THE OFFERING (FORBANNELSEN PART II)

Swedish band BURNING SAVIOURS was formed back in 2003, and for the next five years they were an active live and recording unit, with three full length albums to their name prior to splitting up in 2008. Two years later they reformed however, now sporting a revised line-up. Since then they've been working with a project called "Förbannelsen", with a planned set of thematically connected 7 inch vinyl singles. "The Offering" is the second of four planned parts of this endeavour, and was released by Night Tripper Records in the summer of 2012.

A-side The Offering is a nice composition. A mid-paced affair with a snail-paced chorus, featuring a few instrument details borrowed more or less directly from what is likely a main source of inspiration, namely Black Sabbath. Apart from these instrumental touches the overall sound is one that owes quite a lot to Iommi's classic foursome from the 70's. Up to and including the nice, blues-oriented guitar solo. But the end sequence is another story entirely. Tied in with the lyrical topic covered I presume, we're served a dampened, delightfully ominous sequence where glockenspiel and a light-toned clean guitar jointly manage to create a brooding, fearful atmosphere. Haunting stuff, and highly effective to boot.

B-side Spirit of the Woods is a shorter, compact affair. Another composition made in the vein of 70's Black Sabbath, albeit not sporting any direct references as such apart from the overall sound and vibe. An elegant drums and bass standalone theme is a nice touch on this one, used three times in total and each of them as a transitional phase. To good effect I might add. A nifty combination of melodic soloing on top of wandering riff patterns and fragmented soloing on top of impact riffs another feature worth mentioning.

The vinyl single itself is, take note vinyl enthusiasts, literally a heavy package. The single itself a heavy slab, and contained within a stiff cardboard cover with beautifully printed artwork. When I was in my teens I used to buy protective plastic covers for such productions, so that I could attach the cover to the wall, displaying my precious works of art for whoever dared to enter my teenage cave. 25 years ago this is one of the album covers I would have displayed, and with a certain sense of pride I believe.