Wednesday 10 May 2017

Savanah - The Healer (Album Review)


Release date: May 11th 2017. Label: StoneFree Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

The Healer – Tracklisting

1.Intro
2.Mind
3.The Healer
4.Pillars Of Creation
5.Black Widow
6.Panoramic View Of Stormy Weather

Members:

Benny, Felix, Jakob

Review

Savanah's new album - The Healer - is a very intriguing affair with the band showing right amount of creativity and passion that was on their debut album. This time Savanah have a more progressive feel amongst the Desert/Stoner Metal sounds.

The opening track - Intro - your standard opening song with the band playing a dronish/ambient style of noise.

Second track - Mind - sees the band play classic sounding nineties Stoner Metal with a blues/desert rock vibe. The vocals are your usual style of Stoner Rock/Metal but their superb throughout. The hazy psychedelic moments linger on quite heavily that allow the band to slow the mood right down. It has an almost subtle post-rock feel before the band speed things up a bit for the heavier noises to return.

Fans of Kyuss and Truckfighters will find kindred spirits with Savanah. The musical interplay between all the band members deserves a mention as these guys work together so well as they create an exciting atmosphere within the album.

Third track - The Healer - is perhaps the heaviest song on the album as Savanah opt for a sludgier style of music to get their hypnotic message across to the masses. Heavy psychedelic guitars have a slight vintage feel to them but the sludge grooves adds a more modern sound. It's a distinctive sound with Savanah practically showing off at times. Especially with the heavier and slow paced moments. The production of the album is clean and beautifully crisp from the start. The final moments of The Healer sees Savanah playing a thrashier style of rock/metal.

Fourth track - Pillars Of Creation opens with a minimal Desert Rock approach with the music being played at a deliberate slow pace. The second half of the track finally springs into life with the more exciting fast-paced and heavier Stoner Rock/Metal riffs. This is purely an instrumental song and ranks as one the best tracks on the album. It shows that Savanah have a talent for playing melodic post-rock style passages.

The final two tracks Black Widow and Panoramic View Of Stormy Weather - perhaps sees Savanah at their most direct and experimental at times. They offer twenty one minutes of finely played riffs with the mood drifting from one exciting moment to the next. The sound does become more experimental especially with the vocals. Though nothing that will stop your overall enjoyment of the album.

The Healer is a thrilling encounter of Stoner Rock/Metal and one that will appeal to their already established fanbase. This is another superb album from Savanah who have the potential to make a name for themselves if they keep making stunning records such as The Healer.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Savanah for the promo. The Healer will be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Stone Free Records from May 11th 2017.

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