Aglarond "Embraced By Darkness (Mexico, American Line Productions, LA-093)"

Aglarond is a Mexican Gothic/Doom Metal band from Mexico, formed in 1996, in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon.

Aglarond means The Glittering Caves in sindarin, an elfic language in J.R.R. Tolkien's mythology.

The jewelled caverns lay in the White Mountains behind Helm's Deep in Rohan.

Embraced By Darkness is their second album, released January 1st, 2008.

Tracklist:

1. Beyond Sunset 01:35   
2. Like a Never Ending Stream of Sadness 07:52  
3. Desperate Cries 05:57
4. Embraced by Darkness 08:28
5. A Bleak Garden 05:08
6. Drowning in Tears 04:26   
7. Alone 07:53  
8. In the Death of Night 04:58   
9. Rain Falls 04:38  

Time:  50:55

Recording information:

Recorded and mixed at El Incaible records July-November 2007.

Producer – Aglarond & Joel Morales 

Recorded and mixed – Juan Cavazos

Agent Steel "Unstoppable Force (Russia, Fono Ltd., FO374CD)"

Unstoppable Force is the second album by American heavy metal band Agent Steel. It was recorded at Morrisound Recording Studios in Tampa, Florida from March - June 1986, and was digitally mastered in July 1986 at Criteria Studios in Miami, Florida. The album was released by Combat Records in March 1987. The 1999 reissue by Century Media Records contains the Mad Locust Rising EP, which some later reissues excludes the cover version of the Judas Priest song "The Ripper". It was the last album before the band split up in 1988, only to reform in 1998 for the release of the 1999 album Omega Conspiracy.

Track listing

1. "Unstoppable Force" 3:52
2. "Never Surrender" 3:52
3. "Indestructive" 3:30
4. "Chosen to Stay" 4:46
5. "Still Searchin'" 4:13
6. "Rager" 4:07
7. "The Day at Guyana" (instrumental) 6:38
8. "Nothin' Left" 4:23
9. "Traveler" 3:49

Total length: 39:10

Recording information:

Recorded and mixed in March & June 1986 at Morrisound Studios, Tampa, Florida.

Digitally mastered on July 23rd, 1986 at Criteria Studios, Miami, FL.

Dan Johnson – producer

Jim Morris – engineering

Tom Morris – engineering, mixing

Randy Burns – engineering (additional)

Scott Burns – engineering (pre-production)

Mike Fuller – mastering

Steve Sinclair – executive producer

Rick Frehsee – front cover underwater photography

Gerald McLaughlin – logo air brushing

Mark Weinberg – design, typography

John Cyriis – cover concept

Agent Steel "Omega Conspiracy (2011 Reissue, Argentina, Del Imaginario Discos, D.I. 207)"

Agent Steel is an American speed metal band from Los Angeles, formed in 1984 by vocalist John Cyriis with drummer Chuck Profus. The band released two full-length albums and one EP before disbanding in 1988. They were most notable for Cyriis' high-pitched vocals, catchy songs, melodic riffs, and fast tempos mixed in with interest in UFOs.

Agent Steel reformed in 1998 (without Cyriis, although he would return to the band in 2010, only to leave again in 2011) and released three more full-length albums before going on hiatus in 2011. The band reformed again in 2018, this time with Cyriis returning as the vocalist and without any previous members (including longtime guitarist Juan Garcia, who is now in Evildead and Body Count); under this new lineup, Agent Steel released their first studio album in 14 years (and also their first in 34 years to feature Cyriis), No Other Godz Before Me, in 2021.

Omega Conspiracy is their third album, released October 25th, 1999.

Tracklist:

1. Destroy the Hush 04:15   
2. Illuminati Is Machine 05:00  
3. Fighting Backwards 04:54   
4. New Godz 03:09
5. Know Your Master 04:47
6. Infinity 05:08  
7. Awaken the Swarm 06:56   
8. Into the Nowhere 05:09   
9. Bleed Forever 05:39  
10. It's Not What You Think 06:10   
11. Beyond the Realms of Death (Judas Priest cover) 06:40

Time:   57:47  

- Argentinean pressing.

- Bonus track 11 taken from unknown source.

Recording information:

Tracks 1-10:

- Pre-production at Francisco Studios, Vernon, CA.

- Co-produced and co-mixed from Sept. 1-20, 1999 by Agent Steel.

- Recorded from June 19-20, 1999 at Bill's Place, North Hollywood, CA.

- Additional recordings from July 1-August 29, 1999 somewhere in North Hollywood, CA.

Track 11:

- Recording information undisclosed.

Agalloch "Pale Folklore (USA, The End Records, TE-010)"

Pale Folklore is the debut studio album by American metal band Agalloch. The album was released on June 6, 1999 by The End Records. It featured an eclectic mix of acoustic folk reminiscent of Scandinavian bands such as Ulver; doom and black metal-esque riffs; growled, clean, whispered, and shrieked vocals; and a production style and atmosphere that borrowed heavily from black metal. The lyrical themes focused mainly on depression, nature, folklore and the supernatural. It featured the roots of a post-rock influence which was greatly expanded on with Agalloch's second studio album, The Mantle.

Vocalist John Haughm said that Pale Folklore was influenced by his upbringing in Montana, where bassist Jason William Walton also lived. While Haughm lived in Seattle during the making of this album, he would make several trips back to Montana per year.

Guitarist Don Anderson said about the album's sound, "We basically mixed Fields of the Nephilim with Ulver and early Katatonia". Haughm said the band wanted to distinguish itself from the American black metal and death metal scenes, and noted the influence of Cocteau Twins and Lycia.

Agalloch signed to The End Records and was given a budget of $1000 to record the album, but the band spent three times that amount, frustrating label founder Andreas Katsambas.

The album cover was taken at the Timberline Lodge in Mount Hood, which was also featured in the film The Shining. The band shot several photos of the lodge's walls, doors and woodgrain interior.

Track listing

All tracks are written by John Haughm, except where noted

1. "She Painted Fire Across the Skyline I" 8:35
2. "She Painted Fire Across the Skyline II" 3:09
3. "She Painted Fire Across the Skyline III" 7:10
4. "The Misshapen Steed" (instrumental) Breyer 4:54
5. "Hallways of Enchanted Ebony" Haughm, Anderson 9:59
6. "Dead Winter Days" Haughm, Anderson, Walton 7:51
7. "As Embers Dress the Sky" Haughm, Anderson 8:04
8. "The Melancholy Spirit" 12:27

Total length: 62:10

"She Painted Fire Across the Skyline" is counted as one track on the release (18:54), therefore some sources may say the album only has 6 tracks.

It depends from person to person, site to site.

Released on vinyl in October & November 2005 via Profound Lore Records. The standard vinyl blue DLP release in November was preceded by a commemorative ultra-limited edition collectors vinyl release sold exclusively at the Day of the Equinox Festival.

White/Blue splatter wax limited to 100 copies (including those featured in the wooden box), blue wax limited to 400 copies.

Wooden box edition limited to only 60 hand-numbered (by Agalloch mastermind John Haughm) copies. The details for the special vinyl edition are as follows:

- Wooden jackets are made of fresh fine pine wood

- 30 Wooden jackets are personally stained with Olde Maple Gloss

- 30 personally stained with traditional Classic Oak Gloss

- The “Pale Folklore” insignia laser-etched in lavish Fette Fraktur font on the front of the wooden case

- Double LP presented in a limited white vinyl with a wintery-blue splatter (as opposed to the regular blue vinyl released early November)

- Six original and authentically developed photo prints chosen by John Haughm himself. Each photo represents a song on the album, is personally labeled, and is paired up in two’s and presented in different print sizes (5 x 7, 4 x 6, and 4 x 12 panoramic format).

Recording information:

Recorded between January-February 1999 at Soundtracks.

Mixed in March 1999 at Soundtracks.

Produced by Ronn Chick, John Haughm and Shane Breyer

Engineered by Ronn Chick

Artwork by Dennis Gerasimenko and Sergey Makhotkin

Band photography by Aaron Sholes

Anderson's girlfriend (at the time) performed the operatic female vocals heard on "She Painted Fire Across the Skyline" and "As Embers Dress the Sky".