So, I did not expect to review this. I expected a movie review and then Rush part 2 to be up at some point after that, but this came out and I knew I would have to talk about it. So, Saor is a solo project by a man named Andy Marshall, who plays all the instruments as far as I know, which, after hearing the album is full a few times, shocked me. It's impressive considering that this is not only black metal, which often consists of fast tempos and time changes that require much experience and skill, but this also combined elements of folk music, and that would make things even harder. Would combining such a relaxing genre of music with black metal work, and if so, what does it sound like? The answer to the first part is yes, it works extremely well, and it sounds like what I imagine Lord of the Rings characters listening to if they were metalheads (I can seriously imagine Gandalf or Frodo rocking out to this). In all seriousness though, this album's great. Like, really great.
When I first heard this album, I loved it, but it wasn't until my next couple listens where it really settled in for me. This is a gorgeously composed, but at the same time vicious and sorrowful release that feels like something important in your life has left or been taken away from you. The atmosphere of this record is what keeps drawing me back to it. On the title track, for example, it starts out like you think a black metal song would, with incredibly fast drumming and guitar work, but it slowly works in folkier elements, and it gives an edge to the music that makes it feel mystical in its presentation, and not in a forced may either; It feels very natural and epic, but it retains the essence of the louder, more complex metal music to create a unique experience. You still have the screamed vocals from Marshall, who sounds great, but you also have a guest singer of this track, Neige, who gives very subtle clean vocals starting in the middle of the track that add to the atmospheric element and blend perfectly with the music, and it makes for one of the album's finest sections.
The following track Monadh is probably my least favorite on the record because for me it's the least distinct, but it still works extremely well. The opening use of piano sets the tone as strikingly beautiful, and the soaring guitars that follow later in the track reinforce this song as a tour de force of a track. The last couple minutes of the song are incredibly fast after an exciting build-up, and it's a very exciting finale that makes for a great track.
The third track, Bron, is my favorite on the record, and an early contender for song of the year for me. This is the track that stuck with me on every listen as the perfect balance between beauty and brutal. It starts with every little of the folk elements that made the first two songs great, but it work nonetheless and when those elements are incorporated, they start building and make what would become uninteresting interesting. And then guest vocals from a singer named Sophie Rogers come in, and they give the track a distinct beauty that sets the tone for the rest of the song. Every moment on this track is wonderful and worth your time.
The album closes out not with another 10 minute plus banger, but with Exile, an instrumental just shy of five minutes, which is an elegant bit of guitar work with minimal other instruments and waves noises in the background, which continue to give that sorrowful atmosphere. It acts fair enough as an album closes, but I feel that Bron should have been the final track and that this should have been put between Monadh and the previously mentioned cut. Still, this was a nice way to close the album since it's a great way to cool down from the intensity just displayed, but it would have worked better as an interlude in my opinion.
Now, as much as I just raved about this record, I have a gripe with it, and I think the record could have been made even better because of it; My main problem with this record is not a problem with any of the cuts, but rather its runtime. This record is only 38 minutes long, and I feel it needed an extra ten minutes of music to really make this pack a punch. I still love it as it is and so far it's my favorite album of the year, but it needed another track or two to make it an A+ for me.
Still, as it stands, this album is fantastic. It's well-composed, brutal, beautiful, atmospheric, and unique from anything else in its genre. If you're into unique experiences in metal music, I'd highly recommend you check this out. Saor isn't for everyone, but for the people who it's for, it works incredibly well.
GRADE: A
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