Let me preface this by saying I’m a long-time fan of Andy Marshall’s better-known creative outlet, the folk-driven project Saor. His Guardians (2016) record in particular was a wake-up call to me and how Celtic and Caledonian heritage could skillfully and effectively be woven into a metal narrative. Being a bagpiper myself, it’s a blending of worlds I’ve always looked for with varying degrees of success, from Cnoc An Tursa, to Skiltron, to Suidakra, and beyond. Despite this favourable impression, I’ve always felt like Saor occupied a halfway space – never fully taking ownership of either a folksy nature-inspiration or a horns-in-the-air metal pedigree… but with Fuath, Andy Marshall negates this argument, happily accepting the mantle (yes, that was an Agalloch pun) of a leading light in atm...