Danava

Who knew the siring of Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin was hiding out in Portland, brewing up cosmic epics and ’70s guitar jams? Apparently, enough people to spur Danava into success outside of the local scene where they fit alongside acts like Red Fang. The band is currently embarking on a grueling tour of Europe, playing shows heavy on dragon-slaying-duel-guitar spectacle almost every night this spring. Having toured in support of big name rock acts like Down and the Melvins, it’s no surprise Danava is continuing on its trajectory toward success via incessant touring and a sound that is at once prog-metal and accessible to classic rock enthusiasts.

Formed in 2003 by Illinois transplants Gregory Meleney, Monte Mattsson and Zachariah Dellorto-Blackwell, Danava released their first single demo in 2004 and have since put out three full-length albums. The lineup now consists of Gregory Meleney on vocals, guitar and synthesizers, Zachariah Dellorto-Blackwell on bass guitar, Matt Oliver on drums and Andrew Forgash on guitar.

It’s hard not to hear all the Zeppelin riffs being recycled here, and the band is not shy about emulating their influences. Their band portrait photo is straight off the back cover of Zeppelin One. But Danava makes the retro sound fresh and avoids the tribute band branding by infusing their classic heavy metal sound with spaced-out jams that don’t shy away from stewing in thick guitar fuzz and tribal drum mantras. Most songs hit the 5–10 minute range, leaning more toward mini epics than classic rock radio, with long instrumental interludes that sometimes fall away to ethereal Doors-like keyboard breaks, only to surge back with Wolfmother-size riffs. Songs like “Spinning Temple Shifting” range from Kill ‘em All-era Metallica to ’60s psychedelic jam sections, culminating in the reincarnation of “War Pigs.”

In short, Danava is a heavy psychedelic rock band that knows what they’re doing, and they’re doing it well. Such intentional reconstruction of styles gone by often comes across as superficial, and Danava doesn’t avoid that entirely. But for the most part, their sound seems to inhabit the skin of their influences so fully that it creates a sense of authenticity, if only through sheer will or black magic of some kind.