Samavayo - Payan (Album Review)

Release Date: March 25th 2022. Record Label: Noisoltion. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Payan - Tracklisting

1.Afghan Sky feat. Nick DiSalvo 05:49

2.Shot Shot Shot Shot feat. Tommi Holappa 07:04

3.Payan feat. Igor Sydorenko 07:01

4.Transcend! Exceed! 03:59

5.Prophecy 08:52

6.Talagh 05:05

7.The Mission feat. Willi Paschen 05:09

Members

Andreas Voland (Bass, Vocals, Organ)

Behrang Alavi (Vocals, Guitar)

Stephan Voland (Drums, Vocals, Percussion)

Review

Payan is the new album from prolific German Psych Stoner Rockers Samavayo and the band show new waves of Fuzzed Up Psychedelic Creativity on their seventh record. The band brought a few of their famous pals along for the ride of the majority of the tracks. Samavayo bring a more Seventies Psych Rock and Space Rock attitude to this album and it’s definitely more spaced out than I originally anticipated.

Opening track Afghan Sky features a guest appearance from ELDER head honcho Nick DiSalvo and it’s mix of Desert Fuzz with a boisterous sludgy and seedy Psychedelic grooves with awesome added bonus of  Classic Stoner Metal vocals showcasing Samavayo are still hungry after all this time playing their blend of highly anthemic music. The song is quite rebellious and has quite a powerful Space Rock afterthought especially when the Psychedelic Freakouts appear. You can hear influences from bands such as KYUSS, Thin Lizzy and Queen on this track. 

Second song Shot Shot Shot Shot teams the band up with Tommi Holappa from legendary Swedish Stoners DOZER and GREENLEAF. A stirring mix of Swedish Spaced Out Stoner Metal and Classic Desert Rock/Stoner Metal that still manages blast all the way upto the COSMOS with a mighty fine Prog Metal outlook as well. Throw in flashy Classic Hard Rock guitar solos and Samavayo conjures up one of the standout tracks on the album.

Third song Payan sees Samavayo join forces with Stoned Jesus main-man Igor Sydorenko and the results are equally as good as the opening two tracks with this perhaps being the best track on the entire album. Alice In Chains, Black Sabbath and Soundgarden are perhaps the strongest musical influences that I can hear on this track with Samavayo still playing their usual first rate Psych Stoner Metal delivery. The song does take some time for Samavayo to find their creative ground but I loved the more nuanced style of music on this track. Add a haunting Middle Eastern element and Payan is the song with the most interesting things to say.

The following three songs Transcend! Exceed!, Prophecy and Talagh sees Samavayo branch out on their own with this being the real “Samavayo” finally starting to appear with their usual first rate take on modern day Psych Stoner Metal with Prophecy and Talagh being the real highlights here. As these are the songs where Samavayo feel they go back to their  musical “roots”.

The final song The Mission features a team-up with Will Paschen (Coogan’s Bluff) and is the most straight-forward and action packed of the collaborative pieces of this album. The song is quite direct and offers a slightly skewed Punk Rock off-take of AIC inspired vocals and blistering Stoner Rock grooves.

Payan is one of the strongest releases that Samavayo have released in some time. Potentially it could even be considered one of their best releases to date.

Overall, Payan is a turbo charged affair with a fantastic modern day aggressive attitude. 

Awesome stuff. End of.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to the many folks who sent promos to review. Too many to mention this time I’m afraid.

Links

Official | Facebook | BandCamp

    

Introduce Yourselves: Samavayo

What is the name of your band?

Samavayo

What is the genre of music that you play?

It’s energetic Stoner Rock with progressive and psychedelic elements.

Can you give a brief history of the band of how it came together and where it is today?

We started as a young band of 4 in 2000 and release our first album in 2005 “Death.March.Melodies!”.

Later after several releases and many many shows we became a trio in 2013 and the new chapter of Samavayo started.

The important marks were the album debut as a trio “Dakota” (2016) and our latest album “Vatan” (2018). We played great tours with Greenleaf, Stoned Jesus and The Machine and a lot of awesome festivals like Desertfest Berlin, Desertfest London, Stoned from the Underground and many more.

Our new album will be released in 2022 and have several guest musicians from befriended bands! We will play Desertfest Berlin (GER) and Sonic Blast Moledo (POR) in 2022.

Photo by Christoph Dainel Kotter

What can people expect from your music?

This is what people get on live shows and on our records: Energetic heavy rock music with melodic singing, walls of guitar and bass, groovy and powerful drums and a lot of fun for us playing it! Besides English lyrics we also have some Persian (Farsi) songs!

Photo by Christoph Dainel Kotter

What is the best release that folks should check out from your band?

“Vatan” from 2018 is an album with massive sound and different elements that represent Samavayo! 

https://samavayo.bandcamp.com/album/vatan

Where can people find you on Social Media?

https://www.facebook.com/samavayo
https://www.instagram.com/samavayo/
https://www.youtube

Samavayo - Vatan (Album Review)

Release date: November 23rd 2018. Label: Self Released. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Vatan – Tracklisting

1.Prevarication Nation 07:39

2.Vatan 07:45

3.Sirens 04:40

4.The Hate of Thousands 06:56

5.Marionette 06:13

6.Time To Die 05:58

7.Children of Kobane 06:16

Members

Behrang Alavi (guitar, vox)

Stephan Voland (drums, backing vox)

Andreas Voland (bass, backing vox);

Review

Progressive Psych Stoner Rockers – Samavayo – return with their new album – Vatan. The band continue their mix of Psychedelic Stoner Rock merged with Progressive Rock. The band have been described as Kyuss and Truckfighters jamming with TOOL in the past. That’s a very accurate description for Samavayo overall sound and their new album Vatan.

If that description sounds appealing to you then you will no doubt have a great time with Vatan. Even the vocals from Behrang take direct influence from Maynard James Keenan. Some of the bands lyrical themes and progressive melodies are heavily inspired by TOOL. However Samavayo add strands of Psychedelic Stoner Rock and Doom Metal to create music on their own terms.

Though just be prepared for a journey into the dark realms of Progressive Stoner Rock/Metal on Vatan.

Opening song – Prevarication Nation – is quite a dark and progressive song to open the album with. The lyrics have quite a bleak feel to them and the music moves between Psych Rock, Stoner and Progressive Rock with relevant ease. There is still a sense of familiarity with Samavayo’s music but you can’t deny how addictive the song can actually be at times.

Second song – Vatan – is a more Stoner Rock/Metal orientated song which allows the band to change the overall mood of the album. Especially when the trippy vocals appear. The music feels more laid-back and has a more apprehensive feel compared to the opening song. The vocals are handled superbly well for the most part of the song. There are a couple parts where the vocals are drowned out by the heavy music.

Third song – Sirens – opens with ambient sound before the progressive riffs appear and Samavayo get straight down to business in playing perhaps one of the most trippiest and psychedelic songs on the entire album. The riffs are very direct with the Progressive Rock elements being firmly kept in the background.

Samavayo continue their psychedelic musical journey on the remaining songs on the album and the album sees the band experimenting with their sound even more. It maybe too much to take in on your very first listen of the album. So you may need a few listens to get used to the different styles of music Samavayo have included on the album.

Other cool songs to check out and fully explore are: The Hate Of Thousands, Marionette and Children Of Kobane. All these songs fully show a different side to Samavayo’s music. The lyrics can be quite deep and thought-provoking at the same time and that allows Samavayo to have an air of mystery around their music. Something that I truly appreciate about this album. As it makes you think what you’re actually listening to on the entire album.

Overall, Vatan is an album is one that will appeal to Samavayo’s established fan-base the most. As the casual or first time listener may struggle with the complex themes that the band have included here. Though that doesn’t stop Vatan being a well-made and superbly entertaining album.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Links:

Official | Facebook | BandCamp

SAMAVAYO - Dakota (Album Review)

Release date: May 05th 2016. Label: Setalight. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Dakota – Tracklisting

1.Arezooye Bahar 06:34

2.Iktsuarpok 06:42

3.Dakota 07:40

4.Cross The Line 07:13

5.Intergalactic Hunt 05:12

6.Overrun 06:34

7.Kodokushi 05:23

Band Members:

Behrang Alavi (git,vox)

Stephan Voland (drums, bvox)

Andreas Voland (bass, bvox)

Review:

Before I listened to Samavayo’s new album – Dakota – I thought this was their debut album and that they wore their musical influences too close to their chest. Parts Truckfighters with a more vibrant and livelier Middle Eastern based sound. So I was rather surprised when I discovered Dakota was their fifth album and they’ve been playing the same sound over the last few albums. From that discovery I’ve had to rewrite this review a few times now to the one you’re reading now.

Dakota is a very weird album. Parts Fuzz, Psych, Stoner and Grunge with songs sung in different languages. Opening track – Arezooye Bahar – is sung in a Middle Eastern dialect. Samavayo create a psychedelic wonderland of spaced out fuzz rock magic where the sounds are very mysterious to listen to at times. Fans of Truckfighters will no doubt enjoy the high energy fuzz based riffs.

Second track – Iktsuarpok – opts for a more laid back psychedelic vibe with layers of Stoner Rock/Metal adding a more progressive feel. Samavayo feel they were influenced by TOOL on this song as it has a familiar dynamic that legendary band is known for. That’s not a bad thing as Samavayo still create some of the albums most exciting moments. The vocals can be very jarring at times but they’re handled superbly well.

Third track – Dakota – sees the band change the tone of the album yet again with a grungier based sound. The progressive moments from the previous song are there as well but this song remains a more traditional Stoner Rock/Metal number. The riffs have quite a choppy effect as they stop and start for short intervals throughout the song. The lively chorus soon gets you in the mood to fully rock out.

Fourth track – Cross The Line – is where the band finally starts to feel comfortable with their own sound. Or it could be the listener will start to feel more comfortable with the progressive craziness being played here. Whichever way you look at it, Samavayo unleash heavy psych stoner rock/metal riffs with a playful progressive vibe running through out.

The final three songs – Intergalactic Hunt, Overrun and Kodokushi follow on the same style of Progressive Stoner Metal riffs heard on the previous songs. It can be very tiresome to listen to at times but you only have to wait a few moments for the band to create some genuine moments of excitement and you’re back rocking out like there’s no tomorrow. Kodokushi is perhaps the best song on the album as it blends elements of Psych, Stoner, Fuzz and Prog Rock for something wholly original.

The production on the album is handled very well though there are moments where the volume is too high and you can’t understand what is being played around you especially with the vocals losing some momentum here and there. Overall, Dakota is a daring, bold and quite experimental album. Give this album some time to fully understand and appreciate as you will richly be rewarded with a few daring riffs along the way.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Claire at Purple Sage PR for the promo. Dakota is available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl now.

Links:

Official | Facebook | BandCamp