Author: Rok Klemše
Artist: Sagaris
Released: 2009
Length: 38:18
Rating: 4/5
The story of Brežice band Sagaris began in 2005, back then still under the name Labris. After a handful of gigs, the band fell apart over musical differences. Luka Žnideršič, Damjan Kovačič and Sami Ilc carried on with their musical journey, and Sagaris rose from the ashes of Labris. The expanded, reshaped lineup quickly got back on stage and in short order recorded its first demo, the one now in front of us. Reborn.
In just under forty minutes, Reborn delivers seven tracks plus an epic Intro, which pulls us in with a richly arranged symphonic sound and drops us onto quiet, snow-covered plains just before they get swallowed by the storm of merciless war. The two enemy sides face each other, and the first swing of the axe is Outnumbered. On Reborn, Sagaris serve up epic, melodic death metal, or better yet, power metal with harsh vocals, heavily backed by keyboards and orchestration. For a demo, those are surprisingly elaborate and high-quality, really enriching the music, and Sami Ilc’s keyboard work is thoughtful and cliché-free. The guitars deserve just as much credit, packed with melodic embellishments, harmonies, varied and dynamic riffing, and spectacular solos. The epic sound is rounded out by the raw vocals of Luka Žnideršič, which are just aggressive enough while still staying clear enough to make out. The only weak spot is that at times they come across a bit monotone, since they mostly stay in the same or similar ranges. But it’s all complemented by effective clean vocals, which come to the surface in singalong, catchy choruses like the one in Cold Blue Steel, or in the spoken, narrative parts of Outnumbered. And this is exactly where the demo’s biggest flaw lurks. The tracks often remind you of the epic metal played by bands like Wintersun and Ensiferum. But even if they’re not the most original, at least in terms of style, the songs are well thought out and the arrangements are polished down to the last detail. It’s also great to hear that the demo’s pace doesn’t let up until the very end, since the best moments of Reborn are hiding right there, above all probably the best track on the demo, Fire, which boasts excellent instrumental work, colorful keyboards, breakneck speed and a killer solo. The pace then eases off for a moment with the virtuoso intro to the instrumental Prelude to Madness, where faster and calmer sections full of lovely guitar passages complement each other brilliantly, while in the faster parts the track is enriched by rapid-fire picked riffs. The demo closes with the title anthem, which with its atmosphere makes for a proper ending to the demo, before you get hit with a goofy a cappella bit right at the very end.
With Reborn, Sagaris are a nice addition to an already rich Slovenian metal scene. All that’s missing for a top rating is perhaps a bit more individuality and a little more distance from the molds of bands like Ensiferum, Wintersun and the like. But the axe is sharpened!
Lineup
Luka “Lux” Žnideršič – guitar, vocals
Damjan Kovačič – bass
Tilen Volčanšek – drums
Sami Ilc – keyboards
Simon Šubic – session guitar
Production
Sagaris
Tracklist
1. Intro
2. Outnumbered
3. Cold Blue Steel
4. New Millenium Rising
5. Dreamland
6. Fire
7. Prelude to Madness
8. Reborn
