SAENTS - Saents

Nashville’s heavy blues and rock syndicate, Saents, allows the listener to embark on a journey through the desert, drenched in leather and molasses laden boots. Fairly new on the scene, with very little to no exposure, this southern duo demands to be recognized by teetering on the threshold of heavy psych and rambunctious whisky rock. Ultimately, this band has a sheer advantage over many groups that try to so desperately mimic this rustic hallucinating sound. The city of Nashville acts as a melting pot of magnanimous proportions; sprinkling in key ingredients from geographically adjacent genres. Within this realm, you are surrounded by Appalachian folk, sludge metal, whisky rock, and lastly, old country (please don’t confuse old country with the new). While the main influences of this entrancing home style duo embellishes the heavier rock and metal side, it is imperative not to forget about the forever lingering characteristics that were engrained into the fabric of southern music. However, without knowing the origin of this group, it is almost effortless to confuse the music as having a desert rock feel to it.

As mentioned previously, upon first play from their debut single “Blood,” instantly the listener is engulfed by desert rock influences of bass heavy distortion and thunderous drums. Desert Rock, is perfectly cemented for the description of what bands like Queens of the Stone Age, Kyuss, and Truckfighters possess. Compatible and practically interchangeable with the well-acknowledged genre of stoner rock, this specific sect is notoriously known for having the representation of being loud and brash, but often acquiring a dense and murky aura. Not surprisingly, this classification of rock was well received by Southern Californians with a scattershot following in the desert area. While this theme has a persistent appearance throughout the record, it would be southern suicide to write this off as merely a spin-off Black Motorcycle Rebel Club band. Although aggressively similar, one area that Saents does distinguish themselves with is the epic revelation that vocalist, Rett Smith, forces the listener to encounter. Tales ranging from the ever long search for God and love are sung so intensively through the lens of a gory allegorical narrative. From an image standpoint, the cover art for “Blood” depicts an ambiguous and cryptic witch-like figure doused in blood behind an ominous black and white backdrop. Continuing on with the tracklist, you will find much of the same until you hit the last two tracks, which start off with a vanquished, tumbleweed ambience, followed by a terse, spitfire finale. These tracks’ main purpose is to conclude that whatever sludgy folklore was intensified in the beginning, is now being laid to rest indefinitely.

A debut is hardly ever accurate enough to draw a logical conclusion about the inevitable change in a band’s creativity. Many bands, hardly ever stay the course of what their initial image is supposed to represent. Saents, while valiant and successful in their approach, it is hard to identify anything spectacular moving forward. The shrill and charismatic southern draw combined with the buoyancy of western influences will provide them enough steam to get notice, but not much further. Fortunately for them, this is just the beginning for what they hope to be is a vengeful introduction capturing the industry by sandstorm.