One of the Biggest Surprises in the Contemporary Metal Scene - A Review of Saor's Origins

Saor translates to ''free'' or ''unconstrained'' in Scottish Gaelic and this might be the most fitting name chosen by a metal band since diversified Finnish band Amorphis formed in the early nineties. Despite its incredible diversity, Saor is actually a one-man project with different musicians offering occasional support for shows. Origins is already the project's fifth full length effort and offers six songs between five to eight and a half minutes for a total running time of forty-one highly entertaining minutes.

Saor fluidly combines soundscapes that would usually be considered incompatible. The record includes fast-paced black metal guitar riffs supported by thunderous drum play and desperate shrieks recalling pagan folk metal at its very best. This album however also includes a multitude of folkloristic references such as the use of bagpipe sounds and female choirs which make this release particularly interesting for folk metal fans. Several songs however also come around with uplifting upper mid-tempo guitar riffs and energetic rhythm section that wouldn't sound of place on a classic European power metal album. To go even further, in its most joyful moments, this album's melodic guitar play and dynamic drum passages even recall American pop punk from the late nineties. It's therefore quite obvious that mastermind Andrew Marshall doesn't even remotely care about genre definitions and simply records what he thinks fits together best. And despite these unusual genre combinations, this album sounds fluid from start to finish and makes you want to push the repeat button right away once it has concluded.

While every single of the six songs sounds great, a few manage to stand out among the rest. ''Fallen'' is the shortest and most concise song and an ideal potential single candidate that made me realize for the very first time that I was listening to an absolutely outstanding record. The melodic folk sounds would do the soundtrack to any documentary about the islands of Caledonia justice and invite listeners to dream themselves far away.

Another instant highlight is ''The Ancient Ones'' that sounds much shorter than its running time of eight minutes. The long instrumental passages are enchanting, hypnotizing and soothing while the occasional female choirs add healthy doses of magic, mystery and tradition to this epic masterpiece.

The song that might combine Saor's gloomy black metal passages and its uplifting folk sections best is triumphant closer and title track ''Origins'', clocking in at a reasonable six and a half minutes. If you had only one song to pick to give yourself an appropriate idea of what this curious release sounds like, then this should certainly be your pick.

To be fair, not everything is perfect on this excellent release. Most songs miss truly memorable melodies or vocal lines that will stay on your mind as the sum of the different tunes is certainly greater than its different interesting parts. While opening song ''Call of the Carnyx'' oozes with mysterious atmosphere, it sounds somewhat sluggish and might take a little bit too long to truly captivate its listeners.

Still, believe me when I write that these elements are only very minor complaints. There is no doubt that Saor's Origins is one of the very best folk metal albums in recent history. Genre fans should definitely give this project in general and this new album in particular a fair try. The project's eclectic approach might not please every potential listener but those who are able to enjoy this album's unusual genre mixture might rightfully call it one of the biggest surprises in the contemporary metal scene. Saor prove that there is always something new worth being discovered in this lovely genre.

Final Rating: 90%