snow has fallenand raised this white mountainon which you will dieand fade away in silence.落雪傾水擁於石,塵囂之虛,滴淌腐汁,冰形之處,完結生命。孤石浸於鮮血赤潮遙於黯殤,蔓延。祭奠這追憶之河的別離:波紋永恆之盡。赤鳥逝於痕,落雪般回歸,拂除風兒纏綿的映景,無軀之翅。雪花啊,這苦澀的落雪,你祈福深葬於她蒼茫的懷抱,化作水晶般的寂詩。鳥兒墮滅於靈魂之峰,虛翎淒散。落雪,積於潔山,逝於此,靜寂中凋零。3.This White Mountain on Which You Will Die枯亡之上的潔白峰脈4.Fire Above, Ice BelowThe woeful silenceand winds reflectionof your bodys pale ode:an icy fortressof blood and ages.Sky fire above, ice below the hearth.Sky fire above, ice below the hearth.Fall away from meto that citadelat the end of time,where death sleepsand dreams of your buried pain.There has never been a silence like this before.There will never be an ode like this again.火之上,冰之下悲寂風之印軀之蒼頌冰壘血,燭年天上火,爐下冰天上火,爐下冰始於己,墜於壘時世之盡載悲夢,永眠絕世之寂永垂之頌5.Not Unlike The WavesAurora swims in the ether,emerald fire scars the night sky.Solstafir!Amber streams from Solare not unlike the wavesof the sea nor the endless horizon of ice.Solstafir!Aurora swims in the ether,emerald fire paints the twilight.Heidrun bleeds the golden nectarfor the rising sun and the moon.The midnight wolves who watch over the dawn,the golden dawn.Solstafir!若浪晨曦游移於蒼穹,碧焰灼傷夜空。至點!琥珀之溪源於恆日,若海浪,冰際之盡。至點!晨曦游移於蒼穹,碧焰繪織曙暮。Heidrun滲淌金汁,獻祭於日月之冉,午夜群狼凝望拂曉,璀璨之曉。至點!6.Our Fortress is Burning... I燃燒之壘 I7.Our Fortress is Burning... II - BloodbirdsThe god of man is a failure.Our fortress is burningagainst the grain of the shattered sky.Charred birds escape from the ruinsand return as cascading blood.Dying bloodbirds pooling,feeding the flood.The god of man is a failure.And all of our shadows are ashes against the grain.燃燒之壘 II - 血鳥人類之神挫敗,依身之處灼傷,倚於碎裂天空之下的穀物。熾鳥離棄廢墟,落血般歸回,垂死相凝,融於洪。人類之神挫敗,彼此之影便是這倚於穀物的塵燼。8.Our Fortress is Burning... III - The Grain燃燒之壘 III - 穀物