I have found
Saviour Machine to be a very special band.
To me,
Saviour Machine is one of the truly original bands to walk this earth. They are able to convey massive amounts of emotion through their brilliant music like no other band I know. Unfortunately they are also one of the most overlooked bands in history. Through time I will review all their releases, but it will take some time as they are all very complex. This is their debut album, which mostly shows through the production. The production is a little rawer and thinner than on the following releases, but still it gets the job done ok.
This is also their most primal album. By that I mean that I find it their simplest and easiest to get into album. A good place to start if you want to discover this "one of a kind" band.
There are many things which combined make this band one of the truly original bands in the world of music. I don't know how to describe this style of music to others. I might call it
Progressive Theatrical Metal, but then again, the best way is to give it a listen and make up your own mind. The first word that comes to mind when I listen to this music is
Beautiful, but then again, not even that word justifies this music. Sometimes it is just out of this world, especially on their later albums.
I'll try to bring forward a couple of the songs that I like best from this debut to try and give you some idea of what the music sounds like.
The album starts out with
Carnival of souls, which sets the mood for the rest of the album perfectly. I love the way the guitar and drums play together in that slow interlude before Eric starts singing. The next thing you notice is the voice of Eric Clayton. He is unlike any other singer I have ever heard. He has an extremely beautiful way of singing. It sounds like every word is sung with a burning passion. He has a very theatrical way of singing and combined with a very deep voice you have one of the most recogniseable singers in the world.
Legion is probably the song that is easiest to get into. It was the one that got me hooked on the band and it has been my album favorite since I first heard it. Legion is a fantastic song with a very special atmosphere created by the keyboard, an amazing rhythm section and of course, the vocals.
Ludicrous smiles continues a string of excellent songs. The song has a great drive, carried along by the always present guitar. So many great melodies are created by the guitar throughout this song.
Ludicrous smiles continues into
The wicked window which builds from a slow song to a fast and aggessive finish. Cool. Also check out the brilliant passage which starts at the 3 minute mark. This is one of the things that makes me love this band so much. Those brilliant changes.
Son of the rain has an excellent powerful start, which quickly slows down to a very emotional passage with Eric singing straight to the heart of anybody listening. I love how the keyboard and guitar underline and build the power of the song until the chorus finally takes over.
Killer is a 10 minute song with an epic feel to it. The brilliant guitar by Jeff Clayton carries much of this song along. I love his playing which has a kind of "flying" feel to it. The highlight comes about halfway through the song with a powerful passage filled with brilliant music and vocals. I find that the ending part slows the album down a little though.
After the slow ending of
Killer Saviour Machine are back in full force with
Widow and the bride. A powerful and fast song with a brilliant melody. Brilliant guitar and drum work is all over the song and the chorus is a great release.
Christians and lunatics is another favourite of mine. Again, I love the guitar playing in this song, along with the amazing chorus, singing and overall feel of the song. The way the song builds before the chorus is just genius...
I love the way the guitar and bass play together in
The mask. Another great song with something new to catch my attention.
A world alone is an extremely beautiful ballad, both musically and lyrically. It is also a great showcase of Eric Claytons voice. Here his emotional voice pours all over the song and gives it that extra feeling and impact. This is also the song that best conveys the melancholic feeling that runs through the album.
Jesus Christ ends the album on a powerful and dramatic note. This is a brilliant song with many changing passages. The ending part of the song has to be heard. It it a definite highlight and a beautiful way to finish the album.
Well, I guess that was a little more than a couple of songs. Terribly sorry, got carried away a bit :)
All the musicians on the album play brilliant. Sometimes I wish the production was as good as on the later albums as some details tend to get lost in the background and can only be heard with headphones.
A highpoint of the album is the guitar playing of Jeff Clayton. He has a very interesting style. I impressed with the way his guitar playing gives a feel of flying through the album.... Sounds weird? Well, give it a listen then :)
This album only gets better with time. The first couple of times you hear it every song might sound the same, but give it time and you just might discover the brilliance of this piece of art. Whether I listen to the album with guitar, vocals or drums in mind there always seems to be something new going on.
Lyrically this is a very complex album. I don't want to get too much into them, as I'm not sure that I even understand them completely. The real reason I love this band is for the beautiful music they create.
This debut album of
Saviour Machine was released back in 1993. If you have never heard of this band, now is your chance to discover one of the most overlooked bands in history. This is the first album I heard by them and I'd recommend everybody to start here too. Don't under any circumstances start by listening to the complex Legend Part II which is on sale most places. Do yourself a favor and get the albums in the correct order to get the most out of this "one of a kind" band.
Some people may get scared away when they discover that
Saviour Machine is a Christian band, but I urge you to give them a chance like I did. You might just discover a whole new world of music.
Written by
Steen Friday, November 8, 2002
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