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Ever since Adolph Sax invented his titular horn in 1846, the saxophone has traversed many forms of music. It has roots in military bands and classical ensembles, but also serves as the foundation of jazz and a fixture in early rock and roll. Today it is present in such diverse styles as punk, noise, funk, reggae, and other world music genres, but what about heavy metal?
The family tree of heavy metal and saxophone begins with the blues, but takes off with the 1950s free jazz pioneers, who pushed the boundaries of what the instrument is physically capable of. The 1970s post-punk groups then incorporated these techniques into more aggressive and confrontational forms of rock, while heavier prog rock groups updated where the hard bop saxmen left off. The legacy of rock and saxophone continues into heavy metal, but it is often overlooked or forgotten.
Personally, I have had a long fascination with the versatility and tonal range of the saxophone. While it is mostly associated with the smooth and the cool, the sax can convey the broad range of emotions associated with metal, such as anger, disaffection, introspection, mania, and ecstasy. The sax is perfect for the multitude of metal styles; it covers dissonance and harmony, the amateurish and the technical, the sensual and the cerebral.
For the list of top 10 sax metal songs, I chose to include only modern metal and avoid bands that blur the lines of prog/hard rock (such as Hawkwind). Second, I did not want to include any bands that use synthesizers in place of real instruments or use other brass instruments like trumpet or trombone. Third, I wanted to avoid “fusion” groups like Painkiller, Naked City, or Zu. I feel that while these bands make great music, they are hybrid styles (or do not fit a genre) and would not be classified as metal.
I am not an expert on the subject of saxophones and metal; it is merely something I am interested in and feel is worth writing about. When doing the research for this article, I found many new bands, both good and bad. I found several others that did not make the list, but sparked my interest and made me rethink what music could be, such as Lithuanian outsiders Anubi and Boston’s Maudlin of the Well. The joy of finding new music is an essential part of being a fan and is something I strive for every day. In the comments, let me know what some of your favorite metal songs with saxophones are. I will make another post of “honorable mentions” that contains songs I might have missed or bands that did not quite meet the parameters. I will also include some “dishonorable mentions”, because let me tell you, I found some bad ones!
Now, let’s begin our sax education . . .
10. Ephel Duath – “Breed”
from Through My Dog’s Eyes, 2009, Italy
Ephel Duath is progressive metal band from Padova, Italy. Mainstay Davide Tiso has blended jazz, metal, and hardcore effectively since the band’s 2000 debut Phormula but did not incorporate any sax until 2009’s Through My Dog’s Eyes, a concept album about viewing the world from the perspective of a dog. Saxophonist Stephano Ferrian provides the heavily processed and whirling intro.
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9. Wrnlrd – “Genital”
from Myrmidon, 2009, USA
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Wrnlrd are lo-fi black metal weirdos who combine all that is unpleasant and disturbing and put it to tape. Myrmidon is their seventh proper album, and it has the Arlington, Virginia creepers jamming with saxophone player Swanson Hill on the track “Genital”. Listen to the solo beginning at 2:30 and make sure the lights are on. Check out more about Wrnlrd here.
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8. Nachtmystium – “Seasick (Part 2: Oceanborne)”
from Assassins: Black Meddle Part 1, 2008, USA)
Championed as the heroes of innovative metal by some and dismissed as black metal for bros by others, Nachtmystium are a polarizing band. Blake Judd and company wear their Pink Floyd influence on their sleeves and aim to create a seamless mix of psychedelia and black metal. Their degree of success is subjective, but Part 2 of the “Seasick Trilogy” could easily be the metal version of “Us and Them” with saxophone courtesy of Yakuza’s Bruce Lamont. Check out the Kenny G-like smoothness at 0:56.
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7. Aenaon – “Black Nerve”
from Cendres et Sang, 2011, Greece
Greek horde Aenaon are fairly new to the progressive black metal scene, but their 2011 full length debut Cendres et Sang has been heavily praised for its viciousness and eccentricity. Aenaon implement many black and death metal trappings, but also incorporate jazz flourishes that do not seem out of place. “Black Nerve” is one of their mid-tempo numbers with an instrumental break at 3:16 and jazzy sax at 3:40.
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6. Shining – “21st Century Schizoid Man”
from Blackjazz, 2010, Norway
King Crimson’s 1969 prog anthem “21st Century Schizoid Man” is a respected anti-war classic that some say contains the first doom riff. Since I would not really consider King Crimson metal by today’s standards, we will let nu-jazz via industrial metal band Shining’s 2010 version represent this dirge to postmodern fragmentation. The track features Enslaved vocalist Grutle Kjellson and has enough distortion and sax freak outs to leave the neurosurgeons screaming for more.
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5. Lugubrum – “At the Base of Their Tale”
from Heilige Dwazen, 2005, Belgium
Lugubrum hail from Belgium (appropriately enough the birth place of the sax!) and play a Black Sabbath- meets-Darkthrone brand of metal they refer to as “Boersk Blek Metle”. Lugubrum write their high-speed songs in wonky time signatures with a skill few can match. They incorporate oddball instruments like the banjo and of course, the sax. Needless to say Lugubrum are weird as hell, but make for an interesting listen. It was hard to pick just one song, but listen to full time sax player Bhodidharma lay down a sick solo at 1:45. Not bad for a band whose main lyrical concerns are alcohol and filth!
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4. Yakuza – “Obscurity”
from Way of the Dead, 2002, USA
When the words “heavy metal” and “saxophone” are uttered in the same sentence, Chicago group Yakuza is often the first to come to mind. Headed by saxophonist/vocalist Bruce Lamont, Yakuza have been kicking out the jazz and world influenced jams since 1999. Once again it was hard to pick just one song as Yakuza have released five studio albums. I decided to go with the track “Obscurity” from their 2001 debut Way of the Dead since it features two atonal saxophone duels with jazz titan Ken Vandermark at 1:00 and 1:30.
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3. Sigh – “Musica in Tempora Belli”
from Scenes from Hell, 2010, Japan
Japan’s Sigh have always been innovators in extreme metal. Founded in 1990, they are regarded as the first Japanese black metal band and have flirted with avant-garde tendencies over the years. They first experimented with saxophones on 2005’s NWOBHM-influenced Gallows Gallery (sax performed by Bruce Lamont) and recruited full time saxophonist/vocalist Dr. Mikannibal for 2010’s Scenes from Hell. The songs on Scenes from Hell all feature horn sections, but “Musica in Tempora Belli” features one of the best solos at 4:10. Dr. Mikannibal is also a legit doctor with a Ph.D. in physics!
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2. Ihsahn – “A Grave Inversed”
from After, 2001, Norway
With his third solo venture After, the Emperor main man created one of the most mature post-black metal records to date. Ihsahn recruited saxophonist Jorgen Munkeby of Shining and Jaga Jazzist fame for an album that integrates multiple musical styles that are both heavy and progressive. It was a hard choice between the ripping “A Grave Inversed” and the epic closer “On the Shores”. “Grave” won out because it showcases Munkeby’s versatile saxual skills; he has the chops to double the rapid-fire guitar riffs and can improvise the dissonant, Ornette Colman influenced solos at 1:00 and 3:40.
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1. Carpathian Forest – “Cold Murderous Music”
from Defending the Throne of Evil, 2003, Norway
With a myriad of metal artists who have used a saxophone over the years, picking a number one song was difficult, but Carpathian Forest’s “Cold Murderous Music” stood out as something completely unique and original. Allmusic describes the song as “Portishead fronted by a tracheotomy recipient”, but this description hardly does the song justice. Nattefrost enlisted sax player Arvid Motorsen for the track, and it demonstrates how the polar opposites of grimness and smoothness can combine with unexpected yet stellar results. I never knew black metal could be so sexy . . .
Didn’t see your favorite sax metal song on the list? Stay tuned for the honorable/dishonorable mentions!
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Just put on a Coltrane record, pull up my fave blog and well … there you go …
Thanks very much for this list. I was going to mention Ephel Duath, but I saw that they were the first ones on your list. I would also look into Solefald if I were you. Their most recent album is fantastic and sadly overlooked.
You can’t listen to the sax too clearly in this video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nshocHaU7rc
but The Mass got it right. Their album Perfect Picture of Wisdom and Boldness was underrated in my ears and worth pursuing
Heh “black metal for bros.”
no yakuza?
nevermind, I’m blind apparently
Definitely would have included “Repangea” by Cephalic Carnage. All in all though, great list.
That’s a great one.
I don’t think I’ve ever listened to that song all the way through… I think I’ll have to now… but I much enjoyed the sax in “Ohrwurm.”
Check out the Italian Zu, for example Ostia
I’ve also been more of a trombone person myself.
“more bone, brotha, more BONE!”
Man, I immediately thought of Ihsahn when i read the title of this post. Excellent.
I suppose it’s more hardcore than metal, but Spazz feature a sax solo on Sweet Home Alabama from the La Revancha album. I’ve been keeping a mental list now for years of saxaphones in metal, It’s nice to see someone finally put it to paper.
Global Overhaul Device by Cephalic Carnage and Sickness of the sea by Birdflesh
The first thing I thought of when I saw the list name was Pan.Thy.Monium. I left disappointed.
Also Karaboudjan. One of the other Dan Swanö-bands.
YES! I love metal and saxophones! I also love jazz that mixes in heavy guitars. I tend to enjoy the “fusion” groups that you mention, so this is good for my metal knowledge.
Best current sax metal band are Psychofagist from Italy, chech out their latest CD Il Secondo Tragico. Also how can be this complete without anything from John Zorn? Naked City, Painkiller?
Best article on this site yet.
Great comp!
No PanThyMonium? Seriously?
I’m happy Sigh made the list; they’re a must. Kvlt as Fvkk makes a perfect pick with Repangaea, as well.
Why didn’t you mention fleshwrought?
Bruce Lamont’s sax work on Minsk’s The Ritual Fires of Abandonment is pretty badass too
The song Z2-Reticuli by Frederik Thordendal’s Special Defects is THE craziest use of a saxophone I have ever heard.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czkVhQz7×6g
Also, I’ve never come across anyone else that has heard of Maudlin of the Well, good to know there are other people that have out there!
You forgot Birdflesh, bruh?
They’re not a metal band (but hardcore/proto-grindcore) and it was recorded in the 80s, so it won’t really fit this list, but “Grim Reaper” by Siege is my favorite hardcore/metal saxophone song. It also happens to be their “doomiest” song. This is the most interesting post-Cosmo article so far.
Not “metal” so again probably not for the list, but Soundgarden have a pair of saxaphone songs on Badmotorfinger with Room a Thousand Years Wide and Drawing Flies. Both excellent songs. Excellent album.
w00t – no mention of painkiller??! john zorn, bill laswell and mick-fucking-harris of napalm death/scorn fame?!?!?! man seriously – get ‘guts of a virgin’, crank it up and be blown away!!!
I might be a little off topic, but does anyone know which instrument was used by Amorphis for the beautiful solo in the song Alone off their album Am Universe? Is it a synthesized sound?
Yes, I did some research and it is a sexophone!
Saxophone whoops
Enlightening article, Tom. When I first saw the title two things struck me: First, there’s saxophones in metal beyond Bruce Lamont? And second, excellent FEAR reference!
Damn. I used to play saxophone and was actually going to put together a post about its appearance in heavy metal as well.
Just to point out (I haven’t heard the entire list yet) you misplaced the “1″ in “After”’s release date – 2010, not 2001.
This list quite good, and thanks for all the new discoveries. I liked one band from the 90s, from Toronto, calles Glueleg. They had a full time sax, trumpet, and Chapman stick. They sounded like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByQjNpXsx68
Another 90s band with a full time sax was Miladojka Youneed from Slovenia. They were part of the same scene as Laibach. Here is a sample:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJTQprfKpB4
Fuck yes, this is the IO post I’ve been waiting for. Metal totally needs more sax. How about this research project: musicians whose sax playing sounds metal (like Colin Stetson)? Or metal musicians who now play sax (like Bohren & der Club of Gore)? I’d be interested in those lists, too.
How about, trombones?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4aL_VZQdhs
Awesome article.
I’ve also been interested in saxophone in metal for a while now! Aside from those you made I have a few other interesting discoveries:
The italian progressive extreme metal band In Tormentata Quiete released a pretty phenomenal album with Teatroelementale, which featured a few interesting sax moments. It’s not a massive presence though, but, like in the song L’alchimista, it has a nice presence.
At 3:37 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9iVQzefgFM
Norway’s Solefald, which you most likely know if you enjoy unusual metal, have made a great use of it on their track Eukalyptustreet. The song has a fairly slow pace but the quality is not affected.
The sax is scattered throughout: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wahld6ERmvw
Slovak progressive death metal band Wayd used a nice one during the intro of their track ‘Rivers of the Night’, I’m pretty sure they used in a greater extent in some other track. but I can’t recall its name.
right up front: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gBUU9QeL-o
Recently, the russian band Stielas Storhett made a great use of one on their track Expulse. It’s sadly just an intro, but it still manages to create a splendid mood for the song (and if you like well-written atmospheric black metal, you’re in for a treat with the rest of the song as well)
t’s right at the beggining: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5XdFcLU-dk
The german melodeath/metalcore band Dealock made one of my favourite use of a saxophone in metal near the end of ‘Fire at Will’, they threw it in their track after a guitar solo without breaking the pace of the track and it feels so fucking genuine. It makes me wonder why sax isn’t used more often in this beautiful metal music.
Watch the 3:27 mark: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmCHBPCyEa8 (and don’t mind the video, it had the best sound quality)
Also; Powerglove, So Sexy Robotnik.
2:38: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBsw_JlzIbs
Yeh listen to Trane—-And Archie Shepp and Pharoah Sanders