Savanon

Savanon are from Greece and they have on their first release Savanon one track with the name Savanon. So it is Savanon on Savanon by Savanon. Easy to remember is not it? Yet this one track has a length of close to thirty minutes and to remember each facet is not something that is likely to happen by listening to it just for one or two times. This demo needs some time to grow and it wants to be discovered by the listener… if this person is willing to possess the patience to do so.

Two elements or better said genres are present in their music: doom and black metal. The first is clearly dominating over the latter one and is especially perceivable in the clean vocals of Blackclad. Of the darker arts only little can be found on the first release of Savanon, with the exception of the middle-part and some small additional facets at the end of the track. Yet their impact on the compositions is rather limited to the vocals and do not have a deeper impact on the doom dominated song. Only on a minuscule scale are the riffs influenced by the black metal genre and as thus also the tempo and atmosphere stays at a certain and hardly changing level.

Doom… somehow, but not fully applying to this term. Savanon is not a doom band in vain of Candlemass or Electric Wizard and also nothing of an ordinary sort. They tend to take a major influence from the Funeral Doom subgenre and combine the dark and depressive, the slow and repetitive style with clean and cheerful vocals; two contrasting elements. Furthermore lacks the music of ambient or even noise samples respectively weirdness in general; of which bands like Black Bile, Funeral Moth and Senthil are famous for. Savanon stick to the core essences of the ‘genre’ and use guitars and drums to create their art.

The music is minimalist and the riffs are repeated quite extensively, but not in a way that might annoy the listener or that this approach of composing songs is revealed the very moment someone listens to it. Variation of the riffs and playing with the arrangements of chords is a core essence of Savanon’s art on their first demo. Someone might think a song with a length of close to thirty minutes would require a large amount of riffs and motives, but this Greek band proves that this is certainly not necessary and it all comes down to the aspect of overshadowing ones short-comings. With two guitars, a lead and a rhythm, and a bass-guitar the band is able to offer a great variety of different styles in which the music is performed and on several occasions a acoustic guitar takes their part over and enriches the art with another facet.

One negative aspect on this demo is the balancing of the instruments. The cymbals are too dominant and also the guitars like to have a place in front seats; especially the acoustic ones. Yet unlike on a lot of other demos, the effect is not disturbing or negative and it has also not a grave (negative) influence on the atmosphere. This aspect is rather something of personal preferences and I always like to have all the elements balanced in a way that none of them has a clear dominance over the rest. The second point of criticism points also in the direction of tastes and their impact of ones perception of the music. Do not understand me as getting nit-picky, but I do not like the way the vocals work together with the instruments; no I am not insane. The rhythm is an essential point of all forms of music and how the syllables work together with the music is a tricky thing. On several occasions on this demo the Greek band has some parts in which all instruments as well as the vocals appear on the same chord (time signature); and this is what I do not like… it sounds odd. All is packed together, appears at one single moment and even though it is certainly not bad performed, yet from my point of view I perceive a disturbance of the atmosphere and hope that this part passes by quickly.

Savanon does not make it easy for the listener on their first demo, but even after one complete round it is revealed that the persons behind this band have some experience and skill in writing catchy music. Yes, catchy… a thirty minute bastard of a song can be catchy, because it depends on the riffs the band has used and woven together in what extent the listener will be caught in the atmosphere. The band plays with the riffs and varies them again and again; in the sense that it appears now in its original form and soon in a variation; sometimes the music leaves the impression of a journey in which different moods are passed, sometimes it is rather like a discussion in which two different parties exchange arguments. Well, despite for the astounding length of the track, it does never reach the point of plainness which might turn the listener aghast from it.

Savanon (the track) is fascinating for one reason: with how little elements it is actually possible to create something haunting. Depressive Black Metal bands try to limit the amount of elements to a minimum and a lot of fail in their attempt to drag the listener into the deep desolate lanes they want to set as a reflection of their art. It all comes down to the arrangement of elements and in this respect Savanon has done a good job on their first demo. This trip, a quite adequate description of the one song, is certainly worth taking for ever fan of Funeral Doom, who favours the core essences of the genre over modern ‘add-ons’ like ambient and noise elements.