Scottish atmospheric black metal project Saor will release Caledonia on November 6 via Season of Mist. The album collects five songs from the band’s first three records, Roots, Aura and Guardians, fully re-recorded with the production and refinement mastermind Andy Marshall has gained over a decade in the studio and on stage. The first taste is the official video for “Carved in Stone MMXXVI”.
Pre-order and pre-save Caledonia here.
Revisiting the Roots
Rather than a pause, Caledonia is a deliberate act of craftsmanship. Marshall rebuilt “Aura”, “The Awakening”, “Carved in Stone”, “Hearth” and “Tears of a Nation” from the ground up with producer Chris Fielding, giving them the scale and depth he always heard in them but lacked the resources to capture the first time around. Many of the songs had already evolved through years of live performance, and the new versions keep the character of the originals while adding the atmosphere of his later work.
Guest musicians include drummer Carlos Vivas, Ella Zlotos on vocals, tin whistle, low whistle and Uilleann pipes, and violinist Àngela Moya Serrat. Longtime collaborator Anaïs Chareyre-Méjan created the cover art and the “Carved in Stone” video.
Caledonia Tracklist
- Aura MMXXVI
- The Awakening MMXXVI
- Carved in Stone MMXXVI
- Hearth MMXXVI
- Tears of a Nation MMXXVI
About Saor
Founded by Andy Marshall in Glasgow in 2013, Saor (Scottish Gaelic for “free”) pioneered what he calls Caledonian Metal: atmospheric black metal built on Highland landscapes, ancestral memory and folk instruments like tin whistle and bagpipes. Six albums later, including Guardians, Forgotten Paths (featuring Neige of Alcest), Origins and Amidst the Ruins, Saor has also become a regular presence on European stages and festivals.
