SAVN – “Savn”
Savn
It is certainly refreshing to hear front woman Carmen Elise Espenæs’ voice exploring some brand new territory. Far from the high and delicate melodies from her work in MIDNATTSOL, her vocals on SAVN’s self-titled debut are strong and clear, mysterious and still expressive.
As for SAVN’s sound, it is dark and heavy, but still very melodic; with rock guitars and bass, solid drums and very present piano melodies. The strings and fiddles add some depth and a touch of folk to the, sadly, otherwise quite similar songs. The male vocals and occasional grunts make some tracks more gothic than others and bear witness of the band’s influences and background (THE SINS OF THY BELOVED).
A good album, though something is missing.
The nine-song effort of the Norwegians is undoubtedly a good one, both in production terms and in songwriting. But I’m missing the “wow-effect”. It is good music, for sure, but nothing really new or totally different or extreme in any way. The sound is complex enough to be called metal, and yet easy-going enough to appeal to the more mainstream rockers, and it is catchy as well. Two songs that definitely got me moving are ‘Hang On’ and ‘I Am Free’, the latter featuring the singer’s sister (LEAVES’ EYES-leading lady) Liv Kristine on backing vocals.
Tracklist:
01. Musical Silence
02. Hang On
03. The Demons In Me
04. Longing For Love
05. I Am Free
06. Sorrowful
07. All I Want
08. Now Or Never
09. Lengselens Hånd
10. Hang On (Bonus Growling Version)
11. The Demons In Me (Bonus Growling Version)
Savn is:
Carmen Elise Espenæs (Vocals), Stig Johansen (Vocals, Guitars) and Anders Thue (Keyboards).