.Best Metal Band

It’s tough to be a metal band in the Bay Area. The talent bar’s so high, the fans so informed and discerning, you’ve got to be pretty amazing to get noticed. For years, Saviours were largely overshadowed by the success of their peers, High on Fire, despite the fact that the Oakland band kicked plenty of ass on its own. But after years of hard work, relentless touring, and some lineup changes, Saviours appear to finally be getting their proper due. Eschewing trends, the band’s aesthetic harks back to the glory days of metal — the late Seventies and early Eighties — when the riffs were potent, the solos electrifying, the drums discernible, and the sound warm and analog. Of course, Saviours put their own spin on the past with a faster, rawer, beefier feel — most noticeable on their last album, 2009’s Accelerated Living. The band is currently working on new material, and judging from a recent live show, it sounds like these East Bay boys are well on their way to establishing a standard of their own.