Savior, Say I - Savior, Say I

Reviewed by: Russ Hockenbury (12/03/06)

Savior, Say I – Savior , Say I
Label: Unsigned
Release Date: November 7, 2006

With the recent resurgence of punk rock (minus the pop, minus the emo, minus whatever prefix you want to attach to it), one might forget that there was a time when young punks found more social truth in the music of Blink 182 than Bad Religion. There are bands that have carved out their niche in the scene with their own spin on tradition and there will be bands that fall to the wayside and become a mere footnote in the renaissance. Louisville’s Savior, Say I are closer to the latter.

Rising from the ashes of Louisville hardcore also-rans like Onslaught and Cast From Eden, the members of Savior, Say I jump ship from their roots and look to trade breakdowns and floorpunching for sing-a-longs and head-nodding on their debut EP. It’s not as easy a transition as they would’ve hoped. Often, the dynamics take sharp (and bewildering) leaps that fail to match up with vocalist Brian Leonard’s work. You can take the shredders out of the hardcore but you can’t take the hardcore out of the shredders.

Vocally, Leonard is of the Greg Graffin/Matt Skiba mold. He aspires to be just as insightful and dark with his lyrics. While Graffin and Skiba have a knack for irony and symbolism in their songwriting, Leonard’s words are little more than blunt.

I curse the lonely nights
I curse the lonely people
I curse this endless fight
But I’m still dying over you

Social commentary or punk rock cliché, you decide.

Blame Latterman for song titles like this: “Check It Out Honey, I’m Turboflex”

No faux hawks allowed: Bad Religion, Ryan’s Hope, Marathon