“Raise good energy.”
“Sax metal” is not a crafty term. There’s no long history attached to it, and you don’t have to be “jazz” nor any specific type of “metal” to fit into it. You just have to have a brass instrument lying around and a penchant for chaos. In the early decades of heavy metal, there were a few flirtations between these disparate worlds, but without a doubt, things kicked off in the 90s. The pillars of sax metal are the works of Mike Patton (specifically Mr Bungle and Fantômas) and John Zorn et al. (via Naked City, Electric Masada and Painkiller), all of which function as the origin and epitome for the sound. The wave continued with more cult acts through the nineties and noughties (Pan.Thy.Monium, Yakuza and Shining) and many in the present day (things would feel incomplete if I did not name all of Ashenspire, Bedsore, Dreadnought, Kayo Dot, Neptunian Maximalism, Papangu, and White Ward). Along the way there have been some bright but sadly short-lived projects, with fond memories attached to Unexpect, Merkabah, and Ex Eye. If there’s ever to be an A-to-Z of “sax metal”, the “Z” will be Zu.
Zu rank among the royalty of saxophone-plus-amplifier carnage, boldly stepping onto the scene in the late 90s. Their records Igneo and Carboniferous are cult classics within avant, prog and math circles. Their discography has grown rapidly with few managing to keep up with all the collaborations and genre switches, and to kick off this year, they’re dropping the most bona-fide “sax metal” album of the current decade.
Opener “Charagma” is a clear statement of intent. A rumbling synth fuzz sweeps the stage clean and the curtain drops on the three-piece hitting an off-kilter beat in perfect unison. The bass is a barely-contained rollick and the brass keeps to a low register whilst the drums bide their time. At the two-minute mark, the chips finally fall to the sound of a fully unleashed saxophone, unsealing a power that was only teased until now. Full force 2026 Zu is glorious, unleashed, reckless, and headbang-worthy all in one.
“Charagma” track shape-shifts further, back and forth between synth passages and gnarly punching bass. In all its seven minutes, the momentum is carried perfectly, inducing groove after groove worthy of the most curled stank face. Track two, “Golgotha”, continues to define the record’s atmosphere, dipping more strongly into synths, from the familiar mellotrons of prog and dungeon synth, to more astral and space ambient sounds. The resulting atmosphere is truly villainous and pervades the whole record. Ferrum Sidereum is like being strapped into a one-way flight through the bad guy’s fortress, and all the effects are practical.
The return to a rock format for the band is perhaps long awaited, with much of their recent solo studio time focused on electronic, psychedelic and atmospheric adventures. Luca T Mai is still turning to the keys frequently, with tracks “La Donna Vestita Di Sole” and “Pleroma” orbiting analogue motifs. It helps that these keys are almost never firing whilst the brass is going – it wouldn’t be a crime if they did, but it completely preserves the visual of the three-piece in one’s mind, sticking to their roles.
Marc Urselli’s careful production tweaks the intensity and carefully layers the various textures to make these big tracks incredibly dynamic. Massimo Pupillo’s bass, in particular, is carefully mixed, with every passage and riff getting the exact handling it deserves. The band have never sounded heavier, either, with “A. I. Hive Mind” showcasing a new boisterous heaviness track, closing with “YYZ”-worthy flourishes and barely-contained fuzz.
A big difference on Ferrum Sidereum compared to the band’s early work is that the band writes within more traditional time signatures and focused structures. The Avant Garde outbursts and fast flourishes are avoided, the result being a more deliberate structure that feels more ‘prog’ than ‘math’. There will be some that miss the bombast of the old sound, but I find that sticking to the grid serves these mammoth tracks very well. Big bass-prominent tracks with swirling accompaniments, deliberate build-ups, and introspective energy will no doubts prompt some comparisons to Tool in discussions around this album. If that’s apt, it’s also because Zu have in fact dropped their most accessible album to date.
There’s also a newfound precision and a perfectionist attitude taken to every moment of Ferrum Sidereum. This will ring true, especially in the record’s second half, which is full of huge tracks. “Fuoco Saturnio” builds from has such a massive ending that rattles the confines of its own audio stream; it feels as though the record could end then and there. Yet the band continue, pumping out three more gigantic tracks with their own crescendo-ic moments. Despite this focus on rising structures, it’s not at all formulaic, with Paolo Mongardi’s drumwork finding new ways to amplify and hold the tension. They end with the record’s title track, on which they summon the wild mathy flourishes of Carboniferous and bend them into the new style. The record ends as it began, all three members pummelling their instruments with furious precision, no doubts drenched in sweat and patch cables.
Ferrum Sidereum will make a natural extension of their live outfit’s sound (one that has included Tatsuya Yoshida of Ruins on drums in recent years), complimenting the wildness of Carboniferous and 2015’s Cortar Todo. If there’s a prevailing theme to this new release, it could be a big fuck you to the creeping malaise of AI, something the band notes as a spectre haunting our current age. Zu are saying no to shortcuts, summaries, half-measures and compromise; Ferrum Sidereum is the epic album the band’s discography, and the present age, deserves.
8.5/10
Ferrum Sidereum releases on the 9th January through House of Mythology and can be pre-ordered here. Zu embark on an EU tour across February, the dates for which can be found here.