We joined the Caledonian metal band SAOR at Rebellion Manchester on their Amongst The Ruins tour. One of three dates on the brief UK tour with support from atmospheric black metal bands Oakenthrone and Cistvaen.
Oakenthrone
Opening the night was northern UK-based Oakenthrone. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a massive crowd turnout due to the early start of the night; however, this definitely didn’t faze the band, as they still performed as if the room were bursting with people. The band had an air of mystery about them, making minimal interaction with the crowd and letting their music speak for them.
Frontman Simon Nagington performed with ferocity, his deep growls bellowing across the room. This blend of melodic guitar riffs and punchy, blasting drums created an incredible atmosphere. They had the audience hooked from the first song, watching enraptured as soon as they entered the room. They closed their set with ‘Astral Binding’, a song which gained well-deserved applause and cheers from the audience. Despite them being the freshest band from this lineup, they definitely knew how to set the tone for the evening.
Cistvaen
More attendees flooded in as it was the turn of Cistvaen to make their way to the stage, their second time on the Rebellion stage in Manchester. The Devon-based band opened with ‘At Light’s Demise’, carrying on the theme of the fast-paced, punchy drums, getting the crowd warmed up before the gravelly screams of vocalist Guy Taylor.
The band experienced brief technical difficulties between their first and second song of the night, in which Taylor used the moment to thank Oakenthrone and SAOR, and asked the crowd to “Talk amongst yourselves, don’t leave us in silence,” which gained more cheers from the audience. They then lead into ‘Cessation of Hope’. The balance of guitarist Lee Meade and rhythm guitarist Mark Sanders was perfectly mixed, creating a melodic and atmospheric blend throughout each song. By this point, the crowd was headbanging along, even during the slower, more melodic parts, in which the headbanging became lighter and polite. For the third song, the band treated the audience to ‘Bleak House’, a song from their latest record, which the band “don’t normally play live”.
SAOR
At this point in the night, the venue had gotten more tightly packed as everyone gathered for the headliners, Scottish melodic atmospheric black metal band SAOR. The band emerged from the fog emanating from the stage. To those uninitiated within black metal, the setlists may seem short so far, with both supports only performing 4 songs; this theme continued with our headliners performing 5 songs, and a 6th encore song. However, the duration of the songs makes the appearance of the setlist justified, as their songs feel like you’re being taken on a journey.
The band takes the audience on a journey through the captivating landscapes of Scotland through their music, as their Scottish/ Celtic folk influences shine through their blend of intense atmospheric black metal. The chuggy guitars, heavy cymbals, and synchronised headbanging from the band members may sound like a heavy contrast from the accompanying flute and bagpipes from Ella Zlotos. The combination, however, made for a beautiful outcome in the form of SAOR.
Frontman Andy Marshall needs very minimal interaction with the crowd and is still met with cheering between every song. Concocting an intense balance throughout each song from the more intense black metal vocals from Marshall beginning from their opening song and title track ‘Admist The Ruins’, to Zlotos’ softer vocals in songs such as ‘Rebirth’.