Saurian – Bled Dry (2024)
Saurian is a four-piece hard rock band from Dunedin, New Zealand that knows exactly what they are about. Stemming from 80s rock, they have, for the most part, stripped their sound of the excesses of that style and found anew the distorted, gritty heart of it. It’s nice to hear from a band that is derived from a style but not married to it.
They have also eschewed the glam-lust that accompanies most bands from that era and pointed their considerable talents to issues that affect them directly. So, it is perfectly in keeping with their character that the new EP Bled Dry opens with the most infectious of the three singles, ‘Down at the Crown’. With a classic rock riff and a four-on-the-floor beat, the song draws you and guides you through some unexpected harmonic changes. The rebel-takes-all attitude addresses the imminent danger of a town-favorite night spot, The Crown, that has been in business longer than some countries have been established.
Their other radio-friendly song ‘Devil Among Men’ addresses the increasing difficulty of telling what is real from what isn’t. With an AI-made video to make sure their point is not lost, the song features another infectious hard rock riff with a couple measures of metal-head double-time on the chorus, some stinging lead guitar fills and a brief solo from frontman and guitarist Karl Brinsdon. At right around 6 minutes into the EP, major props have to go to rhythm guitarist Kat Haque, bassist Logan Wichman, and drummer Josh Tuiavii for keeping a tight, danceable (in a head-banging sort of way) groove.
But it’s also here where Saurian takes a deep dive into sonic and lyrical territory that gets darker. ‘Itch’ is a great ballad that adds piano and organ into their sound, creating a haunting chord progression over which Brinsdon sings about the itch he just can’t keep from scratching. By keeping to the tight metaphor, he creates a relatable tale of that one self-destructive thing, that one itch that each of us has to scratch. This song also has his best solo to date, hands down, putting the perfect emotional cap on this number.
‘Park Bench’ roughs up the pace a tad but keeps the tone going in that empathetic direction by telling about that guy that almost everyone knows who is sleeping on the park bench. Whatever you think about the issue of homelessness, Brinsdon brings a measure of compassion to the humanity of individuals out on the street. By this time, his guitar fills have become like a second lead voice and the unintrusive addition of background vocals on the bridge and piano on the outro adds yet another subtle expansion to their sound.
‘Dead and Cold’ shifts sharply into a sound that feels more explicitly metal than anything else on the album. It’s a slow plodding number that sits as heavy as the opener stood light and rockin’. The journey from beginning to end in a snappy 18 minutes speaks of the band’s craftsmanship. The mindless headbanger stereotype does not apply here. Saurian has crafted a great EP that incorporates subtle changes to their sound in a way that appeals to listeners while calling them to go deeper. Although Brinsdon’s voice could do with some of that subtlety (he is all open-throat all the time), it’s surprising and refreshing how much empathy and compassion the band brings to the table.
Find out more about Saurian on their official website, Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
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