Album Review – SAOR / Amidst the Ruins (2025)

Andy Marshall and his band of Caledonian warriors are back with an epic voyage set to rekindle the fires of heritage and resurrect the valor that courses through Scotland’s vast landscapes.

Out of the mists, where lore whispers in the winds, Glasgow, Scotland-based Atmospheric Folk/Black Metal act SAOR, pronounced “seur”, which means “free” and “unconstrained” in Scottish Gaelic, the heralds of Caledonia’s primeval beauty and ancient tales, rises 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. Recorded at Fortriu Studios (vocals, guitars, bass), Nikolaus Recordings Studio (female vocals, tin whistles, low whistles, uilleann pipes), NewLife Studios (drums) and Farkosten Studios (violin, viola, cello), mixed by Chris Fielding at Penylan Studio, mastered by Tony Lindgren at Fascination Street Studios, displaying a beautiful artwork by Julian Bauer (with layout by Adrien Bousson), and featuring guest musicians Ella Zlotos, Carlos Vivas, Jo Quail, Àngela Moya Serrat, Miguel Izquierdo, and Samuel C. Ledesma, Amidst the Ruins stands proud, a timeless sentinel amidst the sands of time carefully brought into being by the project’s mastermind Andy Marshall, offering a stunning onrush of his “Caledonian Metal” perfect for fans of Winterfylleth, Agalloch, and Wolves in the Throne Room, among many others.

Andy and his more-than-special guests waste no time and melt our faces with 12 minutes of beautiful and atmospheric passages in Amidst the Ruins, led by the pulverizing drums by Carlos while Andy fires razor-edged riffs, not to mention how all background instruments like the whistles, violin, viola and cello sound utterly embracing. Echoes of the Ancient Land already begins in full force with Andy gnarling like a beast accompanied by the massive beats by Carlos, offering our avid years another very detailed and embracing musical experience; and by now you’ve probably noticed Andy nurtures a deep passion for long and complex songs, which is also the case with Glen of Sorrow, where the charming vocals by Ella bring a touch of finesse to the hurricane of Atmospheric Black Metal crafted by the whole crew. Then after such an imposing tune it’s time for the folk-infused, atmospheric The Sylvan Embrace, with guest Jo Quail embellishing the airwaves with her cello, followed by the closing song Rebirth, the perfect fusion of Atmospheric Black Metal with classic folk sounds where Ella is once again spot-on with her whimsical whistles while Andy continues to blast his harsh vociferations and melodic yet scorching riffs, all spiced up by the hypnotizing strings by Àngela, Miguel and Samuel.

Building upon the chronicles of old, Amidst the Ruins sees 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. Hence, if you want to join such an amazing army hailing from the Scottish Highlands, you can find them on Facebook, InstagramYouTube, and Spotify, and of course purchase a copy of the stylish Amidst the Ruins from Bandcamp or by clicking HERE. Andy and his band of Caledonian warriors have crafted a majestic symphony that welds the intensity of Black Metal with Celtic folk melodies in their new album, bridging the past and present as they remain the ceaseless bards of Caledonia unbroken.

Best moments of the album: Amidst the Ruins and Rebirth.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2025 Season of Mist

Track listing
1. Amidst the Ruins 12:41
2. Echoes of the Ancient Land 11:41
3. Glen of Sorrow 12:05
4. The Sylvan Embrace 8:19
5. Rebirth 14:10

Band members
Andy Marshall – vocals, guitars, bass

Guest musicians
Ella Zlotos – female vocals, tin whistles, low whistles, uilleann pipes
Carlos Vivas – drums
Jo Quail – cello and FX on “The Sylvan Embrace”
Àngela Moya Serrat – violin on “Amidst the Ruins”, “Echoes of the Ancient Land” and “Rebirth”
Miguel Izquierdo – viola on “Amidst the Ruins”, “Echoes of the Ancient Land” and “Rebirth”
Samuel C. Ledesma – cello on “Amidst the Ruins”, “Echoes of the Ancient Land” and “Rebirth”

Album Review – Ruadh / The Rock of the Clyde (2020)

Open your heart and join musician and songwriter Tom Perrett in his Atmospheric Black Metal journey through the Iron Ages in Scotland.

Drawing from the vast well of history, culture and mythology, Glasgow, Scotland’s own musician and songwriter Tom Perrett set out to compose music purely to taste with his Atmospheric Black Metal solo-project Ruadh (which is pronounced ‘Roo-Ah’ and translates to ‘red’), creating an unmistakable atmosphere with the beating heart of old school Black Metal favourites of his since the project’s inception in 2018, such as Windir, Bathory, Burzum and others, which should also appeal to fans of Saor, Winterfylleth, Panopticon and similar acts. Hailing from Rutherglen (also known as the red glen) in the central belt of Scotland, Tom and his very special guests Cieti on female vocals, Kimberly Copland on bass and Philip Morrison on drums are unleashing upon us all Ruadh’s sophomore album The Rock of the Clyde, an evolution from their 2019 debut album Sovereign presenting six tracks of epic Scottish Atmospheric Black Metal with Folk elements, taking you through the Iron Ages in Scotland and also exploring the history and mythology of the people of Scotland, conveying both sorrow and uplifting, almost heroic tones, all embraced by the delicate and enthralling artwork by Joan Llopis Doménech Illustrations.

Tom and his bandmates don’t waste a single second and fill every single space in the air with crisp, dark and atmospheric sounds in Embers, where Tom fires some deep guttural roars accompanied by Philip’s classic, steady beats and Cieti’s delicate vocals in a 10-minute sonic voyage alternating between heavier moments and an enfolding and whimsical vibe, not to mention the amazing job done by our brave Scottish warrior with his strident guitar riffs. After a fantastic welcome card like that, a ritualistic intro kicks off the title-track The Rock Of The Clyde, morphing into an Atmospheric Folk and Black Metal extravaganza where Kimberly and Philip generate a bold and groovy base for Tom and his soulful riffs and solos, as well as his potent clean vocals, also bringing to our ears acoustic passages and endless melancholy before finally exploding into a visceral fusion of traditional Folk and Black Metal. And in Winters Light the band continues to pave their dark and introspective path, with Kimberly delivering thunderous bass jabs together with the blast beats by Philip while Tom is once again on absolute fire with his growling, his riffage and all background elements found throughout the song’s inspiring nine minutes of music.

Fields Of Heather is another lecture in Atmospheric Black Metal made in Scotland going full Black Metal at times, with all band members generating a classy and piercing sonority with their sonic weapons, sounding at the same time violent, rebellious and epic, and with Tom’s riffs and Kimberly’s bass walking hand in hand it doesn’t matter the speed of the music. Then acoustic and serene sounds and tones permeate the air in Only Distant Echoes Reign (Part 1), a very personal and gentle creation by Tom heightening our senses and warming up our hearts for the second part of this beautiful aria, Only Distant Echoes Reign (Part 2), where a murder of ravens in fugue follows Tom and his dense and captivating music, uniting the heaviness and darkness of Black and Death Metal with more atmospheric and ethereal sounds while Philip dictates the rhythm and Tom barks rabidly as usual, flowing majestically until the song’s grand finale and, consequently, putting a stunning conclusion to such vibrant voyage through Scottish lands.

You don’t need to travel all the way to Scotland to join Tom and his Ruadh in their quest for Atmospheric Black Metal, as all you need to do is follow the project on Facebook and on Instagram to know more about his music, his goals and his music, and above all that, grab your copy of The Rock of the Clyde directly from Ruadh’s own BandCamp page, from the Northern Silence Productions’ BandCamp page, or simply click HERE for all locations where you can buy and stream the album. Massive in both scope and scale, The Rock of the Clyde will feature among the best Atmospheric Black Metal albums of the year without a shadow of a doubt, proving not only that Tom is thoroughly connected to his Scottish roots, but also that underground metal music always sounds more compelling and vibrant when its made of Scottish iron.

Best moments of the album: The Rock Of The Clyde and Fields Of Heather.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2020 Northern Silence Productions

Track listing
1. Embers 10:01
2. The Rock Of The Clyde 10:20
3. Winters Light 9:01
4. Fields Of Heather 10:56
5. Only Distant Echoes Reign (Part 1) 4:44
6. Only Distant Echoes Reign (Part 2) 8:54

Band members
Tom Perrett – vocals, all instruments

Guest musicians
Cieti – female vocals
Kimberly Copland – bass
Philip Morrison – drums