Wednesday 20 March 2024

Daevar - Amber Eyes (Album Review)

Release Date: March 22nd 2024. Record Label: The Lasting Dose Records. Formats: CD/DD

Amber Eyes - Tracklisting

1.LILITH'S LULLABY 07:53

2.PAY TO PRAY

3.CALIBAN AND THE WITCH

4.AMBER EYES 04:01

5.LIZARDS

6.GREY IN GREY


Members

 

Pardis Latifi - Bass Guitar & Vocals

Moritz Ermen Bausch - Drums

Caspar Orfgen - Guitars


Review


Psychedelic Doom/Grunge/Stoner Metallers Daevar return with their second album Amber Eyes which has arrived quite quickly after their acclaimed debut album Delirious Rites was released back in Jan 2023. This time round, Daevar delves further into their Grunge roots for a more mature and fuzzed up offering. The album is quite dense with Sludgy Psychedelic passages and thumping bass line courtesy of vocalist/bassist Pardis Latifi. 


With a more central 1990’s Shoegaze/Grunge creative attitude appearing quite strongly within Lilith’s Lullaby and Pay To Pray allowing the music being closely aligned to bands such as Soundgarden, Alice In Chains and A Perfect Circle with emotionally charged vocals being played against aggressive Doomed Out Stoner grooves. The sound is quite gloomy and full of bleak romanticism within the darker depths of their music which is given extra weight by the intense drums of Moritz Ermen Bausch and the bone-crunching guitars played by Caspar Orfgen.


Amber Eyes sees Daevar slowly start to add distorted levels of Doomgaze with echoes of WINDHAND appearing along the way but still allowing Pardis to deliver passionate, bewitching and intense melodic vocals. The spirit of 90’s Seattle is buried within the creative DNA of the band’s music with the contemporary Sludge/Stoner Metal heaviness the underground scene is known for.


Other songs on the album become more Progressive and dominated by first rate storytelling elements on track such as Caliban And The Witch, Amber Eyes, Lizard Eyes and Grey In Grey. These tracks show a different side to Daevar compared to their debut album, as the mood is dominated by a Post-Gothic or Post-Doom drive with heavy moments of Doom/Stoner Metal which has an almost classic Paradlise Lost flow to the album.


The album once again like their debut album has been engineered, mixed and mastered by Jan Oberg of EARTHSHIP, GRIN and Slowshine fame. Jan is also releasing Amber Eyes through his very own label - The Lasting Dose Records. The whole tone and sound of the album is an absolute joy to experience with Amber Eyes having a classic vintage sound whilst switching to a warmer and heavier sound when the Psychedelic Stoner parts appear.


Amber Eyes is another exquisite and thrilling record from Daevar that allows them to fully explore new creative and exciting opportunities in the future and lay the groundwork for future releases. Daevar may have earned themselves the right to possibly play on some of the bigger stages within the Doom/Sludge/Stoner Metal scene. Daevar have truly arrived with Amber Eyes. 


This is another Album Of The Year contender from Deaver. Watch them soar with this release.


Words by Steve Howe


Thanks to The Lasting Dose Records and Against PR for the promo.


Amber Eyes will be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via The Lasting Dose Records from Friday 22nd March 2024.


Links


Official | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram