Bagpipe rock is one of those subgenres, born in the late 20th-century, that can be both inspiring and tedious. Done well, it can be great, but the style has been overdone by too many bands and, too often, done poorly.

The bagpipe, it has to be noted, isn't the easiest instrument to balance with other sounds. Particularly the Highland pipes, which are the weapon of choice of band leader Charlie "Chick" Allan, who fronts this quintet of proud Scots. Fortunately, Saor Patrol does it well.

The band matches Allan's skirling pipes with Steve Legget's electric guitar, with Mark Monaghan, Kevin Johnston and Andre Zeuner on drums. It's a powerful sound -- not unique to Saor Patrol, certainly, but finely tuned in this incarnation.

The Highland pipes are war pipes, and war is the theme of this album -- inspired, so the liner notes say, by the struggles of Robert the Bruce to free Scotland from England's control. Most of the music is original; Allan notes in the notes that it stemmed from his involvement in the making of Outlaw King, starring Chris Pine as the Bruce. A notable exception is a powerful interpretation of "Amazing Grace," which always sounds best on the pipes. Also worthy of mention is "Aftermath," commemorating a 1544 battle and featuring bonus vocals by William Van Der Laan and lyrics by Great Big Sea's Alan Doyle.

If you like bagpipe rock, give Saor Patrol a listen. They do it well, with enthusiasm and with style.