Lithuanian-based trio Erdve prove that Post-Metal is a global scene, for they sound like a crossover between Dutch and Swiss band and release on French label. For all of you out there, who think that Post-Metal is too blunt and regular and has become shallow without any new bands giving the genre any new life – Savigaila proves you wrong!
Savigaila (which translates to “self-pity”) is a record that unashamedly plays between Amenra, Rorcal and a bit Cult Leader and their different approaches to Blackened Post-Metal. We witness a band that is able to incorporate little electronic swirls into a sound dominated by muscular riffs that is often close to Post-Hardcore with a lot of breaks. The first track ”Lavondèmés” shows that already starting off with a guitar riff that stumbles over itself, like a rapid fire attack, but then towards the end is takes a few steps back and adds some sizzling electronics to the mix.
The latter becomes even more obvious when the third track, ”Votis”, comes up – an ambient track that shows a lot electronics which would also do very well on a Rorcal record, as the Swiss guys are among the masters of combining electronic noise and ambient with Black and Post-Metal. This track serves as an opportunity for taking breath, but nevertheless it should also stay in connection with the rest of the record and thus the somewhat sinister and insinuating some danger beyond the edges of what we can witness. Counter-acting the rough, galloping riffs with these ambient passages in which short burst flare up and shed light onto some horrifying scenery – a structure that somewhat reminds one of the plot-line in Event Horizon or other suspense-filled movies where short lights show deep shadows which can be filled with more fantastic terror never felt before.
The very same thing can be applied to ”Pragulos” where a semi-acoustic guitar is combined with some slow meandering circles of noise rippling away, when the vocals set in and sound a bit like Gavin Hayes from Dredg. These parts are what sets the raging thunder on tracks like the title track apart from the rest of the genre. Not to misunderstand, the noisy pits which have a kind of industrial touch are similar to amazing other acts like LLNN while the perfect reverb of the bass is a reminiscence to Cult Leader and other hardcore-infused Post-Metal acts.
The topics dealt with on this release also show some kind of resemblance to hardcore because the band talks about domestic violence, crimes against humanity or extremism – topics often also associated with hardcore punk and answered by ideas of love and care and togetherness. The band treats the topics with a healing mental attitude, that way building a connection with its audience based on cherished esteem and full of respect, that definitely comes across even though the songs are sung in Lithuanian.
With Savigaila the scene gets another band to watch, as Erdve are certainly on a good path and with a label like Season of Mist backing them, one shouldn’t be surprised if this trio is the next big thing, we told you!
