Bandcamp Roulette: An Instrumental Cosmic Adventure With Sagor Som Leder Mot Slutet
The latest random album review is here courtesy of the Knotfest Instagram audience. Make sure to cast your vote every Friday on Knotfest IG.
It is a daunting task to be able to tell a story without words. III from Sagor Som Leder Mot Slutet (translation: “Stories that lead towards the end”) does just that. Using the gargantuan soundscapes that post-rock and post-metal are known for, Sagor Som Leder Mot Slutet, craft a world using only their instruments that is intense and vast.
“Avstånd” kicks off the album with a short bit of dissonance, as if you’re stepping into an alien world, before launching into the dulcet yet magnificent wall of sound. “Solaris” feels a bit more futuristic, while “Astra” pulls you back down to earth. The ebb and flow of III crossing into both cosmic and very primal territory is impressive. It dives into deep chasms of melancholy before soaring back into the stars.
As “Astra” progresses toward the end, it creates a sense of urgency that propels the album forward. The album wraps on “Eter” that starts soft but builds toward a grandiose climax that is the sum of all of the parts of this album, finishing on light and ethereal notes that feed into a repeat listen.
Instrumental work carries with it the difficulty of conveying a message without saying a thing. Sagor Som Leder Mot Slutet as master craftsmen in sonic storytelling. This is an album in which to get lost in those moments where you need a true escape.
Formed in 2014 in Malmö, Sweden, this marks Sagor Som Leder Mot Slutet’s third release (if you couldn’t tell from the title).