Saidan - Fangdriller: Scars Beneath Memory's Wrist (2026) Review

This act has caused significant turbulence within the scene since its formation only a few years ago, yet in that short span it has already assembled a quite formidable catalogue of full-length albums. Saidan's frenetic brand of black metal, amplified by overwhelming melodicism and blended with the dismal aura of Japanese horror, has grown a large audience through the effectiveness of its riffing and mercurial style of songwriting. Evolution has been evident throughout their entire discography, with each release surpassing the last.

While I have not discussed the project on this blog that much before, I have been consistently impressed by their sound and quickly started treating it as essential listening in the current scene. Saidan's greatest strength lies in the ability to construct melodic yet relentless black metal, in which the guitars are the clear centerpiece. Anyone familiar with previous works recognizes how easily they establish memorable motifs that quickly hook the listener into the band's world.

On Fangdriller, an even stronger inclination towards uplifting strains of melodic black metal can be noticed. The guitars soar continuously alongside rapid-fire drumming and piercing screams, all framed by a relatively clean production. I say relatively, because there's always a slight added noise in the background, yet the compositions themselves often tend to power metal territory, abandoning much of black metal's inherent darkness. Hard-hitting, fast-paced passages here are closely linked to heavily symphonic, power or melodic death, keeping tension as Saidan always does.

I've come across numerous bands with a black metal cloak, that actually experiment with a wider variety of emotional registers, and this record comfortably orbits that same sphere, while remaining vastly rich in guitar action from beginning to end. Signs of broader experimentation emerge in the brief drum and bass patters of "Rapture (I'll Wait for You)" and "Womb of Hatred", or the cleaner instrumentation on "Kara No Bara", showing how the band has grown noticeably restless since 2024 and Visual Kill.

I did not identify many truly ominous moments, save for the magnificent symphonic black metal track "Stained Glass Sin // Fang Driller", particularly its slower middle section, or parts of "Beat to Death". The latter features a surprisingly jam-driven passage, where Saidan once again test fully new patterns to their music. You'll enjoy the celebration of exuberant melodies on tracks such as “Razorblade Temptation”, “Immersed By Eternity's Blade”, and “Ethereal Blood”, carrying the band further out of black metal. Even then, nothing will prepare you for the washed-out, acoustic, clean-vocal grunge outro "Mortuary".

What might be interpreted as ambition is what feels to me another step closer to a sound more aligned with Saidan now, who have decided to embrace all their influences rather than remain constrained to a specific genre's framework. Inevitably, this will invite criticism, but to me, Fangdriller represents how this band truly wants to sound like. Congratulations for never spending a minute to sit down.

Release: June 19th, 2026 | Avantgarde Music
Rating: 4 out of 5
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