SAOR

n the windswept grandeur of Scotland’s towering peaks and mist-laden lochs, the mythic resonances of SAOR‘s sound rise once again. Today, the band shares their masterful playthrough for their newest single, Amidst the Ruins.

Amidst the Ruins draws inspiration from a bygone era, merging black metal’s raw intensity with Celtic folk’s heartfelt melodies. As echoes of forgotten paths and crumbling relics of history unfold before your eyes, this composition serves as a solemn reminder of heritage lost amidst the modern world’s clamor.
Watch as the band eloquently intertwines guitar melodies, basslines with a heavy backdrop of iconic blast beats on Amidst the Ruins: https://youtu.be/wugVW7uwQsU

Amidst the Ruins is out February 7th, 2025 on Season of Mist.

Pre-order & Pre-save: https://orcd.co/saoramidsttheruins

SAOR will embark on a journey across lands, sharing their majestic serenades with fans far and wide. Mark your calendars for SAOR‘s Amidst the Ruins 2025 tour:

February 8, 2025 – Glasgow, UK – Classic Grand
February 13, 2025 – Bristol, UK – The Exchange
February 14, 2025 – Birmingham, UK – The Flapper
February 15, 2025 – York, UK – Fulford Arms
March 28, 2025 – Arnhem, NL – Willemeen
March 29, 2025 – Den Haag, NL – Paard
March 30, 2025 – Kassel, DE – Goldgrube
April 17, 2025 – Weinheim, DE – Café Central
April 18, 2025 – Graz, AT – Explosiv
April 19, 2025 – Munchen, DE – Dark Easter Metal Meeting
April 20, 2025 – Aarburg, CH – Musigburg
April 21, 2025 – Praha, CZ – Futurum Music Bar
April 22, 2025 – Poznan, PL – Klub 2progi
April 23, 2025 – Leipzig, DE – Hellraiser
April 24, 2025 – Lichtenfels, DE – Ragnarök Festival
April 25, 2025 – Bochum, DE – Matrix
April 26, 2025 – Paris, FR – Petit Bain
April 27, 2025 – Lyon, FR – Le Marché Gare
May 16, 2025 – Mirow, DE – Dat Unlandfier

Tickets to any of these shows can be found on SAOR‘s website: https://www.saormusic.com/tour-dates

Tracklist:
1. Amidst the Ruins (12:41) [WATCH]
2. Echoes of the Ancient Land (11:41)
3. Glen of Sorrow (12:05)
4. The Sylvan Embrace (8:19)
5. Rebirth (14:10)
Full runtime: 58:57

Out of the mists, where lore whispers in the winds, SAOR, the heralds of Caledonia’s primeval beauty and ancient tales, rise once again to enrapture souls far and wide. Their newest offering, Amidst the Ruins, is an epic voyage set to rekindle the fires of heritage and resurrect the valor that courses through Scotland’s vast landscapes.

Since their emergence in 2013, SAOR has beckoned listeners to transcend the mortal plain, intertwining the ferocity of atmospheric black metal with the gentle, haunting melodies of Celtic fold. Andy Marshall, the sage bard and architect of SAOR‘s sound, continues his pilgrimage through the verdant glens and stark highlands, revealing sights both ethereal and eternal through his music.

Building upon the chronicles of old, the forthcoming album Amidst the Ruins stands proud, a timeless sentinel amidst the sands of time. For in this work, Marshall, the visionary, has deftly woven strands of modern-life dissonance into the rich tapestry of Scottish lore, enshrining the enigmatic contrast between the remnants of a glorious yore and the often-elusive grasp of the present day. This auditory saga resounds with the resonance of ruined structures and forgotten paths, its melodies steeped in the reverence for sacred ground and a lament for the disconnect wrought by modernity.

Delve deep and you shall find Echoes of the Ancient Land, a heartfelt tribute to Scotland’s timeless landscapes and their profound ancestral connections. Through The Sylvan Embrace, SAOR imparts a harmonious sanctuary, a sylvan retreat where solace is found, and spirits are soothed. With Rebirth, the cycle is complete, weaving an intricate spell of transformation and new dawns.

The band’s odyssey upon the stage is nothing less than transcendental, as audiences bear witness to the heart of their aural fables brought vividly to life. These live performances stand as sacred rituals, bridging the veil between epochs, inviting all to partake in the shared legacy of the Scottish Highlands.

In Amidst the Ruins, the warriors of SAOR cast a clarion call to awaken from the lethargy of modern existence, to reclaim the essence of a heritage laid asunder. From the vibrant resonance of ancient battles to the hushed despair of Glencoe’s betrayed souls, every note spills forth like blood of the fallen seeping into the heathered earth.

As we stand on the cusp of this new era, Amidst the Ruins, the latest chronicle unfolds. SAOR‘s watchful eye turns to the horizon, the whispering woods, the twilight skies, and the sleeping stones bearing seers’ dreams, evoking the indomitable spirit of the realm. In their hands, the past is resurrected; its tales to be retold for those who would heed the call—SAOR, remain the ceaseless bards of Caledonia unbroken.

Line-up:
Andy Marshall – All Composition, Writing & Instrumentation

Live Line-up:
Andy Marshall – Vocals, Bass
Nicolas Bise – Guitar
Martin Rennie – Guitar
Ella Zlotos – Tin whistle, Low whistle, Uilleann pipes, Vocals
Carlos Vivas – Drums

Guest Musicians:
Ella Zlotos – Female Vocals, Tin Whistles, Low Whistles, Uilleann Pipes
Carlos Vivas – Drums
Jo Quail – Cello & FX on “The Sylvan Embrace”
Àngela Moya Serrat – Violin on “Amidst the Ruins”, “Echoes of the Ancient Land” & “Rebirth” Miguel Izquierdo – Viola on “Amidst the Ruins”, “Echoes of the Ancient Land” & “Rebirth”
Samuel C. Ledesma – Cello on “Amidst the Ruins”, “Echoes of the Ancient Land” & “Rebirth
Miguel Izquierdo – Viola on “Amidst the Ruins”

Recording:
Andy Marshall – Vocals, Guitars, Bass recorded at Fortriu Studios, Scotland
Nikolaus Jira – Female Vocals, Tin Whistles, Low Whistles and Uilleann Pipes recorded at NikolausRecordings Studio, Germany
Jose Garrido and Daniel Sabugal – Drums recorded at NewLife Studios, Spain
Mattias Eklund – Violin, Viola and Cello recorded at Farkosten Studios, Spain
Chris Fielding – Mixing and Guitar reamping at Penylan Studio, Wales
Tony Lindgren – Mastering at Fascination Street Studios, Sweden

Biography:
Saor
Edits by Sébastien Gamez

Cover Art:
Julian Bauer (@julianb_art)
Website: https://julianbauer.com/
Layout by Adrien Bousson

Pre-order & Pre-save: https://orcd.co/saoramidsttheruins

Follow Saor:
Official Website: https://www.saormusic.com
Official Store: https://store.saormusic.com
Bandcamp: https://saor.bandcamp.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/saorofficial
YouTube: https://youtube.com/saormusic
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saormusic
Bandsintown: https://www.bandsintown.com/a/4099241-saor
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4rHMzJ1RKUMtid1K2QEYbr
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/artist/saor/879243889
Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/artist/6768301
TIDAL:https://tidal.com/browse/artist/5653569

Available Formats:
Digital Download
CD Digipak
2×12″ Vinyl Gatefold – Black
2×12″ Coloured Vinyl Gatefold – Crystal Clear & Black Marbled
2×12″ Coloured Vinyl Gatefold – Green, White & Black Marbled
2×12″ Coloured Vinyl Gatefold – Crystal Clear, Red & Blue Marbled

Sharing the myths and tales of the Scottish highlands, Caledonian metal band SAOR are now releasing the second single from their upcoming album ‘Origins‘. The song can be found on the official Season of Mist Youtube channel accompanied by a stunning music video here:

Frontman Andy Marshall comments: “Beyond the Wall refers to the Antonine Wall which ran across the central belt of Scotland to keep the Caledonians/Picts at bay. The song is about their freedom, as they were not under Roman rule and the beauty and mystery of the lands beyond the wall.”

The album will be released on June 24 via Season of Mist. Pre-orders for ‘Origins’ are live in the shop HERE. Pre-save the record HERE.

The cover artwork ‘Origins’ was created by Anaïs Mulgrew and can be found below together with the tracklist.

Tracklist: 1. Call of the Carnyx (06:58) 2. Fallen (05:04) 3. The Ancient Ones (07:54) 4. Aurora (08:24) 5. Beyond the Wall (06:13) 6. Origins (06:44) Total: 0:41:17

SAOR will be heading out on tour with label mates GAAHLS WYRD and GAEREA in September / October. Find a full list of shows below.

SAOR + GAAHLS WYRD + GAEREA
30.09.2022 – Haarlem (NL) – Patronaat
01.10.2022 – Arlon (BE) – Léntrepot
02.10.2022 – Cologne – DE – Club Volta
03.10.2022 – Berlin (DE) – Holle 44
05.10.2022 – Poznań (PL) – U Bazyla
06.10.2022 – Krakow (PL) – Hol
07.10.2022 – Prague (CZ) – Futurum
08.10.2022 – Vienna (AT) – Vienna Metal Meeting
09.10.2022 – Budapest (HU) – Instant
11.10.2022 – Milan (IT) – Slaughter Club
12.10.2022 – Martigny (CH) – Les Caves Du Manoir
13.10.2022 – Lyon (FR) – CCO Villeurbanne
14.10.2022 – Barcelona (ES) – Boveda
15.10.2022 – Madrid (ES) – Caracol
16.10.2022 – Toulouse (FR) – Le Rex
17.10.2022 – Paris (FR) – Petit Bain
19.10.2022 – London (UK) – The Garage
20.10.2022 – Antwerp (BE) – Zappa
22.10.2022 – Essen (DE) – Turock

24.10.2022 – Munich (DE) – Backstage Halle
25.10.2022 – Frankfurt (DE) – Das Bett
26.10.2022 – Leipzig (DE) – Hellraiser
27.10.2022 – Hamburg (DE) – Logo
28.10.2022 – Copenhagen (DK) – Vega
29.10.2022 – Gothenburg (SE) – Pustervik
30.10.2022 – Stockholm (SE) – Slaktkyrkan
SAOR means free, without obligations, unconstrained. All of these characteristics are intrinsic to the music of SAOR, the musical entity spearheaded by sole member Andy Marshall. As a lone wanderer proudly shouting the tales and myths of his people, his culture and his region from the tops of misty Caledonian mountains for the wind to carry, Andy has carved a solitary, yet strikingly inspiring path with SAOR ever since Roots, his first album laid deep… roots, indeed!, way back in 2013.

A decade about to be completed which is now about to witness the release of a fifth full-length, a decade in which Andy and SAOR have almost single-handedly made us all feel a little bit like Scots at heart, regardless of our own individual origins, such is the passionate and almost visual way that this musician delivers his profoundly atmospheric hybrid of black and folk metal, peculiarly described as Caledonian metal. “I used to play in some local bands, but I never really liked writing music with other people,” Andy recalls of his initial, formative times as a musician, beginnings that already hinted at the future road that would be taken. “There were too many opinions and arguments about the direction of the music. I have always preferred writing music alone.” As such, his musical and conceptual vision could be developed steadily, undiluted and unrestrained. Free, without obligations, unconstrained. “I was really into black metal and folk metal at the time I wrote Roots,” the Scot reveals, somewhat unsurprisingly. The components for his musical edifice are clear – it’s in the personality of their seamless mix, and in the Scottish fog that surrounds it, that the unique magic lies.

“There were plenty of Scandinavian bands singing about their history, culture, roots… but there were no Scottish bands. I thought this was kind of weird because we have such an interesting history, and quite gloomy and epic landscapes, much like the Scandinavians. Since I grew up around traditional Scottish music and was a huge fan of film soundtracks, I used those influences and tried to merge them with atmospheric black metal, folk metal and other sounds. It was quite a natural fit for me. I live very close to mountains, beautiful forests and lochs, and I spend a lot of time on the Isle of Skye, so you can guess where my inspiration comes from. I’ve also been interested in Scottish history from a young age. I’m no expert, but I take inspiration from reading about the past and always feel connected to it.”

Established as a singular voice and presence in the metal and folk underground with Roots (“it might sound corny, but it’s the ‘roots’ of SAOR and the Caledonian metal sound,” Andy jokes. “You can hear some of the typically Scottish melodies on it that would become more prominent in future albums.”), Andy Marshall forged on, and follow-up Aura appeared less than a year later. Though it contains some of the most appreciated hymns in his entire discography, the Scottish musician, ever a perfectionist, has mixed feelings about it. “I was never a huge fan of the production and performances on this one,” he shrugs. “It felt rushed. Funnily enough, it became one of the most popular and well received SAOR albums. People seem to love the somewhat ‘muddied production’ because it gives the album character. We still play songs from this live and they go down really well. ‘Pillars of the Earth’ is one of my favourite SAOR songs.” With apologies to Andy, we do side with the masses on this one – and would even throw the hallowed name of Bathory as an example of how “muddied production” and “character” are two concepts that can indeed go hand in hand, treading a fine but clear line throughout the history of metal.

Perhaps avoiding another rushed effort, Guardians took two years to appear as the third chapter in the ongoing saga that is the SAOR discography. Definitely leaning even more to the side of folk, it’s a work of rare emotional depth within the genres it touches, even if our man is, once more, rather unfazed and focused on the technical aspects of the recording. “I think it’s a natural progression from Aura, but with a slightly improved sound. It focuses more on my folk/Celtic influences. Some would say the folk metal element is more prominent due to the amount of bagpipes, tin whistles and other folk instrumentation used on this album,” he muses. However, not even his author can deny the power of this album’s highest moments. “’Hearth’ is one of the most popular SAOR songs and ‘Tears of a Nation’ always goes down well in a live setting.” Sound considerations aside, it was clear by then, circa 2016, that SAOR was a living, breathing entity, evolving and exploring. Like that recurring metaphor of the lone wanderer that seems so perfect we cannot let go of it. Free, without obligations, unconstrained.


The period between albums ever-lengthening, as if each step into the world of SAOR requires a bigger period of reflection and maturing to take the next one, Forgotten Paths would only appear in 2019. A worthy wait, however, as the evolutionary step was by far the boldest, bravely defying imaginary style constraints and showcasing an atypical and engaging approach to the overall “folk” super-genre. “My most open and accessible album,” Andy admits without hesitation. “There’s definitely a hint of post-metal creeping in on this one and a little less black metal. Neige from Alcest provided guest vocals on the title-track, which was an honour. This is around the time I started using the term Caledonian metal to describe my sound. I think it sums up my music and the themes perfectly.”

As live appearances were beginning to be much more frequent and SAOR a constantly demanded name on more notable events, the world decided to throw us all a pandemic curveball, which halted the victorious march of Andy and his stage cohorts for a while. However, you wouldn’t expect a period of isolation to ever hold back a musician and a project that are, by definition, and even by many of the feelings by them evoked, isolated, would you? And it most certainly did not. “From 2019-early 2020 we had a pretty hectic time touring and playing festivals, so I actually really liked the first few months of lockdown. I got a chance to relax,” Andy says. “But when the government decided to stop us from travelling, even leaving our local area, it was horrible.” Also, the end of 2020 brought an unexpected gift of recognition, as SAOR won the “Best Metal” Category at the Scottish Alternative Music Awards (SAMAs). Humble as ever, Andy thanked the band’s manager Joe, his stage comrades and Season of Mist, and added that “it’s been a tough year, so this award means a lot.”

Even better than recognition and accolades, from these difficult times, the new album, Origins, appeared. And for their first album in three years, and their premiere for Season of Mist, we wouldn’t expect anything other than… the unexpected. A counter reaction of sorts to the more meandering and even “accessible” direction of the previous records, perhaps inspired by its main theme of the Picts (a group of peoples who lived in what is now northern and eastern Scotland during Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages) and their fierce battles, Origins comes across as a more raging, black metal-infused effort, copiously evocative in its imagery and even melancholic in places, but decisively strong and abrasive at the same time. “This album is a lot more guitar driven,” Andy confirms.

“During the pandemic I listened to a lot of classic heavy metal and I think you’ll hear the influences on the dual lead guitars and solos. I  also wanted this to be my heaviest album with emphasis on the riffs. My harsh vocals have changed from deep growls to more of a black metal style. Since the subject of the album is the Picts, I wanted a pagan theme throughout, and so that aspect is a lot more prominent than in the previous albums. I also used instruments such as the Carnyx and tribal drumming to convey that feeling.” One of the strongest songs on offer, the opener in fact, “Call of the Carnyx”, is in fact about the Carnyx itself, the ancient Celtic war horn, and it conveys like never before the feeling that it must have  been to hear its resounding bellow, calling the Pictish warriors to battle. A moving homage to the legacy of the Picts, Origins guides us through their gods, their fallen heroes who died protecting their families and land, and what still remains of their identity in the Scottish people of today.

As much as we have food for thought, assured and guaranteed entertainment and inspiration for the months to come as we listen to and explore Origins and its themes, its creator is naturally already moving on. Andy doesn’t need much to create the worlds SAOR albums inhabit, and his most powerful tool is always with him. “I don’t need to be in one particular place to write or be inspired,” he explains. “I do have my own little office/studio in my home where I write music and lyrics, but it’s nothing special. My imagination is the most powerful tool for SAOR.” Not only do we vehemently agree, we would even say that imagination is the most powerful tool, always, for everyone. The one untamed weapon we all possess and can use at all times. Free. Without obligations. Unconstrained

Cover art: Anaïs Mulgrew

Line-up: Andy Marshall – Songwriter, Vocals & All Instruments

Recording line-up:
Andy Marshall – Songwriter, Vocals & All Instruments
Dylan Watson – Session Drums
Sophie Marshall – Female Backing Vocals

Vocals, Guitars, Bass, Folk Instruments: recorded by Andy Marshall at Fortriu Studio, Scotland.

Drums: recorded by Vladmir Cochet at Conatus Studios, Switzerland.

Guitars reamped: LSD-Studio, Germany.

Mixed & Mastered: Lasse Lammert at LSD-Studio, Germany

Links:
Official Website: https://www.saormusic.com
EU Store: https://saor.travelling-merchant.com/
US Store: https://saor-usa.travelling-merchant.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/saorofficial
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saormusic
Bandcamp: https://saor.bandcamp.com
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/saormusic
Bandsintown: https://www.bandsintown.com/a/4099241-saor

Pre-sales: https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/saor-origins