Their fifth record in barely as many years, Saga confirms the ascendant trajectory of this Colorado folk-doom duo. A rugged platter steeped in Norse mythology and rooted in the same patch of damp woodland where Primordial, Solstice and Viking-era Bathory spread their gnarly branches, but TFOS have a free-ranging looseness of their own.
Melodic bluesy solos, shoegazey cadences and the delicate emotive surge of 70s Pink Floyd rub up against flurries of droning black metal amid the blend of mournful epic doom and acoustic pagan folk, while Heavy Rest The Chains Of The Damned sounds like heavily sedated gothic bluegrass with pacey soloing and Planet Caravan vocals.
The voices are simple but solid, alternating between 90s black metal rasps and plaintive monastic harmonies. The production is satisfyingly raw and intimate, while the intros and outros are permeated with sounds of wind, sea, fire and birdsong. Bracing and immersive, Saga is a worthy bid for the oaken throne of a beguiling musical form.
