Release Date: March 28th 2025. Record Label: The Lasting Dose Records. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl
Sub Rosa - Tracklisting
1.Catcher in the rye
2.Siren Song
3.Wishing well
4.Daughter
5.Mirrors
6.Forgotten Tale
7.FDSMD
Members:
Pardis Latif - Bass Guitar & Vocals Moritz Ermen Bausch - Drums Caspar Orfgen - Guitars
Review
Doom/Grunge/Stoner Rockers Daever are really cooking on gas with their exquisite and beautifully heavy third full length record Sub Rosa which comes a year after their celebrated second album Amber Eyes. Daever have aligned themselves more closely to the Grunge musical cause for this release with the music being influenced by the likes of Alice In Chains and Soundgarden in places. Lead vocalist Pardis Latif is on truly inspired form hitting all the right emotional notes which shines superbly throughout the whole album especially on the excellent opening tracks of Catcher In The Rye and Siren Song.
The first part of the album feels like a mixture of WINDHAND and STONE TEMPLE PILOTS with abstract melodies and subtle Grunge sounds with a sense of dirt, dirge and complete angst hidden within the lyrics. Daevar add a sense of classic FUZZED OUT heaviness which allows their sludge based dynamics to shine through that develops into a collection of all out heavy atmospherics.
Sub Rosa does allow the band to expand their Sonic / Psychedelic delivery which was used sparingly on their previous records but Daever have developed this part of their music into a more important part of their creative arsenal which gives the record an unexpected Spaced Out element. The music is played at a spectacular and aggressive fast-paced at times with Pardis’s bass adding a level of grimy heaviness with Moritz Ermen Bausch’s drumming and Caspar Orfgen’s guitars adding the final powerful slab of destructive sludge force that expands into some outstanding instrumental soundscapes, melodies and grooves that have a life of their own.
Other standout tracks from the album are: Wishing Well, Daughter, Forgotten Tale and WSMD.
Sub Rosa is at it’s most strongest when Daever focuses on a primal style of music with intense amounts of classic DOOMED OUT FUZZ with a resemblance to 90’s Alt-Metal, Grunge and Stoner Metal. The sounds can be quite emotional and abstract which sees Daevar having a maturity way beyond their years despite only being together as a band for only three years. It’s simply incredible to see what Daevar has achieved in such a short space of time by releasing three outstanding records in close proximity to each other. However, each record has been better than the last and that’s quite a hard thing to accomplish.
The record can be quite upbeat and highly emotional when the mood needs this to be with Daevar’s masterful songwriting and storytelling skills being there for everyone to fully experience. With the band teaming up with The Lasting Dose Records and underground mastermind Jan Oberg (Earthship and GRIN) once again on recording, mixing, engineering and mastering duties then is it any wonder why Sub Rosa sounds superb throughout.
The record has the feel of a classic underground record with the right aspects of wider commercial surroundings that allows Daevar to fully breakout onto bigger and better things with this record alone.
Yeah, Daevar are without doubt one the coolest and highly talented bands to emerge from the Doom/Grunge underground scene in recent years. Sub Rosa is a definitive ALBUM OF THE YEAR contender. No question.
Words by Steve Howe
Thanks to CZ Promotions for the promo.
Sub Rosa will is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via The Lasting Dose Records
