ninehertz

Like most this side of the pond I only know Saviours from their Mastodon support earlier in the year which I just about caught due to the great West Midlands public transport network. From the back of the hall their more primal & stripped down take on the HOF / Baroness / Mastodon / Sword melting pot made me curious to hear more.

So it's a bit of a shock when 'Raging Embers' spits out of the speakers but doesn't actually go anywhere. Sure, the riffs twist and turn over an almost Maiden type gallop and while it's certainly not bad it does leave a certain 'treading water' feeling to these ears. Maybe if I hadn't heard the previously mentioned bands I'd be blown away but no amount of tight playing can save this from a competent but ultimately average track.

Fortunately 'Cavern of Mind' is far more inspired. A more concise arrangement drives the chugging verse into some really bright sounding guitar breaks during the chorus (I hate saying verse/Chorus...this isn't Bon Jovi after all, but you get my drift) before going back into head nodding territory. If I was a betting man I'd have a punt on this appearing on 'Guitar Hero' in the near future.

Maybe 'Raging...' will work better as an album track (this ltd coloured 12' etched vinyl is a preview of their forthcoming Joe Barresi second full length 'Into Abbaddon') but here it's outclassed by an example of why maybe this band can stand out from the American pack. Hopefully the January UK tour will prove this to be the case.