With a heady mix of Sabbatherian swingin’ doom, Opeth gloom, and Pink Floyd spaciness Norway’s SAHG have created a fine frothy brew of heavy rock that doesn’t necessarily break new ground but takes the best of those fine bands and creates a sonic swirl worthy of your attention.  The band was formed in 2004 and has since released five solid metal albums with lead singer/guitarist Olav Iversen the only member throughout their history.  Although numerous lineup changes have occurred the overall impact to the band’s sound has not been greatly affected- in all actuality, their sound has moved even further away from the aforementioned influences into something a bit more spacey and proggy.  However, those doom and stoner roots remain to create an excellent blend of music.

SAHG I and SAHG II drink heavily from the Sabbatherian well- lots of mountainous slabs of riffery and Iversen’s effective Ozzy wail with the occasional space trip via effects laden vocals.  Not everything is all doom and gloom here as the band often kicks up the speed on songs like “Pyromancer” from II, a blistering rocker with a powerful riff and the hefty swing of “Soul Exile” or groovy “Boundless Demise” from I.  But man, those atmospheric cuts are classic stuff…  just take a listen to “Repent” off the first album which takes you on a sonic soundscape of murkiness, trippy vocal, and sludgy riff.  Or check out II’s “Monomania” and its ten minutes of stoner gloom ‘n haze, sounding like a thousand setting suns in the farmost reaches of the universe (trust me, I’ve been there).

SAHG III offers up a slight change to the formula but not by too much-  by this time the band has replaced a couple of members but does not quite deviate too much from the formula.  Songs are a bit more leaner and meaner; a tad more “heroic” in vibe, less space-y, and maybe a touch more Dio era Sabbath than the Ozzy years.  Cuts like “Shadow Monument” are a bit more layered and melodic and less fuzzy guitar tone wise, which allows the song to breath a bit more.  On the other side, “Spiritual Void” hearkens back a bit to the first two albums but still retains its own charm as it offers up a bit of Seattle grunge in vibe; and “Mortify” pulls out all the stop with its snaky dual guitar intro before kicking into a mighty headbanging riff that would make Dio proud.

Delusions of Grandeur and Memento Mori, SAHG’s most recent two releases, have shifted the band focus even more- both discs dive deeper into Pink Floyd/Opeth/Mastodon territory-  vast soundscapes, dynamic atmospherics, and various hues and shades musically and vocally.  Delusions is a bit more psychedelic in approach as cuts like “Blizzardborne” and “Walls of Delusion” evoke darker areas of brainspace; however, cuts like the riffy “Firechild” and swinging “Ether” still tip the scale towards the rockier side.  Roll both of those styles together and you come up with a masterwerk like “Slip Off the Edge Of The Universe” or the proggy “Sleeper’s Gate To The Galaxy”.  And Memento is a monolith; more ethereal and spookier overall via cuts like the the massive “Black Unicorn”, morose yet beautiful “Take It To The Grave”, and the outstanding acoustic vibes of “(Praise The) Electric Sun” that sounds straight out of a lost 70s prog rock album.  Yet you still get the nod to past masterpieces on cuts like “Blood Of Oceans” and “Sanctimony”, both featuring plenty of those sludgy riffs and solid doomy atmosphere featured on the first few albums.

If you have a like for those aforementioned bands and the dynamics of each yet still want a fresh makeover, check out SAHG.  Solid musicianship, great songs, and plenty of twists and turns on each album to keep your attention.