EP Review: Salvation Jayne - Salvation Jayne

For as much of a moment in time as Queens Of The Stone Age had with "Songs For The Deaf", there is little of their influence to still be felt, outside of the stoner scene. Around that time, there were bands that sounded like them, and while few of them amounted to much, it's odd how certain bands have their sound all but disappear from the cultural landscape, while much smaller groups have theirs seep into the tentacles of rock history. Queens Of The Stone Age are one of those groups falling by the wayside, which made it interesting to see their name pop up as an influence for Salvation Jayne's new EP.

"Cortez" opens the EP with a fuzzy riff that absolutely could have been from a Queens song. It has that desert drone vibe, but thankfully it isn't allowed to dominate the entire song. Things speed up a bit as the vocals come in, and we get more of a regular rock track from then on. There's a nice balance between trying to be melodic and mainstream while also staying gritty and heavy.

"Juno" tries to be a more energetic track, but the chorus is too much "hey hey", and not enough melody for me. "Black Heart" is a better track, as they are able to ride a Queens vibe into a chorus that reads like a Halestorm track. It isn't quite that sharp, but it's an approach that shows what the band is capable of, and it piques my interest, for sure. I wish they could go down that path more, because there's something to it. "Tongue Tied" is a stab at pop from a group that really isn't pop, so it doesn't quite work. "The Art Of Falling" closes things with more of a ballad, which takes a while to get to the crescendo, but is quite satisfying when it does.

Which leaves us with this as a verdict; this EP reaches out in multiple directions, and doesn't settle on who Salvation Jayne are at the core of their sound. There is some good stuff here, and some that needs a bit of work. But if they refine what they're good at, there's plenty of room to grow into a good band.