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The San Francisco Bay Area has the best metal scene in the US. On any given weekend, you have a chance of seeing Impaled, Ludicra, Hammers of Misfortune, Slough Feg, Black Cobra, Totimoshi, Grayceon, Amber Asylum, Giant Squid, Stormcrow, and Laudanum. In their own unique ways, they capture the Bay Area’s mix of hope and despair, sunshine and fog, dirt and water. Saros is the newest rising star in this gritty constellation.
Acrid Plains (excerpt)Reversion (excerpt)
The band evokes many others: Death (proggy death), Opeth (acoustic prog), Enslaved (rock-y blackened prog), Ludicra (haunted vocal harmonies), even Megadeth (mid-paced riffing). Leila Abdul-Rauf is a triple threat on guitar, spooky singing, and Chuck Schuldiner-esque growls. Drummer Blood Eagle, of Weakling fame, turns in a nuanced, dynamic performance. The songs are long journeys, filled with twists and turns. Even without printed lyrics, they form complete worlds.
Perhaps this album should have been called Arid Plains. Billy Anderson’s recording is appealingly dry, yet the material feels vast. This record is very deep. It has the melancholy typical of Bay Area metal, yet hints at sights beyond. One gets the feeling of a soul struggling to be free. Umlaut has diligently been documenting Saros gigs here. The accounts make me miss the Bay Area, that beautiful land with clouds always overhead.
Take a weekend trip out here in June:
6/12 – Testament @ The Fillmore
6/13 – Saros @ Annie’s Social Club
6/13 – Acid King / Black Cobra @ Benders
Holy crap! That’s indeed quite tempting. Thanks for the heads-up.
Cosmo! Give another Bay metal(-ish) band a spin:
http://www.theatomicbombaudition.com/sound.html
Actually, I really am not sure what you’ll think.
-Alee (from said band)
Thank you for the link – I will check it out.