Conor Fynes 'The Demonstration Archive' - Agalloch (Compilation)

Now considered one of the premier acts of underground metal in North America and around the world, this compilation shows the band when they were at a more unpolished, rocky stage in their development. Taking some rare and unreleased demo material and compiling it together, 'The Demonstration Archive' is a rough combination of the first 'From Which Of This Oak' demo, the 'Of Stone, Wind & Pillor' EP, and a couple of demos from 'Pale Folklore' to top things off.

The music aside, it seems a bit odd that this compilation wouldn't opt to simply include the entire demo and EP, at the loss of the Pale Folklore demos. The great Sol Invictus cover 'Kneel To The Cross' is not included here for example, and as uncommon as the EP it's played on is, it would certainly have been nice to see it included here. In terms of the actual music itself, there are plenty of flaws to speak of here, but the band shows great chemistry early on. The production and some of the performance sounds amateurish, but the songs here have a very primal sound to them that Agalloch would sacrifice once they moved on to greater things.

Agalloch's 'Demonstration Archive' is meant for fans of the band. There is some great early material here, but one of the legitimate releases might be better for someone who isn't so familiar with the group.