SARAYASIGN – The Lions Road (2023) *HQ*
SARAYASIGN is a cinematic melodic hard rock band, headquartered in Örebro, Sweden, which already surprised us with their debut album featured in exclusive at 0dayrox. With guitar driven roots from the late 70s / 80s and the cinematic experience of the 21st Century, layered with strings and storytelling driven, melody-focused songs with an edge, the listener will be in for a treat.
“The Lion’s Road” is the band’s sophomore release, the first for the Frontiers Music label. The songs, or shall we say stories, on the upcoming album are directly connected to and a continuation of the initial eight stories told on the debut album “Throne Of Gold”.
Transcending time and space, like a lost treasure in the Swedish melodic hard rock scene, with some of the most outstanding musical visionaries and craftsmen the scene has to offer comes a beautifully crafted trajectory that reaches beyond traditional melodic hard rock. SARAYASIGN brings something new and fresh to the table.
With stellar guitar riffs and haunting melodies and arrangements from childhood dreams merged with Sarayasign’s own twist of cinematic hard rock, the band is able to offer something new that still has strong liaison with the classic sounds.
Formed in late 2020, with their debut album “Throne Of Gold” released in May 2022, Sarayasign is a concept driven, cinematic, melodic hard rock band that aims for the same experience often felt through films, for they believe that music can propel a narrative and take the listener into unexplored dreamlike and emotional territory.
Through the lens and the voice of the storyteller depicted in their lyrics and the atmospheric music and soundscapes of their world called Saraya, created by band member Jesper Lindbergh, Sarayasign wants you to close your eyes and enjoy the journey they will take you on.
On “The Lion’s Road”, everything is bigger than on the already excellent debut CD. Louder. Heavier. When the drums violently cut through the introduction and ‘When All The Lights Go Out’ begins in earnest, it is striking just how thick the sound is, almost like a live album.
It’s sleek melodic hard rock that one could imagine echoing throughout an arena, and with a vocalist as powerful as Stefan Nykvist at the helm, this dream doesn’t seem too far away.
Nykvist’s vocals especially shine on the ‘Will You Find Me?’, pairing perfectly with the guest female vocalist for a great ballad that illustrates the bond between lovers separated by dimensions.
As the album continues, the mythical plane of Sarayasign becomes equally as vivid as its characters. Title track ‘The Lion’s Road’ is absolutely stunning. Epic and melancholy in equal parts, the soundscape conjures images of a land, vast and mountainous, beautiful but unknowable. It is a song about courage, darkly compelling as Nykvist warns us: don’t look down below. The listener is reminded that every great adventure requires risk, and Sarayasign are not afraid to practise what they preach.
‘Love Will Burn’ is very much something different for the band – although Sarayasign’s music is heavily cinematic, this is perhaps the most orchestral track the band have done. There is something almost Evanescence-like in the subtle piano riffs and string-infused bridge.
Hey, Frontiers, do you reckon we could get an Amy Lee collab on the next album, please? I know she’s busy and all, but if you don’t ask, you don’t get, right?
It would also be impossible to review this album without waxing lyrical about the finale track, ‘Throne of Gold Part II – A Heartless Melody’. Put simply, this is Saraysign at their best.
It is storytelling and songwriting in perfect harmony, enough to give even the most cynical listener goosebumps. The song is also a breath of fresh air: instrumentals like this could have easily been paired with lyrics about a sword wielding hero, and there are many bands out there who would have done exactly that.
Sarayasign, however, decide to tell the story of a young girl trying desperately to save her parents, and the result is a song that feels deeply personal. It will no doubt resonate with anyone who has found themselves with an unexpected responsibility on their shoulders, unsure if they are worthy enough to carry it.
Those were just a few of the many stand-out moments from “The Lion’s Road” – it would be impossible to mention them all in this one review.
From the fire and heft of ‘A Way Back’ to the classic metal riffs of ‘Everydying Night’, “The Lion’s Road” is an album that is a masterclass of songwriting, and is a testament to Sarayasign’s growth over the last year.
“The Lion’s Road” is an album that I know I will revisit again and again. If you haven’t aready hopped onto the Saraya Express Train, then trust me: “The Lion’s Road” is the perfect place to do so.
HIGHLY Recommended
01 – When All Lights Go Out
02 – Blood From Stone
03 – A Way Back
04 – The Beginning Of The End
05 – Will You Find Me
06 – Everdying Night
07 – The Lion’s Road
08 – Love Will Burn
09 – Hope And The Sorrow
10 – Throne Of Gold Part II A Heartless Melody
Stefan Nykvist – Lead and backing vocals
Jesper Lindbergh – Drums, guitar, keyboards, loops, soundscapes
Daniel Lykkeklev – Bass, keyboards
Peter Lundin – Lead and rhythm guitar
Pre order:
www.amazon.com/Lions-Road-Sarayasign/dp/B0C4VS9J55
