Author: Rok Klemše
Artist: Sagaris
Label: Self-released
Released: 2011
Rating: 4/5
Brežice melodic death metallers Sagaris are coming back from the dead with their second demo. From the Depths shows them as a more mature band with a clearer and, above all, more distinctive musical vision and direction. For a good seventeen minutes, Sagaris drag us down into the depths with three new tracks and a re-recorded “classic” from their debut demo, Reborn.
The light disappears behind us and we’re left in the dark as the intro to the demo’s first track, Further and More, kicks in. You can tell right away that the band’s mastermind, guitarist and vocalist Luka Žnideršič, has listened to a ton of Devin Townsend, because the guitar and keyboard arrangements in the first half of the song are reminiscent of the wackiness of the Canadian musical genius/madman. The very first track also points nicely to the band’s newer direction, which is no longer so firmly cemented in Finnish melodic metal of the Wintersun or Ensiferum variety. The opener could have used a catchier chorus, though, since the repetition of “Further and More” comes off a bit clumsy. The guitar parts, on the other hand, are more thought out and better put together, and there are no longer so many cliché “Jari Maenpaa” arpeggio solos, as the Žnideršič/Ivanšek duo serves up a confident, technically polished guitar battle. They show it off masterfully in the second track, From the Depths, which is full of tremolo-picked passages laid under Luka’s raw barking. The generic feel and slight monotony of the vocals are a bit distracting, but that feeling quickly vanishes once you get used to them. A mild Nevermore influence from Seattle is present in this track too, mostly thanks to the huge impact virtuoso Jeff Loomis has had on the work of the Sagaris guitar duo. The seven-string beasts really come out to play in Dim and Isolated, which is packed with mighty sawing and galloping riffs, but sadly the whole thing is somewhat spoiled by a hastily done production. While the guitars still manage to carry the sense of epicness and aggression, the drums fail at it. They, especially the bass drum, sound pretty plastic and artificial. It is nice to hear, though, that the keyboard parts on From the Depths are woven into the music much better than before. This time they don’t take the lead role, but build atmosphere in the background and, above all, work as a welcome addition to the guitars, and luckily there’s no torture by keyboard solos either, the kind that bands like Sonata Arctica and their ilk have pushed to the very limits of good taste. The demo closes with a re-recorded Reborn from the first demo, which got a serious upgrade and thus earned its spot here. I’d have preferred to hear one more new track, but in the end we get a fun bit of tomfoolery about swallowing seed. Slurp!
For Sagaris, From the Depths is a real step forward, first and foremost thanks to a more distinctive sound, independence from the influences of the first demo, the addition of new, previously unheard elements and a subtle nod to the “new” influences. I expect, though, that the band’s next big step will be a full-length studio album with the production to match!
Lineup
Luka “Lux” Žnideršič – vocals, guitar
Damjan Kovačič – bass
Tilen Volčanšek – drums
Rok Ivanšek – guitar
Tracklist
1. Further and More
2. From the Depths
3. Dim and Isolated
4. Reborn 2010
