Psychonaut / Saver Emerald - Split Album

Classic Black Vinyl!

Psychonaut and SÂVER are akin in many ways: both artists embody and explore corporal, physical heaviness in their sound as much as spirituality and philosophy, both artists often stretch their compositions close to the 20 minutes mark, and both artists redefine the concept of the classic power trio within a context of genre-bending, modern heavy music: where SÂVER plea for calculated minimalism, PSYCHONAUT employ an arsenal of percussion instruments on their recordings, and it is even more so astonishing how well they manage to reduce the polyphonic assault to the trio in a live setting.
Psychonaut and SÂVER, are two bands sharing a side apiece on this Emerald split LP. The Belgian troupe lead off with the 16-minute “The Great Realisation,” bringing progressive textures and patient melodic build en-route to a satisfying onslaught, volume trades not necessarily unpredictable but welcome nonetheless, as Norway’s SÂVER follow with the 19-minute “Dimensions Lost, Obscured by Aeons"
PSYCHONAUT literally came from out of nowhere - Mechelen, Belgium, to be precise.
Their 2020 album Unfold The God Man showcases excellent musicianship and song writing abilities, heavily influenced by 70’s bands like Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd, but also drawing inspiration from contemporary heavy artists like Tool or
Amenra.
SÂVER from Oslo, Norway delivered an equally astounding debut album of sublime heaviness, shimmering moogs, abrasive vocals and a devastating, gnarly bass tone. Their jaw-dropping performance at the renowned Oya Festival in Oslo in the summer before the pandemic, accompanied by mesmerizing visuals on a huge screen, was a foreboding of what to expect from this band in the future.
The pandemic caused harm, but it also granted time.
Ole Rokseth took this time and translated it to magic, giving birth to the first half 'Dimensions Lost' with his arsenal of synthesizers recorded in different studios around Oslo. The contrast to the latter half 'Obscured by Aeons', the dissonance between the soft and eerie and the furious anger, is a reflection of the key element we want to incorporate in our sound. The void between darkness and light. Ole Rokseth´s extended use of clean vocals gives SÂVER the power to emphasize this even more on 'Emerald'.