It’s a stretch to call Sahg a super-group given the transient nature of their lineup that no longer features their most prominent members, Abbath/ex-Gorgoroth bassist King and Wardruna’s Einar Selvik.
But with Gaahls Wyrd’s Ole Walaunet joining the fold last year and Einar contributing to the recording, the description is just about justifiable. More than simply a Sabbath-worshipping outfit with progressive leanings, Sahg challenge the prescribed ideals of doom, toying with hypnotic undercurrents, elaborate fretwork and an enveloping sonic flow that bears the hallmarks of traditional prog rock.
Replacing Thomas Tofthagen and Thomas Lønnheim with two new guys (the other being Hellish Outcast’s Mads Lilletvedt) last year has made their ‘Mastodon-meets-Ozzy’ sound even more morose on their newest take. A far cry from the uninspiring hard rock they tossed our way in 2006, Memento Mori is a mature, expansive and highly progressive treatment of stoner doom. Check out Black Unicorn and the Selvik-penned Blood Of Oceans for a dose of hulking, enigmatic Nordic prog.
