Ashes Against the Grain is the third album by American metal band Agalloch, released by The End Records four years after the critically acclaimed The Mantle.

Due to the number of instruments and effects used on that album, the band had to make some changes to the arrangements of the songs so they could be more easily replicated when performed live.

When it came time to record their next album, the band decided that a more stripped down approach was necessary, as they wanted to emulate the feeling of performing live on the new songs.

Ashes Against the Grain focused more on electric guitars and metal elements, and had less of the post-rock and neofolk influence that was prominent on The Mantle.

In an interview on the Silence of Forgotten Landscapes DVD, John Haughm stated that the album was recorded during a time when he had renewed his liking for metal, after taking a break from it and focusing on other musical influences during the Mantle sessions.

It was pressed in three different colors: All three vinyl editions included an exclusive bonus track, Scars of the Shattered Sky (Our Fortress Has Burned to the Ground).

The band opted not to renew their contract, and chose Profound Lore Records to release their following album, Marrow of the Spirit.