OFF THE DEEP END

Only two years from their last album, and Swedish quintet Salva are back with their fifth album. I enjoyed 'Sigh of Boreas', So was looking forward to this one, but for some reason this just didn't gel at all. Yes there are some wonderful vocals and harmonies, plenty of Seventies style keyboards and loads of guitar, but there is something about this that just doesn't work. In many ways the whole album feels quite one-dimensional and when I played it for the first time I had real issues getting through to the end, as it felt as if it was almost a combination of 'prog by numbers' and Seventies classic rock with some orchestral and choirs thrown in for good measure.

By the time I had played it three or four times I had got to the point where I was tolerating it, but by now I was just feeling quite bored. The spark just isn't there for me, and I can't explain why. Possibly the song quality isn't what it could be, as there is no doubt the guys can play and sing, but this album was a struggle for me, and given the amount of music I have to listen to, for me this wasn't worth the effort. Possibly I will feel differently if I play it more, but I just don't have the inclination to do so, as there are times on numbers such as 'Brickshort' where it actually feels quite amateurish in the vocal approach.

Rounded up to 3, but more like 2 1/2 to be fair

This is already Salva its studio-album #5, but my first musical experience with this Swedish prog formation. After a few listening sessions I notice that on this new album Salva sounds like a 'Tribute To The History Of Rock, Prog And Pop', what a dazzling variety!

Between prog metal, Gothic rock and melodic rock in King Of Nothing (bombastic choirs, heavy keyboard sound, a propulsive rhythm-section and fiery electric guitar, evoking Within Temptation but also fellow Swedish rockers Europe) and the final track Brickshort (very varied, with an exciting intro delivering a glorious church organ ' and Mellotron choir sound, along Gothic choirs, celestial female vocals and fat synthesizer flights).

Progressive pop with hints from Eighties Manfred Mann's Earth Band in Clarity I (swinging with tasteful keyboards and guitar) and like Alan Parsons Project in Skyclad (dreamy with a howling electric guitar solo and emotional vocals).

AOR in Clarity II (tight beat, rock organ and guitar and sparkling keyboards) and Clarity III (bombastic and dynamic with lush Hammond and powerful guitar, like Eighties Kansas).

Folk rock in the epic The Ghost Of Fives (varied with a wide range of instruments, from a tin-whistle sound to acoustic guitar and piano).

My highlight is the 10 minutes epic composition Under the Fear. First a swinging rhythm featuring fat synthesizer flights, then an up-tempo beat with bombastic Hammond. The music shifts into first dreamy vocals with soaring Mellotron violins and then a mid-tempo in a bombastic climate with heavy Hammond sound and again fat synthesizer flights propulsive drums. Halfway again dreamy with warm vocals and Mellotron violins, emotional vocals and tender piano, including a sparkling synth solo with powerful drum beats. The second part is also loaded with variety: from a swinging accellaration with a bombastic climate and strong vocals to a dreamy atmosphere with voices, wonderful piano runs. And finally a very compelling sound: bombastic keyboards and strong vocals, lush Hammond, fat synthesizer flights, culminating in Prog Heaven with a majestic Mellotron choir sound and moving electric guitar solo with howling runs, like the best Pallas, IQ and Marillion, wow!

In my opinion Salva its newest effort Off The Deep End album suffers from a bit too ambitious approach at some moments, too many ideas and too much variety. And some tracks sound for me too polished, like the AOR inspired songs and the ballad Clarity IV. But in general I conclude that this new Salva effort contains lots of entertaining and tastefully arranged music. With good work on keyboards and guitar, I hope on its next album Salva will focus on compositions like King Of Nothing and especially Under The Fear, I am sure then Salva will showcase more of its potential.

SALVA started when S. GAVIK and P. MALMBERG were young: they played handball and found themselves in the same love of hard rock music. Over time, they scoured a lot of stages before becoming the group here in 2003. So, we can say that it is a group that was able to soak up a lot of musical genres! Personally, I have been following them since "Left to burn" in 2007. Note that W. MACKIE (HOGGWASH) and R. REED himself (MAGENTA) have worked to have them recognized.

Question musical genre, I had originally been seduced by the fruity Hispanic prog sound (another personal trademark, but I will not change my annotations!), Then by this symphonic prog style, eclectic prog metal, jazzy rock (very fashionable lately I think in a good way), grandiloquent and inimitable prog rock. The Celtic and Irish atmosphere emerges over certain compositions. We surf on MARILLION, PINK FLOYD, JETHRO TULL, TOTO, YES by certain flights of synths. More WITHIN TEMPTATION, EPICA, OH reviewed lately, BIGELF, ERA in some ways! There are also hard rock bands from the 70's period with big riffs and organ, all that making me think from afar also of RAINBOW, of DEEP PURPLE! It's a lot of reference...but be careful, I'm just giving a representative idea of ​​ their sound because their sound is by definition theirs first and foremost. Because of the singer's very singular, very captivating, almost intoxicating voice and the instruments ideally set up for each title! Also note the title in several parts "Clarity" alternate with longer titles and a little more prog!

Well, we attack with "king of nothing" with a mouth-watering title, well brought intro (beginning of BOF!) then atmospheric energetic with violin and breathtaking guitar. "Clarity I" starts with a DEEP PURPLE sound with organ and well-typed musical extension. "Skyclad" the album's soaring post ballad with a very hard guitar break that gives fat to this title. "Clarity II" or the FM hit (I find it hard to say pop!) that could have taken place not so long ago, it's well played, energetic and a bit like the "Reality dream » of RIVERSIDE it allows to prepare in a fluid way for another musical theme; what happens with "The ghost of fives" and its aquatic entry, that's good, the river title of the album all in delicacy, with Irish-folk sounds then with almost orgasmic rises of guitar solos. Again a calm, calm sound, we can find BLACKMORE's musical research in it. "Clarity III" another playful title à la JETHRO TULL, then à la JONASZ for a blues and jazzy air at the same time. "Under the fear" leaves with a very fat sound, a rather heavy rhythm, a gripping echoing voice, here I find a little of what LIGHT DAMAGE has been doing lately with its style by offering a varied melting pot of the best bands of the 70's. Here I find a JETHRO TULL riff, a PINK FLOYD melody, but I let you discover! Ah if the musical interlude on the piano and phrasing voice a must for me! "Clarity IV" the second ballad of the album with a higher voice, soft choirs, acoustic guitar, piano and Spanish atmosphere with an acoustic guitar solo. "Al dente", country-folk just to attack the last slope of the album with "Brickshort", can surely finally be the centerpiece! Here, no concessions, it starts with Wagnerian organ then it goes up with donf drums (in French bad boy in the text!) and synths to lead to symphonic prog metal à la SALVA! A female voice is even more reminiscent of this group that I will not mention, SALVA has finished conquering me, I just let you listen to yourselves, but GOD it's good!

You will have understood it, I was waiting for it, I listened to it. I had a hard time at the beginning for certain songs, the time to remove all the influences, then you feel the ear let go and interfere even longer in this album. The previous ones were good but this musical fusion of all styles was missing. There it is done almost automatically and we recognize in fact the work done for many years to offer such a masterpiece. Personally, I love these bands who do their musical research and who offer a new genre without repeating themselves, now you will know by listening to them if you think a bit like me.