{"id":10798,"date":"2025-02-03T17:43:37","date_gmt":"2025-02-03T16:43:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kessel-tamerus.nl\/Esthers_Blog\/?p=10798"},"modified":"2025-11-30T11:49:31","modified_gmt":"2025-11-30T10:49:31","slug":"saor-amidst-the-ruins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kessel-tamerus.nl\/Esthers_Blog\/cd-recensie\/saor-amidst-the-ruins\/","title":{"rendered":"Saor \u2013 Amidst the Ruins"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Andy Marshall is the driving spirit behind Saor. This band has been mixing atmospheric black metal with tender melodies for more than a decade. The newest album, \u2018Amidst the Ruins\u2019 intertwines the unpleasantness of modern times with Scottish heritage. The warriors of Saor call on listeners to wake up from their depthful dullness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Amidst the Ruins\u2019 has a gentle start with sampled sounds.. but then the music erupts\u2026 fast and deliciously loud. There are lighter elements in the backgrounds, the balance between rhythm and melody is good. After some smaller twists, you hear grunts from Andy, the lyrics are about the apathy we live in now. Vocal parts are interspersed with extended instrumental parts. The blend of different instruments, including Uilleann Pipes, is very good. A major part of this opening track is rousing; the minimalist piece includes flute playing. The contrast with the forte (loud) played part is big, but the harmony remains. At times, there are many layers in the music, including female vocals and string instruments. Towards the end, the music calms down; the melody is very pleasant.
\u2018Echoes of the Ancient Land\u2019 starts uptempo with grunts, again the good combination of metal with folk\/Celtic influences stands out. The subdued part is instrumental. Tempo and volume increase again, the Celtic influences remain in the background. Stacked clean vocals alternate with grunts. Vocals and music remain balanced, and again the drumming is dynamic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pleasantly slow and compelling start of \u2018Glen of Sorrow\u2019 slowly gets faster and louder. Celtic influences plus metal, and rhythm versus melody go hand in hand. Uplifting parts alternate with beautiful melodious parts. You can hear grunts as well as stacked vocals. The lyrics are not just about being betrayed by enemies. But it also asks for strength to break our chains. The drums have a beautiful, warm sound. The contrasts with the female vocals and grunts are huge, but everything blends so well together. So does the surprising turn to a calm section. Slowly, tempo and volume increase once more, until this slowly dies out.
\u2018The Sylvan Embrace\u2019 starts with the sounds of acoustic guitar, and sober, gently played string instruments. There is a slight echo on the slow percussion, this adds to the melancholic atmosphere. Whispering words are added to this minimalist section. Later, female vocals and flute playing, among others, follow. Vocals and music remain calm, the layers are well spread over the headphones. This acoustic track ends with serene vocals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the uptempo sections in \u2018Rebirth\u2019, the drumming loses dynamics (for the first time). Otherwise, the pitch differences of the drums between them do come out attractively. This last song seems to extinguish, but there is a twist. Vocals and music seem to go against each other for a while, yet you feel the positive atmosphere. Closing with a beautiful, quiet build-up to the end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These five songs are so complexly composed that you keep hearing something new. There is a lot of variation in vocals and music. The balance between metal versus folk, plus rhythm and melody is sublime. This is not only wonderful to listen to with a headset, but also tremendous to thunder through the living room quite loud through the speakers. \u2018Amidst the Ruins\u2019 is a fantastic album, to be released on 7 February. A tour is planned, on which SAOR also plays two shows in the Netherlands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(93\/100) (Season of Mist<\/a>) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Social media<\/strong>:
Facebook: Saor<\/a>.
Website: Saor<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

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