Burning Saviours - Hundus - [I Hate Records]

2006-10-19

If nothing else, Sweden's Burning Saviours have managed to truly grasp that 70's doom Black Sabbath vibe with extreme precision, the band's second release takes off where last year's self-titled debut ended, dark and atmospheric stoner rock with a strong resemblance to Pentagram.

I have to say that the things that initially pissed me off about the release turned out to be its main attraction points, the thin, amp-based distortion and the high pitched voices that brought to mind Rush's Geddy Lee. After a few listening sessions all of that grew on me, and combined with the immediate favorite aspects of the album – the great sound, the drumming, the lead guitar work, it all fits together to create a unique, and very enjoyable ride.

While the opening two tracks are straight forwarded and quite basic, the third – "The Servant" twists and turns in ingenious ways, the fourth – "Lilly Marion" is a pure work of genius, great riffs, great atmosphere, even the slightly off-tune vocals work just right to capture that 70's feeling, a strong prog-rock vibe, and the combination of a flute is a real corker. The following track – "Ballad Of Time", is just as brilliant, a real Black Sabbath style quite track.

This is probably one of best 70's styled smoked rock album I've heard lately; these guys have a winner here.

Alon Miasnikov