Posted on: October 8, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Sah – 06/06 / 2007 Phiatry / 5 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/sah / http://www.phratryrecords.com /

It is always a risky gambit for a band to go forth and start off their EP with an instrumental song. Sah is a band that does just that with the opening to their 06/06, “Inside You There’s A Part of Me Scared Shitless”. Luckily for the listeners, Sah is an act that can create a tremendously interesting narrative out of nothing more than a set of drums and a guitar. Where the tempo may slow significantly during the aforementioned “Scared Shitless”, the band comes back into a raucous, loud sound that will shock listeners to attention. Keep in mind that the five tracks each last for over ten minutes, and one should understand that the style of what Sah puts forth on 06/06 is not like that of bands trying to gain radio play, but rather is similar to acts like those on Hydra Head, albeit removed from the metal genre.

The progressions on each of the five tracks on “06/06” have time to modify themselves. While some of these show the band turning on the metaphorical dime, others represent a slow and steady change from one set of sounds and influences to another.  The band is able to create tracks such as “The Stuff Dreams Are Made Of” that will keep individuals interested throughout every minute of its nearly-thirteen minute runtime. Where some segments of the track seem as if Sah is approaching the work of a band like Tool, the emotional intensity and complexity of the tracks far surpass what a Tori Amos-loving band like Tol could come up with. The disc will not be well received by individuals that are socialized to have their music short, fast, and loud; if individuals have an hour to spend on dissecting this disc, chances are good that the benefits will be well worth the effort exerted. 

Top Track: Ball Gladder

Rating: 6.0/10

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