the permutation - saviors & villans

The Permutation

Saviors & Villans
self-released; 2013

4.1 out of 5

By Sean Dennison

I honestly thought if I threw The Permutation into a search engine I'd get at least a couple of hits from bands from the 60s or 70s, even 80s, who released a single or two and then cut their losses. But nope, looks like these three stoners from Denmark are the one and only - hyper masculine psychedelic rock with just a set of drums, bass and guitar. Saviors & Villains opens with the moody "Before the Storm," where sorry-sounding bass strings are plucked while rain pours into a swirling guitar solo. Then things get serious.

"A Change Is Coming" is a brilliant emulation of 90’s stoner rock. Guitarist Jonas Rethmeier puts the spins on your mind with his chaotic swirls. "Khamûls Glam" keeps things fresh with more varied drumming and funkier bass lines, courtesy of Pontus Pedersen and Marcus Åkelund, with the added bonus of having wild lyrics like "have you accepted Christ?" before a wild howl and searing guitar riffs. Then, just to be spontaneous, they shift gears entirely on the dark funk of "Sun Dancing Herring" and even channel a bit of Carlos Santana toward the end just because. Åkelund and Rethmeier split vocal duties, and their feral calls of destruction add to the music.

This a stunning debut, due in no small part of the bands' excellent take on different genres and in particular Rethmeier's powerful guitar work. There're some little things, like that damn clacking sound on "Saviors" and on some songs I wish the bass were a bit more prominent. Otherwise this music makes me want to drown in beer while wearing a coat made of dirty, shaggy hair. Fact is, these boys know what they like and how to express. Unfortunately for my eardrums, they like playing frikken awesome rock music.

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