If I got it right, Saruman's debut release 'Ride on the Darkside' gets its second round now. It was put out in 2002 as a "private" release. I'd rather take this as a mini album, after all, when reducing 2½-minute intro and Dimmu Borgir cover 'The Night Masquerade', there's not much material left.

The concept of Saruman isn't bad at all. Doomy death metal without any modern element is kind of refreshing to hear nowadays. Violin and cello together with a brick-thick guitar make a disconsolate atmosphere on doomier parts. I can't but mention My Dying Bride, because English pioneers are clearly Saruman's influence. Other part of Saruman is fast death metal in Swedish way (circa the end on 1980s - 1995). Sometimes transitions between two sides work well, but usually it sounds a bit artificial. 'Take the Razorblade', 'Endless Winter' and the title track are highlights, easily, other songs aren't good compositions and the whole is way too unvarying. Even the highlighted ones aren't masterpieces. Saruman do not follow any modern trends, so a thumb up for making something different, since I can't think of any band these days sounding like Saruman, utilizing violin an cello this way throughout the music. While the idea is definitely worth elaborating, the music needs a lot more work. However, it is not the music that make Saruman trip in its face.

The worst problem is performance. Drummer is sloppy, can't hold up the faster beats and also misses hits. He does well enough on slower beats, but when it's time for some blastbeat, it all crumbles down and he gets really lost at times. Other instruments are better, nothing flashy, but all well enough performed. Lead guitar sound simply sucks, because it doesn't fit into the soundscape at all. Majority of the vocals are growled. There's some variety in styles; some are brutish and some are simply funny, eg. the first nasal growl on 'New Demon Spawn'. Clean vocals are usual stuff, as there's no real singing skill. Sound is very rough and real and suits well with the music. New cover look bad when compared to small picture of the original artwork I found on the net.

I do not really understand why re-release old material, which might even be a demo. Since the band can't be "cult" as yet, maybe this should have been re-recorded or at least some new material should have been added. Why? Because this is sold for price of a full length album and that's simply too much. But, if you want doomy death metal accompanied by violin and cello, then you should give this one a spin.

Rating: 4+ (out of 10) ratings explained

Reviewed by Lane
03/05/2004 21:16