Drop What You’re Doing and Listen to the New Agalloch Song “Celestial Effigy” Right Now!

I’ve yet to meet a person who says, “Nah, I don’t really like Agalloch.” They’re one of those metal bands that — unless you haven’t heard of them yet — everyone falls in love with immediately. That sweet spot of everything that is great and holy about metal — aggression, melody, complexity, simplicity, cognition, raw emotion — it oozes from every orifice of their music. Show me the man that doesn’t like Agalloch and I’ll show you whatever smart ass comments below this post in spite of that assertion.

Just like everything Agalloch puts out, their fifth full-length, The Serpent & The Sphere, comes with great anticipation. Pitchfork has the exclusive on the first track we’re hearing from that record — “Celestial Effigy” — and it isn’t disappointing in the slightest. I wholeheartedly agree with Pitchfork writer Grayson Curran’s assertion that this track is a nice summation of pretty much everything from throughout Agalloch’s career, like a “Best Of” in one epic seven-minute song. Stream it here.

Profound Lore will release The Serpent & the Sphere on May 13, followed by a European released by Eisenwald on May 19.