Those parts of continental Europe closer to the Arctic circle seem to have an ability to throw out class band after class band, particularly in the fields of hard rock and metal that are so close to my heart, and of late independent label IHATE has managed to do sterling work promoting them. The latest band they are helping to bring to notice are Swedish doomsters Burning Saviours with ‘Boken Om Forbannelsen’ (‘The Book About The Curse’, according to the handy on line translation service). Having been going over a decade now, with a few demos and no less then three full length albums already under their belt, this album is a compilation of four singles from 2011-2013, brought together as a taster of their style.
Encouragingly, the band are willing to sing in their native tongue, rather then just English, with two tracks, including opener ‘Forbannelsen’ being in Swedish. The tone of the whole album is set by the first track, with it being clear the seventies heyday of hard rock is the band’s main influence, the drums being particularly impressive with the sort of flurries that Bill Ward used to help create the early Sabbath sound. Indeed, that influence is clear throughout, the album having a distinctly classic sound, the uncluttered mix not needing a host of electronic tricks to create. ‘Midnight’ follows, and has a strong prog feeling to it, evoking hints of Black Widow, especially in the vocal delivery. This occult doom theme is even more apparent in ‘The Offering’, with its Iommiesque guitar riff, and ‘Spirit of the Woods’ with its story of myth and magic, whilst ‘The Nightmare’ opens with a bluesy progression that was so beloved by rockers like Led Zeppelin.
The fact that Burning Saviours have been producing music of this style for over a decade is clear proof that they aren’t just following a new trend, but rather sticking to what they know, enjoy, and are clearly capable of producing. ‘I am Lucifer’, the penultimate track, easily holds its own against the best of newer bands like Devil, whilst equally sounding as if they could in fact be a discovery from back in the day. Hopefully with a renewed partnership with IHATE, some new material will be forthcoming, and the band can ride this retro wave to the recognition they deserve.
(7.5/10 Spenny)
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