PRESS RELEASE:
Saqraruna - Under the Light of Mountains
Atmospheric black metal without sacrificing raw aggression.
A powerful black metal release that uses equal parts aggression and depressive atmosphere to tell stories of colonial oppression in Peru.
Out March 18th through Super Sargasso.
Basic Info
Artist: Saqraruna
Album: Under the Light of Mountains
Release Date: March 18th 2022
Genres: Atmospheric Black Metal
Formats: Compact Disc, Digital
Label: Super Sargasso
Location: Lima, Peru
Length: 52:22
Price: $10 Compact Disc, $6 Digital
Album Credits:
Ghoulfist: Vocals
Davenium: Guitars & Programming
Lord Grinder: Guitars
Hastur: Bass
Track Listing:
1. An Impaled God Shall Not Reign (5:02)
2. To Raise the Four Path Bridge (6:14)
3. Bethink of the Vulture Bloodshed (7:38)
4. Clench the Raiders Hearts (9:25)
5. Flight of a Black Serpent (9:47)
6. A Sight Beyond the Sun (7:35)
7. Semper Mendax (6:38)
Message From the Artist:
UNDER THE LIGHT OF MOUNTAINS is our second work as a band and an album that speaks of our ancestors' culture and how they struggled to survive and keep alive their worldview and pride throughout the process of conquest and its resulting subjugation. Decadent atmospheres and some form of vindication is what you will hear in the album from start to finish.
Unlike our debut, Obscure and Malignant Rituals, this work seeks to explore new sounds, with longer songs integrating pre-Hispanic instruments to create a pagan sound with contrasting moods. UNDER THE LIGHT OF MOUNTAINS is both musically and lyrically a rejection towards Christian values and beliefs brought by conquistadors and a homage to our ancient land's history.
While conceptually “Obscure…” was terrifying psychologically speaking, “Under…” is based on historical facts molded under the perspective of a twisted chronicle where myth and symbolism merge with wicked black metal with slight doom vibes, granting a feeling of melancholy and nostalgia that could easily lead into an overwhelming burst of blastbeats. That is what defines our sound, going further on each record.
About the Album
Saqraruna play atmospheric black metal that maintains the aggression and intensity of raw black metal. While there is a rich atmosphere within which the music is presented, this isn’t at the expense of the elements that define black metal as a genre.
You’ll still find shrieked powerful vocals that pierce through the instrumentals on the album, delivering dark verses. Accompanying this at numerous points are furious venomous riffs and unrelenting drum work. At other times things take a more immersive, depressive atmosphere. On the whole though things have taken a more aggressive turn since the band’s last album, with them holding nothing back on this release.
What really makes the album so unique are the themes that it covers, looking at the band’s Peruvian ancestry, culture, and history. The release examines the hardships endured by their ancestors under the reign of their Christian oppressors and the ways that they kept their culture alive. To accentuate this point the band have included numerous spoken audio clips, as well as integrating pre-Hispanic instruments.
The band manage to find a perfect balance between depressive elements and aggression, giving the album a charged yet melancholic atmosphere. It both mourns the loss of their people’s culture and displays the anger at this loss simultaneously.
Overall if you’re a fan of atmospheric black metal then this an album that shouldn’t be missed. This is South American black metal at its finest.
Saqraruna Relevant Links
Bandcamp https://saqraruna.bandcamp.com/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/saqrarunaperu
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/saqrarunaperu/
Super Sargasso
Bandcamp https://supersargasso.bandcamp.com/
