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Amora Savant plays contemporary metalcore, which might immediately turn some people away, but the band made wise choices in selecting their influences. With crafty guitar melodies and complex, busy drumming in the vein of their Wisconsin brethren Misery Signals' style, as well as a Shai Hulud-like sense of momentum, Amora Savant at least plays with enthusiasm and skill. And that's more than what can be said about most of the band's peers.
The Immaculate Misconception, Amora Savant's five-song, debut EP, not surprisingly, thrives off of its lush melodies and creative drumming. Drummer Ross Bomber consistently shifts the tempo and uses a rather large pool of beats, from the familiar, double bass-driven style to tricky patterns with endless fills. While guitarists John Grant and Jamie Kerwin sometimes fall back on artificial chugs, at least one member of the duo is usually layering some sort of melodic picking sequence, dissonant texture or metallic riff over the top. Despite the songs' tendency to be all over the place, the band sticks together well as a whole, and the sudden transitions create a fairly natural flow.
There's a whole lot of breakdowns on The Immaculate Misconception and it seems that Amora Savant's inclination to revert to boring, pit-moving chugging is what really holds them back. It's not that the breakdowns are bad, but they feel like gimmickry and make the music seem amateur. When Amora Savant is using their certain musical chops to craft tricky melodies and rhythms, the results don't sound nearly as beaten to death. Similarly, the vocals lack much character and stick to a range of hoarse screams, mid-ranged growls and spoken words.
Although Amora Savant suffers from a lack of distinction in some areas, The Immaculate Misconception is a solid, well-produced introduction to the band. This quintet, with an attempt to expand on their familiar vocal presence and replace the mosh parts with something more valuable, could make a name for themselves. But these changes are necessary, as there are a lot of bands taking a similar musical approach.
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