Saor – Origins
Release Date: 24th June 2022
Label: Season of Mist
Bandcamp
Genre: Scottish Pagan Folk, Black Metal, Atmospheric Black Metal.
FFO: Winterfylleth, Fen, Panopticon.
Review By: Paul Cairney
Saor are nearly a decade into their life – and by ‘their’ I mean ‘his’, as Andy Marshall is, to all intents and purposes, the band! A multi-talented, multi-instrumentalist, he has delivered the band’s 5th album proper, ably assisted by the excellent drumming of Dylan Watson and the angelic backing vocals of Sophie Marshall. (For the purposes of the review, Marshall will refer to the main man)!
Melding a fusion of Scottish Folk and Black Metal, Saor forge a path that is as unique as it is captivating. The latest album, ‘Origins’, is a step forward from the previous 5, with Marshall ascribing this to the fact that he listened to a lot of ‘classic heavy metal’. This has led Origins to appear, on the surface at least, a heavier album than before. Whilst the riffs are a bit ‘choppier’, you still have the pagan folk undertones that make this a Saor album. Bagpipes can be heard throughout the tracks, again bringing in the Scottish element to the sound. The result basically situates the album in the genre that Marshall straddles like a Scottish colossus.
At a mere 41 or so minutes long, and with just 6 songs, this is not a long album. I found myself wanting more when the final title track of the album ended. Sometimes this is a good thing – leave the fans wanting more and all that good stuff, however I felt that Origins deserved to be slightly longer and that I was missing out. It feels like it doesn’t come to a satisfactory conclusion.
This is a minor quibble. As I have stated on previous reviews, there are great albums that fit on 1 side of a C90 cassette! The truth is, Origins is an excellent album that doesn’t have a weak track on it. Marshall is an incredibly talented man, someone who has taken a genre that, when taken to its extremity, excludes many Metalheads across the globe, and has fused it with elements that welcomes these same people with open arms.
With songs as strong as, ‘Aurora’ and ‘The Ancient Ones’, Saor demonstrate a desire to stretch boundaries, challenge conventions and ultimately deliver an album of the likes you will not hear again this year.
(4 / 5)
