Saor is the moniker of the immensely talented Scotsman, Andy Marshall. Using a deep, rich history and heritage of his homeland, Marshall constructs beautiful, flowing compositions of atmospheric and folk Black Metal that sings to the Highlands. On top his work in Saor, Marshall has also spent time working on other individual projects, most recently earlier this year as Fuath. The return of Saor though brings great excitement. 2014 saw the release of the critically-lauded Aura and November 11 will see the release of a much anticipated follow-up in Guardians.
Marshall shared a new track from the album on Saor's Facebook page called "The Declaration". The song spans 10 and a half minutes and is accentuated by a floating ambience that seems to hover above the instrumentation like clouds that occlude the tops of mountains. The inclusion of an electric violin and a bodhrán are partially responsible for this feeling. Marshall's masterful work on guitars, drums, and vocals is, of course, on display. "The Declaration" opens on a thunderous drum roll before breaking into pristine blast beats and tremolo. The Black Metal intensity breaks into calmer sections that emphasize atypical metal instruments and guitar melodies. Check out the new song below and visit Saor's Bandcamp page to pre-order Guardians ahead of its November release date.