Saor (which is Gaelic for ‘free’) is a project by Andy ‘Tuagh’ Marshall, whom you might know from his previous collaboration with, for example, Falloch, Concept Of Time, In Vino Veritas or Askival. Initially Saor were called Àrsaidh, for your info. With this solo-outfit, Andy released a first album, called Roots, in 2013, which will be re-released on CD and LP via Northern Silence Productions later this year.
Aura is the second Saor-full length (in fact it’s the first, for Roots was released under the former moniker, Àrsaidh), registered during Winter 2013-2014 in the Scottish Fortriu Studio. It was recorded, mixed and mastered by Martyn Moffat and lasts for almost one hour (the five tracks last in between eight and fourteen minutes). Andy performs, besides the ‘usual’ instruments (lead vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, and bass), also traditional instruments like bagpipes, tin whistles and piano. The album also features some guests and session musicians, like Panopticon’s Austin L. ‘A.Lundr’ Lunn (drums and bodhrán; listen to what this guy is capable of, like within the finale of the title track!), Johan Becker (strings; of Austaras / Cairn-fame), Beth Frieden (additional vocals) and Nevena Krasteva (viola).
Aura is an adventurous album with a firm, proud identity, and enormously heavier and harsher than the debut recording. The songs are very long, as mentioned in the former paragraph, but they are not of the repetitive kind at all. Each composition is filled with different types of variation, i.e. with lots of changes in speed, structure and approach. Sometimes it sounds fast, rhythmic and victorious, then again traditionally folkish (the inspirations are based on the Celtic mythology and history); sometimes it’s pretty heavy and intense, then again integer and introspective. But despite the huge variety, each track is of a very cohesive kind (not sounding like a collage of different pieces cheaply mixed together). And that’s a strength, a rare strength, for not many bands or projects succeed to create variation and coherence all in one (mostly: or incoherent, or too repetitive, but not in Saor’s case). Seriously, whether it be an epic piece with fiery rhythms, an excerpt with Pagan-Black fierceness, a folkish intermezzo with flutes and / or acoustic guitars, a medieval part with or without battle-lust or post-victorious tranquillity, or a tremolo-led part based on melodic leads, pounding rhythm structures and general (classic) Metal elements, it is (almost) always of a mostly persuasive kind. On top of it, to strengthen the brilliance, I cannot ignore the production, for the sound result is sublime. Forget a clean production, but don’t expect an inferior primitivism either; the balance in between roughness and decency has resulted in a mostly professional mix, with each single detail having its own part to play, once again in a sublime-executed coherent form.
It’s sad I am writing this review a couple of hours after I heard about the result in the referendum about a possible independence for Scotland. Concreteweb is not a political webzine, so I won’t go into this matter. But Aura is a sonic expression of what defines the true Celtic-Scottish identity. And I’ll quote a little excerpt from the bio we got from Northern Silence: one can ‘expect atmospheric Metal [] which [] portrays the Scottish heritage and the magic of the breathtaking Scottish landscape in a manner that would make William Wallace proud’.
Saor’s Aura is, without doubt, one of the most interesting and impressive Celtic-Folk / Black Metal albums in years! Whether you are a fan of Bathory, Wodensthrone, Primordial, Moonsorrow, Winterfylleth or any other European act that combines heavily-balled Black Metal with traditional elements, you will agree! Even fans of Summoning at the one hand, or the Ukrainian scene at the other, will be aurally satisfied!