Scotland’s vast network of lochs, valleys, crags, isles and of course iconic highlands are all steeped in myths, tales and legends. Ten years ago, Andy Marshall created the one-man project Saor in an attempt to bring those stories to the masses, simultaneously giving birth to the sub-genre ‘Caledonian Metal’. This year see’s Saor return with album number five, Origins.
When diving into a Saor album we need to leave any preconceptions at the door as the sound will regularly change to coincide with the album’s subject matter and Origins is no different. Taking its influence from the lives, gods and battles of the Picts the album is a journey through the Scottish landscape. Opening with ‘Call of the Carnyx’ Marshall dazzles us with his world-building abilities. It’s all about atmosphere and Saor bring it by the bucket load, countless ebbing and flowing crescendos, folk / pagan style vocals and galloping riffs transport us into the heart of Marshall’s world. Bagpipes and the Carnyx – an ancient war horn used to call the Picts to battle, have been layered into the mix for that added authenticity.
The phrase “generic pop punk” has become generic in itself; the mind instantly jumping to that one Neck Deep shirt everyone had in 2014. However, that’s the only way to describe the overall concept of In Her Own Words’ latest full-length Distance or Decay. Throughout the 11-track record, there’s little to no imagination. The only thing that does stand out against other bands is Joey Fleming’s vocal style. On a few occasions, such as in ‘Miracle’, he flaunts his range and flair for the softer pop side of the genre. But when he’s not expressing this, it comes across like a weak attempt at mirroring State Champs’ Derek DiScanio. This is quite interesting considering DiScanio features on the opening track ‘Circles’ and immediately shows him up. His short section is cemented as the best part of the song, which otherwise isn’t amazing. His 25 second input fuels the emotion not only through his raw, nasally tones but the half-time instrumentation. If Fleming had performed this part himself it would probably be just as effective, but the quality of rest of the song in general just highlights its vigour.
Listeners may initially be sceptical about a live album from such an act, as live concerts from artists of this genre typically rely on a heavy visual element; however, from the opening notes of title track “Kvitravn”, it is clear that Wardruna have created a live album that is just as immersive and enveloping as their studio releases. The main difference here is that the songs are slightly stripped back in comparison to the vast arrangements typical of the genre; yet that does not subtract at all from the atmosphere.
The atmosphere throughout the record, which was originally a live broadcast online during the height of the pandemic, remains consistently dark and encompassing throughout the whole piece – an achievement given its hour and fifteen minute runtime. Yet despite being classed as “dark folk”, it remains a surprisingly relaxing listening experience. There are of course crescendos and elements of dramatic flairs, but the soundscape develops to immerse the listener in a pre-medieval world, despite being atypical and slightly apart from traditional Scandinavian folk music. For founding Wardruna member and band leader Einar Selvik, this is part of the goal of Wardruna, of taking old forms, beliefs and creating something new with them. It is a live performance that takes elements of the past in order to create modern music that does not try to recreate the past, but instead pay respect to it.
If you’re remotely familiar with Noizze as an entity, then you’ll know that we’ll champion While She Sleeps until the very end. The Sheffield high flyers have just returned from a run of US headline dates, before spending the weekend on the Bring Me The Horizon Malta Weekender sharing stages with the likes of Malevolence, Beartooth & Spiritbox. Heading back to home soil in the days prior to the record’s release, the band’s hungry fanbase are counting down the days until the delivery of a new and improved version of what was already an incredible album. The premise of ‘Sleeps Society’ was exceptional in itself. An album created, recorded and released independently – directly involving an already committed community of fans. Operated by Patreon, the Sleeps Society platform is a direct result of the band taking the power back from the industry, and utilizing the community they have built from the ground up for a mutually beneficial arrangement between themselves and their following.
As you are drifting down a crystalline river of auditory hallucination, the gnostic beings of The Utopia Strong gently serenade you with their lucid, spiritual songs which take you to a new, ethereal realm of psychic territory. Using nothing but their instincts to guide the process of the album, what follows is a magical and blissed out audible journey through the inner space of your mind. Sticking to the uncharted areas of your conciseness and with some moments of ominous unearthliness, International Treasure embarks to transport you to nirvana through evocative world of sounds, rich tapestries of elongated melody and constantly evolving, euphoric atmospheres.
The three eyed spectres of Steve Davis, Kavus Torabi and Mike York have gone beyond the realms of consciousness and travelled the world to gather instruments and sounds that provoke intense emotion and deep reflection. International Treasure’s calming and meditative ambience is deeply entrancing, as sounds interact and counteract with each other, offering several themes of adjacent thoughts as the album evolves. It reaches deep into your ancestral soul whilst simultaneously keeping you physically in the present and projecting you into an unknown future. Geometric spirals and patters are conjured up in your mind as the multitude of sound waves from synths and pads wash over you, and you’re left in wonder and awe of the psychedelic radiance.
International Treasure will certainly have hidden treasures unique to each individual person who listens to it. The healing nature of the album, from the ecstasy and elation transcending throughout the album to the brief moments of discordance and melancholy, the album touches almost every part of the deep recesses of your consciousness and subconsciousness. You can feel your body floating upon pink clouds, viewing vivid sunsets over deep turquoise seas accompanied by wavy apparitions of planetary bodies.
Nu-metal has seen an unlikely resurgence in recent years, with many young bands who grew up on the sounds of Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park and their contemporaries melding the signature riff-driven bounce of the genre with more modern metal characteristics. Profiler are one such band, and with their debut self-titled EP they have deftly combined late 90s and early 00s metal hallmarks with those found in present day metalcore and show plenty of promise in doing so. Its a short but sweet taster of what they’re about, comprising a brief intro and four tracks, the dominance of the riff is obvious from the moment opening song Miserable kicks off, but the aggression soon gives way to a silky chorus that is more than a little reminiscent of Deftones. Alternating between loud and quiet sections is certainly nothing new, but its a satisfying blend that vocalist, lead guitarist and primary songwriter Mike Evans pulls off well.
