Review by Vladimir on January 2, 2023.

When it comes to black metal bands, even in the US scene, there are plenty of fish in the sea, but there are some fish that are quite distinct in their own way. Case and point are the two-piece band Saidan from Nashville, Tennessee, spearheaded by Splatterpvnk and Hundosai. This band was recommended to me by a friend and fellow colleague, and although I usually skip on any recommendations either due to a lack of time or just general disinterest, this actually piqued my interest. If somebody mentioned to me that these two gentlemen blend black metal music with themes of Japanese horror and ghost stories, one might feel a bit skeptical about the overall execution and believe that this is just a work of people, or perhaps weeaboos who “unironically” watch generic anime and read manga with a very stretched plot, while listening to some obscure black metal. At first, I did feel a bit like that because I think that there’s just far too much weird stuff going on with this subgenre that it just keeps getting weirder and far less attractive, but I figured “what the hell, I’ll give it a chance, what have I got to lose?”. Their second full-length album Onryō II: Her Spirit Eternal will be the topic of today’s review, which was released on Jems Label on April 15th 2022. So, what is the supposed “love product” of Japanese horror and black metal?

Another thing that had me worried was that this would be some blackened metalcore/deathcore band like Lorna Shore, because that has become a very frequent feature in the US metal scene nowadays, which would definitely not be my cup of tea. Luckily, not only was I wrong, I was actually quite surprised and impressed with the true nature of Saidan, and I learned my lesson again that a book should never be judged by its cover. This is actually pretty oldschool black metal, with very raw tremolo guitar riffs, beautiful guitar melodies and solos, double-bass drums, synths and shrieking vocals. Tracks 'Queen Of The Haunted Dell' and 'Girl Hell 1999' have some catchy mid-tempo riffing and drumming going on, but I have to mention that on the second track 'Queen Of The Haunted Dell', there is also a very punk riff with d-beat drumming that switches to an unexpected thrash metal-like breakdown that goes back to punk and d-beat. The fourth track 'Kate' is an acoustic interlude with calm clean singing which bridges the gap in the middle, before continuing to slice and dice everything with black metal. Another thing that should be mentioned is that the fifth track 'Pale Imitation' has some interesting and very direct lyrics of mockery which you should definitely read with a dose of morbid curiosity. The sixth track 'Yuki Onna' has an awesome tremolo riff with traditional sounding Japanese melodies, which has interesting conceptual lyrics about Yuki Onna (Japanese for “snow woman”), the famous spirit in Japanese folklore. The cover art for Onryō II: Her Spirit Eternal, which is beautiful by the way, was that one key visual aspect that had me worried at first which made me misjudge the band before actually listening to the music, and I have to say that the songwriting and the visual representation do go together quite well. The sound production has very primitive and raw guitar tone, shrieking vocals with added vocal distortion and very atmospheric synths that in fact work with the general aesthetics and themes, even with Japanese traditional instruments on the track 'Yuki Onna'.

I clearly got off the wrong foot when I wanted to give this band a try, but I was fortunate enough to have finally heard it. I’d usually prefer Japanese folklore and black metal in the case of actual Japanese bands since I do like a few of them, but in the case of Saidan I do think that they did everything with brilliance and clear conscience, what made me realize in the end that it didn’t turn out to be a bunch of pretentious musicians trying to express their personal tastes and interests in foreign legends and cultures like some clueless teenagers. This album deserves all the love it needs, especially from those who like black metal and Japanese horror and ghost stories. Check it out!

Rating: 9.1 out of 10

Review by Felix on February 3, 2024.

"Latvian Riflemen" must be deemed as the most direct full-length of Skyforger. The nightmarish cover does not only indicate the cruelty of war. It is simultaneously an omen for the pretty brutal overall impression of the musical content. I concede that the folkloric elements are not completely marginalised. For example, the band has chosen one of these fragile melodies for the beginning of "Battle of Plakani, Battle of Veisi" and the vocals of "Death Island" follow the more or less heroic approach that these long-bearded pagan bands usually use. Nevertheless, Skyforger have put the focus on a proper mix of thrash and heavy metal that does not lack of gruesome vibes. This decision is simply consistent, because the warlike concept of the lyrics and the almost romantic love of nature are mutually exclusive.

Songs such as the highly explosive "The March of 1916" illustrate the violent path of the formation. Hammering drums, straight guitars, a modicum of melodies and the unpitying nagging of the lead vocalist take the audience to the front line. The listener is confronted with the smell of powder, the filth of the disturbed ground, the blood of the fallen comrades and his own cold sweat. Of course, the apocalyptic scenario is described from a Latvian perspective and it seems as if each and every soldier of the Baltic country has been a true hero ("The Siberians flee, but Latvians still stand!"). In this respect, it comes as a surprise that the German Empire won the war in the East. Anyway, the primal catastrophe of the 20th century did not produce a great number of winners. Skyforger's music expresses the tragic of the European mass suicide. Especially the grinding "In the Tirelis Swamp" illustrates the hopelessness of the soldiers and cements the feeling of no escape. "Be Like a Man" points on the same direction, especially its instrumental part which combines sharp guitars with melancholic lines. The crude mixture of personal pain, national pride and mortal fear is well captured by the band.

From the beginning to the end of the album, Skyforger do not present any sloppy tracks. Instead, they guarantee a solid quality level. The guitars are very dominant and create a dense atmosphere without delivering stale riffs or vapid leads. "Latvian Riflemen" was recorded by a guy called Lundberg and the band itself. In my opinion, this team has done a good job. On the one hand, the vigour sound does not kill the emotions that the music evokes. On the other hand, it shines with the necessary degree of robustness and stability. Hence it follows that pure metal lines like those at the beginning of "Six Days of Madness" come into their own. By the way, this song bundles the main features of this album, the metallic compactness, the dramatic concept, the brave attitude of its protagonists and, during the second half of the tune, the murderous intensity of the battles. No doubt, thumbs up for an autonomous full-length without any serious shortcomings.

Rating: 8 out of 10