Review: Sgàile – Traverse the Bealach

Style: Post-metal, Progressive Metal, Power Metal (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Alcest, Cloudkicker, Sylvaine, Lantlôs
Review by: Dave
Country: Scotland
Release date: 19 January 2024

Progressive metal can easily be considered the domain of dorky nerds, and similar to metal and dorky nerds, metal and adventure go hand-in-hand: countless beloved metal albums explore fantasy adventure themes of the past, present, and future. For example, I showed a friend of mine First Fragment the other day and his first remark was that it reminded him of the soundtrack to a Dungeons & Dragons campaign, a fitting assessment of their brand of intergalactic fantasy metal.

My initial reaction to Sgàile’s sophomore album, Traverse the Bealach, was remarkably similar: from the cover art to the song names to the Hävitetty vibes in the opening moments, I could tell that Traverse is an album about adventure. Featured in many roles across bands like Saor, Cnoc An Tursa, and Falloch, Sgàile explores a unique combination of post-metal tinged with progressive metal on his solo debut Ideals & Morality, sowing the seeds of his “adventurous” sound. The compositions on Traverse are a natural evolution to those on Ideals with songs now allowed to fully stretch out their legs, reaching anywhere from 8 to 12 minutes long. Sgàile is committed to his ideas here and is unafraid to bask in them, allowing each track to explore to their logical conclusion, an approach that pays off immensely given his knack for creating songs with impeccable flow and triumphant atmosphere.

“Triumphant” is a key word on Traversing the Bealach: many post-metal acts conjure an air of gloominess and seriousness with their music, but Traverse stands in opposition as a grand adventure across the Scottish highlands. Where, for example, The Mantle is a dour trek through snowy Oregon landscapes, Traverse the Bealach is an exhilarating climb to the summit of Ben Nevis. Despite the occasionally gloomy lyrical content, a grand atmosphere permeates every song and at times nearly creeps into power metal territory. Songs like “Lamentations by the Lochan” feature speedy kick drums and tremolo picks that are aided by a powerful vocal delivery á la early Circus Maximus or The Detached-era Anubis Gate.

As with most post-metal, the holistic experience paints a more complete picture than individual songs, but every piece has a moment that stands out. “Silence” is a perfect embodiment of what makes Sgàile’s sound work so well by unrelentingly slamming down riffs underneath powerful layered vocal moments, all leading to a TesseracT-style ambient guitar section that explodes into a monstrous djenty climax. Other notable moments include the last half of “Psalms to Shout at the Void” where Sgàile introduces the first of many soaring vocal moments, the chorus of “Lamentations by the Lochan” which intertwines huge sustained vocal patterns and gliding guitar arpeggios, and the deep rumbling tremolo guitars that cap off “The Ptarmigan’s Cry.”

If I had to get nitpicky, I would like to see slightly grander finales deserving of these tracks. Songs will build themselves up in elation for 10 minutes only to end with more of a whimper than a bang. This is certainly not enough to deter my enjoyment, though, as I am more than happy to sit through 30 seconds of an okay ending in exchange for 10 minutes of elation at the hands of these grand and imposing epics. The biggest exceptions are “The Ptarmigan’s Cry” and “The Brocken Spectre,” which end with appropriately grand riffs that leave an impression well after the song ends.

Sgàile has graced us with an incredible album that uniquely incorporates progressive and power metal into a post-metal soundscape, his sense of melody and song flow making for an unequivocally rewarding and fun listen. I urge you to check out Traverse the Bealach for yourself, as Sgàile’s gorgeous, energetic, and idiosyncratic brand of post-metal will have you running to the highlands in anticipation of your own adventure by its end.

Recommended tracks: Psalms to Shout at the Void, Lamentations by the Lochan, Silence
You may also like: Falloch, Show Me A Dinosaur, Hypno5e, Dawnwalker
Final verdict: 8/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Metal-Archives page

Label: Avantgarde Music – Bandcamp | Facebook | Official Website

Sgàile is:
– Tony Dunn (everything)