Review: SALQIU – Pariah

Style: Avant-Garde Black Metal (Harsh vocals)
Recommended For Fans Of: Bathory, Emperor
Review By: Cooper
Country: Brazil
Release Date: 11 June, 2022

First off, allow me to preface this review by saying that I am no black metal connoisseur. In fact, of all the various metal subgenres, I am least knowledgeable with black metal; however, this lack of black metal knowledge does not prevent me from recognizing truly novel music when I see it, regardless of genre. And nothing fits that description quite like Pariah.

Only a moment passes before “A Greek Suite Part I – Fates”, the first chapter of the five-part epic that opens the album, seizes your attention. Upon listening you are instantly submerged into a dark, ethereal atmosphere supported by pillars of wailing classical guitar duets, gossamer-fine vocals seeming to fade in and out of existence, and drums that sound as though they are being transmitted live from a dream. The tone established by the first minute of the album is palpable and sets the stage perfectly for the song to shift into more traditional black metal with its thickly distorted guitars and shrieked vocals.

“A Greek Suite Part II – Clothos” further carries the torch lit by “Part I”. Here, the album establishes what I would consider to be its core sound, a sound sure to please fans of second wave black metal, though it is but a jumping off point for SALQIU to dive deep into more experimental territory. The most notable example of said experimentation is Pariah’s ample use of classical guitar. Featured on nearly every song on the album, it is always able to offer a beautiful juxtaposition to the grinding of the electric guitars. In fact, the classical guitar is so well implemented that longer stretches without it – despite being rare – almost feel empty, as though a vital ingredient is missing. Thankfully, SALQIU seemed to be aware of this when writing and found other ways to fill in those gaps.

The song that follows the opening epic is “God Broke Contract To His Lamb.” Featuring none of the classical guitar flourishes that pervaded its predecessor, this song finds SALQIU once again in familiar black metal territory, but around its halfway point shifts into a hauntingly elegant flute solo. When the vocals, guitars, and drums return to accompany the flute, they are recontextualized, the flute’s tribal timbre no longer the focus but still just as essential in creating atmosphere. It’s moments like this where the intersection of the traditional black metal and of the folk instrumentation truly resonates that makes the album such a success.

Following “God Broke Contract To His Lamb” is Pariah‘s title track, another epic, clocking in at nearly eleven minutes in length. Featuring blistering drums, more of the beautiful classical guitar duets, and the best riffwork of the album, this track would take the top spot on any usual black metal album. But Pariah is no such album. Up next is “The Mordant Fascination of a Murder (While the Devil Plays Jazz)”, and oh does it certainly live up to that title. It begins innocuously enough but quickly takes a turn so unexpected (unless you really took your time reading that song title) that I literally laughed out of joy the first time I heard it. That’s right, baby. It’s jazz, and we’re not talking pseudo-jazz still rooted in black metal. We’re talking saxophone, trumpet, snaky bass lines, tambourine, you name it. If you’re a trad black metal fan through and through, you may be turned off by the prospect of jazz in your metal, but rest assured, this jazzy interlude is so well done you will not have noticed you’re actually enjoying it until it’s too late. 

The album’s closer “Death! That’s Where I belong” begins with a clarinet solo (which is certainly beautiful but no longer surprising after the full jazz segment on the previous song) before propelling itself into a violin driven passage that manages simultaneously to invoke the grandeur of a symphony and the comfort and familiarity of a folk song. It’s a really great moment, and I wish it lasted longer. After the exit of the violin, the song slowly devolves until only vocals, drumming, and one buzzing guitar remain. From here, the album ends abruptly – and perhaps it’s fitting – but after the grandiose climaxes that were offered by previous songs, I can’t help but feel let down slightly by the album’s finale.

As with all albums, not everything is perfect. At this point  When I first listened to Pariah, I was put off by two elements: the vocals and the mix. At first, the vocals put me off because of their intense multitracking and hissed delivery; over the course of one song, they were passable but started to become grating over the course of the album. I tried shifting my mindset towards treating the vocals as just another instrument which certainly helped, but after several listens, I still don’t fancy them. According to the album’s Bandcamp description, there is no actually no mix (“Sorry, no mix. But that’s how it has ever been.”). While I don’t fully understand the logistics of how something with truly no mix would even be created, I do respect the commitment of an artist to stick to their unique vision. However, I feel like the album could have been greatly improved with just a few minor touch ups. Simply providing some clarity between the instruments would make the climaxes of each song hit harder and allow the actual performance to be heard without sacrificing much. Due to the lack of a mix you must truly focus in order to understand the full scope of what you are hearing, giving the album an enthralling effect that I actually view as a positive. You simply cannot throw Pariah on in the background and expect to glean much of anything from it. Still, these small nitpicks cannot hold a candle to the greatness SALQIU achieves in every other aspect of this album.

Ultimately, Pariah may be a little unpalatable to first-time listeners, but with repeated listens and an open mindset Pariah unfurls itself into a beautiful tapestry of the resonance of disparate genres. Fans of progressive music will certainly find value here.

If you liked Pariah, be sure to also read my review of Pariah’s sister album found here.

Recommended tracks: The Mordant Fascination of a Murder (While the Devil Plays Jazz), Pariah, God Broke His Contract to His Lamb
You may also like: Kaatarya, Sjálfsmorð af Gáleysi, IER, Thermohaline
Final verdict: 9/10

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

Label: Independent

SALQIU is:
– Nuno Lourenço (All instruments, Vocals, Programming, Lyrics)