SAVIOUR MACHINE

4.5 stars.This is an absolutely stunning debut from these gothic Christians from California. Very dark and atmospheric with a singer who has a great baritone voice. You may remember him(Eric Clayton) guesting on Ayreon's "Human Equation" record. His brother Jeff plays lead guitar in the band. They list BLACK SABBATH and PINK FLOYD among many others as influences. I should note that although they are Christians, the lyrics are mostly taken from the book of Revelations which suits the music perfectly, being a very apocolyptic book. Also of note, this particular album was banned from Christian book stores in the U.S.A. weeks after it's release for the lyrics in the song "Legion". The lines "The dragon slides between her legs" and later "Between her legs they crawl in torment" were specifically the targets, although there were other issues apparently (big surprise). That's typical in my opinion of religious people who are always on the lookout to point the finger and judge, but that's another subject.

"Carnival Of Souls" is my favourite off the album. What an opening track ! It features a hard driving rhythm and choir-like backing vocals. Great sound. It settles (love this part) as vocals arrive a minute in. It moves me when his vocals become more passionate 2 minutes in. This contrast continues. The guitar sounds echo 5 minutes in. Nice. "Force Of The Entity" opens with some in your face guitars before vocals come in. A galloping rhythm follows as these themes are repeated. Backing vocals are cool.

"Legion" is mid paced with grinding guitars throughout. The tempo picks up 1 1/2 minutes in. Some guest piano in this one is a nice touch. "Ludicrous Smiles" is an energetic and powerful song. The guitar fills the soundscape with metal as drums pound away after 2 1/2 minutes. Great tune. "The Wicked Window" opens with grinding guitar and gothic vocals. There is so much tension in this section that you would think something is going to blow. It's not until 3 1/2 minutes in that the tension is released, as it calms down with lots of atmosphere. The final minute is complete chaos. "Son Of The Rain" is a top three track for me. An explosive intro settles down quickly as vocals and piano come in. There is so much emotion in the vocals on this one. "Killer" sounds so good to start. This is my other top three song. It actually reminds me of FATES WARNING when it calms down at first. Then we get this middle Eastern flavoured guitar. Nice. This is the longest track at 10 minutes. Great vocals 5 1/2 minutes in. The last 2 minutes are very epic sounding, like from a movie. "The Widow And the Bride" is full speed ahead metal. It settles 2 1/2 minutes in but does kick back in a minute later. I agree with UMUR that this is the weakest song on here.

"Christians And Lunatics" has a nice heavy soundscape with deep vocals and thunderous drums after 3 minutes. "The Mask" is brighter sounding. Vocals before a minute. Piano before 4 minutes. This is one of the better songs. "A World Alone" opens with some gentle atmospheric guitar as reserved vocals come in. This is almost ballad-like. Very meaningful lyrics with some orchestration. I like it a lot. "Jesus Christ" opens like the last song with beautiful sounding guitar melodies. Soft vocals come in. The song and vocals become passionate and triumphant. This contrast continues. It ends with the words "Set us free".

This record just draws me in, I really like their dark atmospheric sound.