Save Us are a 4 piece from the UK with an impressive debut EP titled Lucid. I knew nothing of this band prior to listening to their work and before the EP was even half way through it had me scrambling for more information. Back catalogue? Tour information? Past projects? Nope. This is new. This is fresh. It just sounds like a band who’s already done all that.
‘Nightmare’ opens the ep with a massive wall of melodic synths and guitar chords. The band’s immediate control of dynamics is note worthy… the pull back… the lull… the launch back into the power heavy chorus, it’s all very instant and quick to capture the listeners attention. Very well executed.
‘Haunt’ throws down meaty pit-ready riffs and breaks for quiet verses and aggressive chugs. It’s clear the band are more than comfortable operating in metal-core territory but the soaring long vocal lines and melodic passages of the choruses win out in the end.
The EP is 6 tracks and most average just over 3 ½ minutes each so they’ve clearly done the work in the lab to refine these songs to their optimum arrangements. It’s a quality you can identify by how not a single second is wasted nor riff repeated without purpose. A lot of attention has been paid towards the mix and balancing the instrumentals beneath vocalist Miguel’s massive vocal performances. I found myself recalling TesseracT but minus the inhuman progressive technicality. For a keen example check the back half of the third track ‘New Light’!!!
‘Distance’ and the EP closer ‘Drift’ are more emotive and perhaps deserve a more attentive ear to reveal the gold, but these are my favourite songs on the EP. As an Aussie I couldn’t help but hear shades of Karnivool and Hands Like Houses in this material, and although there’s no connection, I would love to see them reach a similar audience. It’s just an impressive heavy, impassioned EP that will be added to playlists with no hesitation. Mine included.
