Agalloch - The Mantle (2002)

Initially started in 1995 as a ambient and atmospheric Black Metal band, Agalloch released several demos and one full-length album before engaging in a more avant-garde production in 2002. Agalloch is the first Black Metal band to incorporate such elements in it's music, which were to influence bands like Vesperian Sorrow or the Ordo Ad Chao album of Mayhem.

Before The Mantle, Agalloch produced a full-length album of the name Pale Folklore. One could argue that the atmospheric and icy presence that it inspired marked the pinnacle of the avant-garde Black Metal era. I would argue that sorrow atmosphere of desolation propel The Mantle as one of the best Black Metal albums ever produced.

For more information on ambient black metal bands, feel free to read my other lenses or my blog.