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When I first heard Saviours' latest release, Into Abaddon (Kemado), bands like Iron Maiden, Venom, Witchfinder General, Trouble and Candlemass all came to mind. Not because I thought Saviours was trying to sound like any of them, but because they somehow managed to combine the galloping guitars of NWOBHM with the painful heaviness of Doom Metal, and the end result is pretty fucking mind-blowing.

Listening to the opening track "Raging Embers," it was obvious that these four guys hailing from Oakland, CA, have major talent. Tyler Morris and Austin Barber both have an amazing guitar tone on this record, and lay down a nice mix of harmony and riffage. Although the guitars are very intricate at times, they are not over "noodlely," which is too often not the case with today's metal bands. Barber, who also handles the vox, has a voice that is a bit reminiscent of Matt Pike, and it is a perfect fit for the music. Drummer Scott Batiste and bassist Cyrus Comiskey provide the backbone, and seem to beat the shit out of their instruments while managing to thrash and sludge at the same time. As the seventh and final track ended, I immediately thought of Slayer's magnum opus Reign In Blood, in the sense that Into Abaddon is short and to the point. The production, handled by the one and only “Evil” Joe Barresi, is clean but not too clean, and there is absolutely no filler.

Although there is not one sub-par track, if I had to pick stand outs they would be "Cavern Of Mind," which has an intro that just keeps building and building, "Inner Mountain Arthame," which is a 7-minute epic, would standout on any Sleep record, and the title track, which chugs away like a Maiden and Motorhead-fueled freight train heading straight for your face. This record is a masterpiece, and you need to buy it, whether you’re a young headbanger trying to navigate your way through today's bullshit metal, or an older metalhead like myself who remembers and is longing for metal the way it use to be.

More on Saviours, including tour dates here: www.myspace.com/saviours666

Into Abaddon is out Jan. 22 on Kemado.

Download - “Cavern of Mind” from Into Abaddon – [mp3]