Eric+Milligan+-+In+The+Shadow+Of+Our+Pale+Companion.+Song+Deconstruction

Eric Milligan Song Analysis: “In the Shadow of Our Pale Companion” By Agalloch. Album: The Mantle

Summary: A unique kind of metal showing clear post-rock influence and utilizing large amounts of acoustic guitars. “In the Shadow of Our Pale Companion” is progressive in structure and utilizes layering of guitars to create a specific atmosphere. With a lyrical story involving themes of spirituality, depression, death, nature, pantheism, and heathenism; this 14 minute epic hopefully gives anybody who listens to it a unique and memorable experience.

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Beginning with two thunderous beats from what I assume are timpani, the song starts of with a single solitary clean electric guitar playing the first main riff, which is a simple repetition of two different varying notes on the A & D strings of the guitar. The melody completes itself in 8 bars, and on the completion of its second cycle, drums and an acoustic guitar kick in as the rhythm sections. With an additional lead acoustic guitar playing a slow melody over the initial lead and the acoustic rhythm guitar (not to mention the drums), it is clear from the get-go that it is not technical amazement or spectacle that drives this song. Rather, it is the atmosphere, the mastering, and the progressive song structure that make this song captivating and enjoyable.

A sustained growl from John Haughm carries the song into its first verse, a distorted rhythm guitar coming in at the same time, adding one more guitar layer to the mix. The vocals here show the extent that mastering is used to produce the desired atmosphere and experience: Haughm's growls alternate between being panned to the far right or left; when wearing headphones this is especially noticeable, being able to hear one line of the song being sung in one ear, and then the next in the other ear.

//Through vast valleys I wonder// //To the highest peaks// //On pathways through a wild forgotten landscape// //In search of God, in spite of man// //'til the lost forsaken endless. . .// //This is where I choose to tread//

- With these lyrics we begin the story of this song: A lone man, disillusioned with human society and seeking spirituality/meaning in the natural world.

Here the guitars change as we move into the next stanza. Haughm’s clean vocals are now utilized, with Don Anderson backing.

//Fall. . .so shall we fall into the nihil?// //The nothingness that we feel in the arms of the pale// //In the shadow of the grim companion who walks with us.//

The guitars move back into the same pattern as they were at before.

//Here is the landscape// //(Where is the god?)// //Here is the sun// //(Has he fallen and abandoned us?//) //Here in the balance of the earth//

//As I'm stalked by the shadow of death's hand// //The fire in my heart is forged across the land//

Here the guitars and drums change again. Both Haughm’s clean and harsh vocals are used here at the same time, creating a very unique and enjoyable experience.

//Here at the edge of this world// //Here I gaze at a pantheon of oak, a citadel of stone// //If this grand panorama before me is what you call God. . .// //Then God is not dead//

- These lyrics paint a picture of a man wandering the wilderness, perhaps near death, searching for spirituality. As he questions the existence of god he finds only the earth before him. Here I think we can see themes of pantheism and a heathen rejection of conventional religious - Pantheism not in the sense of applying a preconceived notion of god onto nature, but rather the worshiping nature in itself. The “pantheon of oak” and “citadel of stone” here in question are no doubt a forest and a mountain, plain and simple. The last line of this stanza "Then God is not dead" reads as if it were a reply to Nietzsche himself.

The lead guitar picks up at this point as the song moves into an intricate interlude. The lead guitar continues on its solo until the rhythm changes and the drums pick up speed, becoming almost like something you would hear in the military. The song builds up… only to suddenly stop and leave us with only one the repeating lead guitar. This next section almost plays like a song within a song, an isolated expression within a larger picture.

Here the lead is soon accompanied by what sounds like come sort of bell, but may just be some sort of cymbal, and then is joined again by an acoustic guitar. After this another guitar doing vibrato picking comes in, and is mastered in a way that it almost doesn’t sound like a guitar. Panning is used brilliantly here as well as these vibrato notes are panned left and right to give it a moving dynamic and the illusion of echoing. A distorted lead guitar enters as the next lyrical section begins.

//I walked down to a river and sat in reflection of what had to be done// //An offering of crimson flowed into the water below// //A wound of spirit from which it floated and faded away// //. . .like every hope I've ever had. . .// //. . .like every dream I've ever known. . .// //It washed away in a tide of longing, a longing for a better world// //From my will, my throat, to the river, and into the sea. . .// //. . .wash away. . .// //. . .fade away. . .//

The words, which evict powerful imagery, depict a melancholic scene by a river, where our character spills his blood into the waters. Disillusioned with humanity, and disappointed with his life, I think the implication here is that he commits suicide. His life fades away along with his blood, and his dreams.

When the passage is complete, the lead guitar returns to the opening melody, and the military-esque drumbeat returns, as if leading back into the main channel of the song. Distorted lead and rhythm guitars come in, and the drums intensify and speed up, building us up to the clear climax of the song. Everything builds up to a point at 11:58 where the climax hits. A lightning fast arpeggio leads us into a airy solo which continues until we come back finally to a variation of a previous verse, you could call it the chorus of this song.

//Here is the landscape// //(Where is the god?)// //Here is the sun// //(Has he fallen to ruin?)// //Here at the edge of the earth//

//As I'm stalked by the shadow of death's hand// //My heathen pride is scarred across the land//

As the songs finally lyrics are sung, the layers of guitars do a reverse of what they did in the beginning of the song. Whereas in the intro you have an initial guitar and layers of guitars are added; here we lose layers of guitar until only one remains.

Not all of the lyrics in the song are easy to interpret. I would think the “Pale companion” in question here would be the personification of death, but I am unsure. Regardless, themes of spirituality, depression, death, and nature are all clearly here. Relying on a delicate mastery between all the different instruments to get the right sound, this song is very difficult to successfully reproduce in a live setting. Structure, atmosphere, originality, and story are what makes this song great, and because of these things, this song remains to be one of my favorites from Agalloch and one of my favorite songs in general.