Review by Nina Schirmer
The new Silver Snakes album Saboteur is the perfect album to take you on an adventure in your own mind. The album flows from heavy guitars and vocals to then more soothing rhythms, providing a great mix for fans of many rock based genres.
The album begins with “Electricity,” opening with a steady drum pattern catching the attention of any listener. The song builds with intense guitars and softer vocals becoming more intense as it progresses. A really nice thing about this song along with many of the songs on the album is the flow between the heavier to the more toned down parts, with more rhythmic guitar riffs and softer vocals. The band provides such a great mixture that will leave any rock fan satisfied because it isn’t always just heavy or just slower paced, there is a perfect blend between the two.
Saboteur continues with the second track, “Glass” which you would think slows down the pace of the album, but as the song continues, it comes in with a powerful chorus and moves to really melodious verses. What I really noticed about Silver Snakes through this album that makes them really great is that they seem to make sure they emphasize each instrument in certain parts of songs. For example, there are certain parts in several songs where you only hear drums (“Electricity” and “Devotion”) and in the song “Glass” you hear more bass riffs. Then, when all the instruments come together towards the end of the song, it makes it more powerful as a whole and overall really impressive.
Track three, “Raindance” is a more fun track on the album with catchier and repetitive guitar riffs and vocally a fun track to sing along with. Following this song with track four is “Devotion.” This song opens up with really a graceful melody and vocals that then builds up the intensity by including more metal vocals. The track then goes back to a slower harmonious melody and ends with a soothing drum beat. The album then transitions to the song “Fire Cloud,” a shorter song on the album but a relaxing, instrumental track with only guitars and no vocals. The album then flows through the next tracks, “Red Wolf” and “Charmer” that transition the album to a different unique vibe that “Charmer” accentuates through colorful guitar tones.
Song number eight, “La Dominadora” is a shorter track on the album and is really different compared to other songs. It is really captivating and makes you wish that particular song was longer. The next track on the album, “Dresden” is an amusing listen with a slower and pace than most of the other songs that focuses more on instrumentals towards the end of the song that adds to the emotional feelings of the album. The album ends with the song, “The Loss,” which has some pretty intense and emotional vocals towards the beginning, but then moves into just instrumentals that perfectly describe the whole general sound of the album by being more percussion driven and continuing the album’s dark yet intriguing sound.
While listening to Saboteur, you really notice the darkness of the album but also the overall creativity that went into making each song to go along with that darker theme, and it was done really well. One of the best things about each song is that in a way, they enhance your own creativity by providing food for thought, situationally or emotionally. Music allows us to think more by providing us with ideas and emotions we don’t always think about or feel, and when we are exposed to these thoughts and emotions we can really learn a lot more about ourselves. Silver Snakes has really proven themselves as a band with this album for being able to capture those emotions and thoughts specifically through their instrumentation.
Rating: 4.5/5
Listen to “Devotion”
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