Saviour: ‘Let Me Leave’ Review by Jake

Saviour: you may not have heard of this band, as I certainly haven’t until now. They’ve had a rough ride over the past few years, from splitting up in late 2013, to reforming in 2015 with 3 new members and a new sound. One question remains: will their latest album live up to the 4 year wait?

This album was an interesting listen. It was a rather sombre affair ‒ nothing too fast, and no signs of happiness or speed. For me, this is a rather refreshing twist to the Metalcore genre, exploring new emotions and stylistic choices heightened by the angelic sounding Shontay Snow ‒ a new addition to the band. Together, these new elements make this album stand apart from other bands that share the genre.

Pros	Cons
The two vocalists both sound amazing.	The album gets a bit samey near the end.
When the clean and uncleans mix, it creates a contrast and harmony that all-round pleases the senses.	Sometimes the unclean and clean vocals don’t mix well.
The lyrics are exceptionally written.

 

My analysis

I’ll begin by saying that the addition of Shontay Snow as the clean vocalist is phenomenal . Her angelic, clean vocals contrast brilliantly with the excellent unclean vocalist Bryant Best. These two worked well together and put their A-game in their delivery. Further, one thing I found interesting about Bryant Best was the accent in his unclean vocals. He used a mix between low growls and fry screams throughout the album, but when he was screaming his voice took on a strange urban dialect which added an edge to his unclean vocals. This sets Best apart from any other famous unclean vocalist out there, and adds a unique element to Saviour’s music.

 

 

In all honesty, I can’t name a bad track on this album. All the tracks are solid, but some of the outstanding tracks are ‘The Cool Calm’, and my overall favourite ‘April’. ‘April’ is a showcase of a first track that really gets you in the mood for the album, and shows off the amazing vocal work. It displays Shontay’s beautiful voice through her delivery of the chorus, accompanied by Bryant Best’s unique unclean vocals, and creates a sense of harmony within the song. My favourite part of ‘April’ is when they are simultaneously singing and screaming ‒ it makes it memorable and leaves a lasting impression.

 

However, no album is perfect. I must say that while this album is amazing, it can be a little repetitive with the non-stop angst and bleakness. It never really shows anything different ‒ it’s the same the whole way through ‒ but it didn’t get to the point of being a grind to get through. It was still extremely enjoyable, but perhaps a tip for their next album would be to try out a song with a faster pace and with a more aggressive sound as a comparison to the depressive and melancholy sound that follows throughout the entirety of ‘Let Me Leave’.

Overall, an excellent showing from Saviour ‒ they really have returned with a bang. The album is mixed extremely well, and everybody from the vocalist to the guitarists to the drummers were fantastic. It really felt like they all gave it their very best in every song. If they keep putting out quality albums such as this, then they have a chance of becoming the next big thing.

Written by Jake La Ponder

Edited by Ari Smith