Under the Light of Mountains

Saqraruna

From their EPK, "what really makes the album so unique are the themes that it […]
Saqraruna - Under the Light of Mountains album cover

From their EPK, "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." The album contains seven tracks.

"An Impaled God Shall Not Reign" opens the album. Spoken words in Spanish open the album, amidst some background chants that you might hear at church. But in comes the harrowing vocals and powerful guitars and drums, and the sky darkens. The music swells and thunder claps from above. "To Raise the Four Path Bridge" also begins with spoken words. The music carries forth a heavy and aggressive message, as the band dips in and out of tight passages of guitars, bass and drums. "Bethink of the Vulture Bloodshed" opens with harsh, depressing tones of horror, signifying the loss of their people's culture at the hands of Christian oppressors. It is an absolutely gutting sound that will immediately connect with many listeners.

"Clench of the Raiders' Hearts" begins with a wall of guitar and drums, and filthy vocals. This song is a bit darker than some of the others. The song continues forward with a rage that cannot be quenched. "Flight of the Black Serpent" is another song with burning hate and anger out of the gates. At the half-way point, it finally settles for just a few bars. The vocals deepen, sounding like they come from the underworld. "A Sight Beyond the Sun" features both some darker elements along with some unexpected melodic elements of hope. Has the album reached a pinnacle here? Indeed, soulful and pretty tones come out of nowhere with soft and charming piano notes.

"Semper Mendax" closes the album; a longer song with more straightforward aggression. There isn't much variation in this song, as it rolls forward with more hate and anger. Although the message was easy to assimilate, too many of the songs sounded similar to one another, taking away some of that message with repetitive leanings. I also find the aggressiveness far outweighs more melancholic elements, save for what can be heard in "A Sight Beyond the Sun." It was a decent attempt however, but just feel a little short in the end.

5 / 10

Mediocre

Songwriting

5

Musicianship

5

Memorability

4

Production

7
"Under the Light of Mountains" Track-listing:

1. An Impaled God Shall Not Reign
2. To Raise the Four Path Bridge
3. Bethink of the Vulture Bloodshed
4. Clench the Raiders' Hearts
5. Flight of the Black Serpent
6. A Sight Beyond the Sun
7. Semper Mendax

Saqraruna Lineup:

Ghoulfist - Vocals
Davenium - Guitars & Programming
Lord Grinder - Guitars
Hastur - Bass

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