Savn – Savn (2014)

Featuring Carmen Elise Espenæs (Midnattsol) and the ex-The Sins of Thy Beloved duo Stig Johansen and Anders Thue, Savn is a new comer band to the Gothic Metal/Rock scene that delivers a very imposing debut self-titled released. With a sound based on ‘older’ Gothic Metal/Rock from the late 90’s and early 2000’s, the band has a very familiar vibe to Theatre of Tragedy, Tristania, and The Sins of Thy Beloved. Packed with guest appearances, this is one release you don’t want to miss in 2014.

The album instantly opens with a stunner: “Musical Silence”. In this song we have a very upbeat vibe with a certain Folkish atmosphere to it that quickly changes as the very prominent keyboards make their way. This is the first impression one gets of Savn, and it is a majestic one, reminding us of TSOTB and Theatre of Tragedy in their Liv Kristine days. The music is quite upbeat but with a certain melancholic edge, something that retains the darkness of TSOTB but with a certainly different context, like we can see on “Hang On”.

The first guest collaboration from in “The Demons in Me”, featuring Michelle from End of Green. This track is quite vibrant and very diverse with different tempo changes and a very powerful duet between the male and female vocals. As the catchiness of “Longing for Love”
 rolls by, the next collaboration is one that many people had been waiting for: Liv Kristine and Carmen Elise singing in “I Am Free”, which is also the heaviest song of the release featuring powerful growls.

Our personal favorite is the very melancholic “Sorrowful”, a track that is quite powerful and excellently crafted. The band’s catchiness is unrivaled when it comes to tracks like “All I Want” and “Now Or Never”, filled with commanding riffs and enchanting string elements. Changing the pace of things, the dramatic ballad-esque “Lengselens Hand” is a Folkish tune that is quite mellow and showcases Carmen’s excellent singing abilities in her native tongue.

With the digipack version including two bonus tracks, the ‘growling version’ of “Hang On” and “The Demons in Me”, fans of the genre will get their fair share of amazing music with this release. As a whole, Savn’s self-titled debut release greatly gives a modern sound to ‘old school’ Gothic Metal/Rock. With the masterful keyboards of Ander Thue and Stig Johansen’s musical vision, the band has managed to fill the void left by all of the bands going to more symphonic territories. If you like Tristania, Sirena, TSOTB, ToT, etc., you will love this album, so be sure to not miss it.

Label: CDR Records

Release: April 25th, 2014

Genre: Gothic Metal/Rock

Country: Norway