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Been three years since we heard from Saor, and that was the oddly weak Forgotten Paths, so I was not sure if this band was having a momentary slump or if they were in decline. Turns out it was just a slump, as Origins is as good as anything this band has done, and definitely a worthy successor to Guardians. This band may still be walking in the footsteps of Moonsorrow, but it’s been 15 years since Moonsorrow made a good album, so I am cool with that.

This is Saor back at what we want from them. Big, epic songs that sound even bigger than they are because of all the variation and changes they cram into each one. It’s not easy to employ so many different riffs and melodies in a single composition and still keep the thematic thread from unraveling, and harder still to give each song its own identity. The melodies are better than last time, the songwriting is better, and everything comes together to create the kind of unified mood and experience the band created on Guardians. Fans of stuff like Falls of Rauros, Elffor, Sojourner, and Dwarrowdelf who have not heard Saor should take this as a reason to check them out.