The Flight of Sleipnir - "Saga" (2013)

The Flight of Sleipnir

"Saga"

Eyes Like Snow 

2013

This is the 4th longplay of American stoner/doom/viking metal duo The Flight of Sleipnir. 

Their new opus is a bit different than a very calm "Essence of Nine". They are still exploring spacious, slow musical landscapes. Yet they again decided to put more harshness into it. Thanks to that a new material is a bit more diverse. The best example of this diversity can be a track called "Demise Carries with It a Song"; it  starts with a bit faster riffing and harsh screaming to turn into slower, calmer stuff, full of solo passages in a more classical rock vain. Most of the music bases on such slow, atmospheric playing full of melancholic singing and acoustic themes (to summon e.g. beautiful song "The Mountain"). Fans of stoner/doom will also find something good for themselves, since it is a part of TFoF's world (like e.g. a great riffs in "Harrowing Desperation"). The whole album is a great mix of all of those elements. A dose of sadness fills every track in it's own way, sometimes even in a bit epic style like in "Hour of Cessation". 

However I don't understand why many people label them as a "folk metal" band. Maybe I have other imagination of what folk metal is, but for me using acoustic guitars is not enough to be labelad as that. But generally speaking the music of Slepnir bears a lot of marks of originality, so it's not very surprising that people have proplems with describing their music. 

A few words about production: it simply well suits the music. It's from one hand enough spacious when band goes into more touching, atmospheric playing, yet very sultry when they starts to play slow, doom parts with harsh vocals. Just listen to "Beneath Red Skies", and you will understand that I am right.

The Flight... recorded again a more than just listenable album. I am sure that their newborn child will visit my music player very often. "Saga" is truly a wonderful piece of art! 

Rate: 9/10

Vladyka

Tracklist:

1. Prologue

2. Reaffirmation

3. Reverence

4. Harrowing Desperation

5. Heavy Rest the Chains of the Dead

6. Judgment

7. Demise Carries with It a Song

8. The Mountain

9. Hour of Cessation

10. Remission

11. Beneath Red Skies

12. Epilogue