Label: CDR Records/Intergroove
Review by Tony Cannella
Every so often, I’ll think, “Whatever happened to The Sins of Thy Beloved?” They released two albums in the late 90s and early 2000 (“Perpetual Desolation” is such a great record). Well now, two of its former members Stig Johansen and Anders Thue have resurfaced with lead vocalist Carmen Elise Espenæs from Midnattsol in a Gothic metal super group of sorts called SAVN. With that mystery now solved let’s get to the matter of their self-titled debut album, shall we?
It remains to be seen if SAVN is just a one off project or will continue to record down the road. Whatever the case, this debut a pretty cool album, with some heavy and emotional moments featured within its 50-minutes of musical playing time. The opening track “Musical Silence” is heavy but still melodic as is the next song “Hang On”. “The Demons in Me” in me is a beautiful which features mail vocals from Stig weaving effortlessly with Carmen’s. “I Am Free” features vocals from Liv Kristine (of Leaves’ Eyes fame) and this actually turned out to be one of the best and heaviest songs on the album. Other highlights include: “Longing for Love”, “Sorrowful” and “Now or Never”.
Of course, comparisons to TSOTB and Midnattsol are inevitable, but SAVN is a success in carving out its own identity for this trio of talented musicians.
Rating – 80/100
Tracklist
- Musical Silence
- Hang On
- The Demons in Me
- Longing For Love
- I Am Free
- Sorrowful
- All I Want
- Now or Never
- Lengselens H?nd
- Hang On (Growling Version)
- The Demons in Me (Growling Version)
Line Up
- Carmen Elise Espenæs – vocals
- Stig Johansen – Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Drums
- Anders Thue – Keyboards