In 30 years there hasn’t been a shortage of sweaty, dirty underground punk rock releases sprouting up across the globe. The Savants’ Absolver is no different. The Winnipeg trio plays that fast and furious, lo-fi, in-your-face punk, slaying the listener with exasperated rough-hewn vocals drowned in a barrage of raucous, overdriven power chords. There are some real highlights here, notably the melodic chorus on President’s Choice and the acoustic lament of Half Assed Apology, which truly lives up to its name. But at the same time, there is nothing here we haven’t heard before. The Savants come across as a more pissed off version of The Ramones, recycling four-chord tunes we’ve heard countless times before, no matter how catchy. Overall, fans of old-school punk will find themselves enjoying Absolver and can catch The Savants when they play the Albert on Wednesday, Oct. 14.

Published in Volume 64, Number 5 of The Uniter (October 1, 2009)