EP REVIEW: Savior Self – The Villa
Atlantan atmospheric metallers THE VILLA are back with their debut EP – an offering that leaves you excited for more. Consisting of former ISSUES/WOE IS ME vocalist Michael Bohn and guitarist Kevin Hanson, DANGERKIDS’ Alex Asch on additional guitar, Jeremy Crowe on bass, and ex-FROM FIRST TO LAST/I SET MY FRIENDS ON FIRE’s Chris Lent on drums, THE VILLA’s first release on Velocity Records showcases a band with a lot to say and the experience to tell it beautifully.
Opening with the previously released Bad For Me, we are brought into where THE VILLA are at for the first time since two previously released standalone tracks way back in summer 2020 – and they aren’t afraid to make a statement right out of the gate. With a not-so-straight-forward metalcore beat at its heart, fans of the likes of BAD OMENS‘ most recent LP The Death Of Peace Of Mind will warm to this one quickly and with good reason; laid back atmospheric verses dropping into swirling synths, guttural riffs and melodic choruses depicting addiction and determination to break the habit all blend together to shape this EP thematically and dial you in immediately.
There’s only one of two ways that forming a supergroup can go; it either brings together the greatest elements and talent of other bands to create something truly magical, or you’re left wistfully listening to everyone’s separate efforts and dreaming of simpler times again. For THE VILLA, thankfully, it’s very much the former. Everybody in this band is exactly where they are supposed to be right now, and it shows.
Collision Course hits especially hard both lyrically and sonically, and the feeling of struggling with one’s own identity (for Bohn, the focus is on his religion) is something almost everyone can find themselves relating to (particularly after the last few years of staring at the same four walls) and debating where we find ourselves in life or what’s next. Bleeding straight through to the lighter, brighter pop-punk notes of All In is a great stylistic choice and almost serves as a breather, albeit one that comes at a price in favour of even darker lyrics such as “It’s a little fucked up in my head / Are you in or are you out then?”. The shining star of the show, All In pulls tight on the heartstrings whilst introducing an electronicore sound and showcasing THE VILLA’s full versatility and vulnerability in equal measure.
Perhaps the most delicate of all here is Let You Down, a slower pace from the band’s usual disruptive yet spacious sound with a suitably slowed down beat, and title track Savior Self is perfectly balanced in every way, with an opening that wouldn’t seem out of place in a modern slasher, a twisted final transition into Bohn’s most delicate thoughts fuelled by forward-thinking hopefulness that echo’s the sentiment of beginnings fresh and new.
An undeniably raw look into lead songwriter Michael Bohn’s mind that at times sounds like a direct conversation with the mirror, Savior Self allows us to be privy to private moments in his headspace and tonally creates a capsule of tracks to fully fall down THE VILLA’s own rabbit hole listening to.
Rating: 8/10
Savior Self is out now via Velocity Records.
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