Scotland’s Folk/Pagan Black Metal band Saor, under the sole guise of Andy Marshall, and guest musicians, return with Amidst the Ruins, their sixth album.  This is their most adventurous and most expansive album to date.

The 12+ minute title track leads the charge, opening this terrific album, with a long blast beat which has other instruments alongside the bass, drums, and guitars.  There are the sounds of a cello and tin whistle over the blasting.  It’s a black metal orchestra to some effect until it slows down and Andy’s raspy vocals come in.  Slow, atmospheric, and brooding.  Those folk influences come through nicely with the Uilleann pipes, violin ,and viola.  Stunning sounds permeate as I am transported to a land lush with dew-scented meadows, a castle in the background, babbling brooks and it’s a beautiful soundscape.  Before you know it pianos make an entrance and around the 7.30 mark, the beautiful pipes enter bringing a calming Zen to some of the chaos that preceded this majestic moment.  Harsh vocals enter over the atmospheric landscape as the metal enters the picture.  The blasting returns with a variety of folk-like vocals and some beautiful female vocals as well.  At this moment I can say, up to this point, this may be the very best song Saor has ever crafted.  So emotive, yet beautiful and brutal too.

“Glen of Sorrow” is another 12-minute epic number, which begins quiet softly and without distortion.  Obviously, with only 5 songs in an hour’s worth of time, these moments will carry on for a long time.  The band was not in any rush, to get to the metal.  These moments build and build and build until they are ready to explode.  Eventually, the blasting erupts with those hauntingly beautiful female vocals, harsher vocals and a variety of instrumentation.  Around the 6.30 part, there are string instruments interwoven with all the pagan and folk influences until those harsher moments enter the picture.  The song gets into a mid-paced groove and it is quite snappy.  The tune traverses to an instrumental for the remaining duration.  The tin whistle is used to excellent effect during this section and I’m like how can they play that tin whistle for that long?  They must have gone to band camp to learn how to do that!

At over 14 minutes “Rebirth” closes this album out and turn down your headsets to begin with.  A scorching blast beat erupts and the song never lets up.  The tin whistle is used all over this one, folks, so get yer popcorn ready!   The orchestration comes in ten fold and you feel like you’re at an opera.  At the six-minute section, the isolated orchestration moments signal the Holy Shit moment with the monstrous blasting and harsh vocals coming at you full force.  The song tempo gets into a more traditional galloping pace before the blasting once again is ignited and the song is breathtaking.  Aria styled vocals come towards the end and the song eventually trails off making this one helluva an album closer.

Amidst the Ruins is a mind-boggling album from Saor.  Their finest hour to date, and mind-boggling because I have not heard an extreme metal album, so brilliantly constructed, like this, in years.  From the production, and plethora of vocal and music sounds to the pacing and variety of influences, this is an immersive experience.  Look outside on a rainy day, as the rain droplets cascade down the window.  Look at the bleak overcast sky and if this album is being played, especially on your headsets, it will conjure up a variety of emotions from within.  This album took me on a journey, I’ll level with you.   Stunning release!!

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