At this point, the very mention of bringing black and folk metal together should elicit the very name of Saor by mere default. It’s the name that many have set the very standard of the sound to given how powerful the name has been since the start with the gift of time being one that has proven to be immensely powerful when we look at how far the name has come since humble beginnings. After four successive and mystical full-length albums in not even ten years, the very legacy of Saor has been all but cemented in the underground for decades to come. With its fifth, though, Saor continues to impress and astound at virtually every turn.

Whenever the very mention of the band comes to the mind, it should instantly conjure images of mist-laden mountains with chanting in their valleys with the very rivers and rocks carrying magic the likes of which catch the very soul in an instant, and it’s with each passing album that the very magic becomes more and more potent. It’s allowed Saor to make for highly complex and dense atmospheres that are able to pay immensely tribute to both styles that are at play, but it was with “Origins” that an interesting shift was made. Whereas previous efforts felt downright ethereal and mystical in every right, it’s with these six tracks that we see Saor go down the path of delivering a more aggressive sound that definitely leans more towards the black metal side of its sound, but it’s in no way that it leaves behind its folk roots in favor for anything that can be considered “straightforward”. Rather, it feels like the embodiment of a spiritual nature that’s much more primal – violent, even – while it still has that grace and awe that manages to weave its way into every aspect that such an essence commands with utmost aptitude with Saor all but the perfect vessel to bring such a thing to the world of metal yet again. Don’t let such a change let your guard down or catch you unaware for “Origins” as a whole is an undeniable experience the likes of which that only Saor could ever hope to bring to the table in such exquisite detail with every fiber of its being wreathed in excellence the likes of which only further pulls the listener in as the fog gets denser and the air colder.

This is but the continuation of the excellence that we have come to expect from Saor, and to see the band go down a different road, however slight it may be, shows us what it’s still capable of even after constantly setting new standards album after album. There’s lots to dive into with “Origins” much like its predecessors, and it’s deviation from what’s been done before just makes it all the more interesting with every single listen of what’s to be experienced down at the base of those powerful, ancient mountains.

LISTEN to “Origins” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Saor on Facebook here.