Review by Jeger on January 14, 2025.

There is one particular black metal project out there on the international circuit that is rightfully renowned for all that Shire-visualizing, weed-smoking ethereal magick o'er the hills type fantasy stuff, and that project is most definitely Scotland's Saor. It's upon the frigid winds of mountains capped in white that gale through the pine-topped canopy below; creating mists of the morning in places so far from here that Saor's song can be heard as it resonates through the wild, across the Ville and into our hearts. We all knew black metal would go this route. Don't get your spikes in a bunch…

What I've always admired most about black metal, other than the fact that it is more of a way of life rather than a genre of music, is its capacity for beauty. The essence of strife - yearning souls lost to aeons of history - legends of the Great Olde Ones. Our heretical lineage traced back through time; linked directly to their traditions, their magick and to their un-severable connection to the living world - stuff that far predates Christendom and has more than likely been recorded in a basement by dudes who only know how to pose with Medieval weaponry, as opposed to actually being able to wield it… What a versatile style of music is BM and what a powerful entity is Saor. On February 7, Saor will release Amidst The Ruins via Season of Mist.

A little more atmospheric and a bit on the lighter side of things is where you'll find Amidst The Ruins but with all those familiar Willow Ufgood vibes. Transcending through darkness' cloud breakers and into the cinematic beyond upon grande scaling melodies, intrepid riffs, epic rhythms and just the overall elevation of it all when compared to Saor's previous 2022 Origins LP is like a drift: swift, lofty and taking you to never-before-imagined vantages. Gazing below at it all now as the lengthy 12:41 opening title track plays. Such a smooth ride; an easy listen without much at all in the way of compositional entanglements or overt aggression. Just pipes, acoustics, angelic cleans and more pipes; all set to a gliding mid-tempo and tranquil enough at times to soothe you into a state of forgetting about it all.

Not a trace of grime or grit. Even the quickest tempo'd moments of the album, like the intro to "Echoes Of The Ancient Land", unfold to foundational cadences and cushioned guitar parts. For the homaging of what was a greater time for our world is Amidst The Ruins. These types of black metal records are released all the time, but only a small percentage of them are done with as much class as this one. Gloriously engineered and a modern production specimen. The atmosphere is so vast and wide open, and it's like all phases just osmose into our sonic environment so effortlessly. It's one of those melodic yet not catchy black metal albums that everyone seems to be trying to throw together lately, but the differentiation here lies in captivation. Assuredly are we anticipating each passage and with much zeal do we take to every one of them. "Amidst the Ruins" is one for either the personal or for the background experience. All the characteristics of what constitutes a good black metal record and with such a stunning, fantastical ambience.

There's a bit of everything here: epic, grandeur, folk, atmosphere and cinema. A commitment indeed, but due to wise track arrangement, an untaxing one. I'm a sucker for female cleans and within Amidst The Ruins, you'll experience the divine warmth of Brigid as Nikolaus Jira's romantic siren song permeates through some of the albums make-you-forget-you're-listening-to-black metal parts. To transcend the norm while at the same time remaining soaked in tradition and rooted in the magick of ancient days is the idea here. And I'd say that Saor visionary, Andy Marshall, has fulfilled a grande vision for black metal with Amidst The Ruins. Masterpiece material? Only if you're new to black metal, but nonetheless a fine addition to a proud discography and a testament to BM's unshakable propensity for representing what is beautiful and for delivering what is downright fucking epic.

Rating: 8 out of 10