Release Date: 2005 Record Label: I Hate Records Track list: Band Website: Burning Saviours |
Burning Saviours - Burning Saviours
Fellow Pentagram fans can empathize with me- being a Pentagram fiend has, from the very first day, been an exhausting and frustrating experience. You spend months trying to locate recordings for reasonable prices, only to discover that a good deal of them merely recycle material previously presented on other recordings, the bulk of which have been virtually unaltered. I was feverish with anticipation for last year’s 'Show ‘Em How', Liebling’s first musical endeavor in a good number of years, only to discover that it was composed entirely of revised numbers repackaged in a crisper digital production. Of course, a host of bands have surfaced in the wake of DC’s most legendary minstrels of gloom, helping to alleviate the pain endured by longstanding Pentagram addicts. Of these, Witchcraft has probably been the most widely acclaimed, their self-titled opus inhabiting the same hazy, surreal headspace that Sirs Liebling and Griffin hovered in with Stone Bunny/Pentagram/Death Row. Not since that monolithic record had there been a group so acutely attuned to the mystical frequencies of ‘70s proto-doom, so sensitive to the cryptic mystery that made bands like Atomic Rooster so special. Not till now, that is, because this record is a fucking CORKER. While this record isn’t quite as derivative or conscientiously calculated as the Witchcraft debut, which some might suggest is a dent on Burning Saviour’s appeal, I think this truly works to their advantage, making the record sounds less rigidly revisionist and gimmicky. While the production throughout is still suitably soulful and organic, it is a far cry from the painstakingly meticulous analog fuzz of the Witchcraft record. Instead, everything here has a much punchier, more upfront and aggressive sound, like a Castle remaster. Drums are full and rich, cymbals are crisp, sonorous and musical, the guitar tone is fucking GOLD, swooning with sultry Hendrix sensuality, the bass velvety and dulcet. What results is a sound that emanates all the resonating warmth of a vintage record, the guitar sound and mix absolutely RADIATING with warmth, yet synthesizes this sensibility with a more aggressive modern sheen. Every song here is a gem, really quite astounding for a band this young, this green. The lurching reptilian slouch of “Silent Prayer” is exceptional, building upon a premise of a lumbering bassline and swelling into a grandiose, magnificently moody passage, complete with ominous rhythms that make you feel as though you are in the center of a cavernous abyss. The track closes out with a repetitious, minimalistic but delectably HUGE riff, the rhythms gaining momentum until the track collapses in a cathartic fit. Just when you’ve gathered your breath, “Pytho” wraps its coils around your neck, its crawling grooves tugging at your head and urging you to surrender yourself to the dark lord, Andrei Amartinesei’s vintage Liebling croon navigating you into the core of Hades. The ethereal rhythms really give the track a surreal, weightless feel, as opposed to the lead-footed stomp of much contemporary doom, the band shifting effortlessly from blaring, doomy passages into much more refined, solo-driven bluesy sections, creating IMMACULATE epics that are so dynamic, hypnotic and engaging that it’s frankly quite beautiful. Try and hold back the nostalgic tears when the wandering lead that weeps gently 53 seconds through “Shadow”, almost Eddie Hazel-esque in emotive capacity, the band marrying the swooning sexuality of vintage r’n’b with brooding rock n’roll, bringing first album Atomic Rooster and Wishbone Ash to mind. Fuck, fast forward to “Spread Your Wings” and be treated to a GLORIOUS Jethro Tull passage complete with elegant, understated flute. There is so much restraint and subtlety on this release- I would have liked to see some more creative drum work sometimes, a few more fills, but otherwise everything FITS on this release. The solos are brilliantly tasteful and profoundly expressive, excruciatingly heartfelt, while the basslines are supple and supportive, occasionally embarking on divergent angles from the largely dominant guitar. There is scarcely a note here that feels unnecessary or forced, as every musician plays firmly within the parameters of the song, delivering each bar with character and conviction. Everything about this release is instant classic. I’ve probably listened to this about 11 times today, and I’m still basking in its brilliance. I do wish the record incorporated a bit more of the ‘’folkish’’ elements promised on the press release (it would’ve been VERY cool to hear some Comus, Mellow Candle and Pentangle in here…that stuff was used quite liberally on the Witchcraft record), but that is a very minor complaint but an overly anal asshole. Hell, I’m about to pull out all my old Pentagram, Trapeze, Black Widow and Stone Bunny records after this. Burning Saviours, along with Falcon, High Rise and Ogre have managed to encapsulate all that was MAGICAL about a bygone era, revitalizing blueprints adopted by some of rock’s most esoterically enchanting outfits and renewing them for today’s audience. This is the best thing to ever come out of I Hate Records, and that is a MAJOR compliment considering the stuff they’ve put out to date. DARK, progressive, hypnotic DOOM of the very purest strain. So fucking essential. July 3rd, 2005 |
