Because they're on Kemado-- or, rather, because Kemado is forever linked to the Invaders comp that crystallized the hipster metal thing in 2006-- it's tough to talk about Danava without tossing around comparisons to the Swords and Saviours of the world. Certainly, there was enough Blue Cheer riffing and 1960s gloom on the band's self-titled debut to cast them as convincing nu-stoner attachés. But when their beefier brethren straight-copped Tony Iommi doom and dingy Horsemen thrash, these Portland space cadets were accentuating druggy astro-rock with slightly more obscure cues. Think Hawkwind instead of High on Fire, Magma rather than Maiden.
But the wire-crossing of prog, glam, and academic metal only worked in spells in '06. They peaked early on the UFO dragstrip ride of Invaders stand-out "By the Mark", but Danava never really found a comfortable or convincing step afterwards. No-frills freakouts seemed a bit too dead-eyed, the big art-psych foibles seemed unsure, and the in-betweens didn't really exist.
On UnonoU, the focus has rightly shifted to the idiosyncrasies and outliers that made them special (and occasionally gave them trouble) last go-round. Naturally, guitars are still doing most of the heavy lifting. "Spinning Temple Shifting" is probably as snarling as Danava will ever be, and for a four-minute stretch it nearly rivals the Pentatonic calisthenics of solo-kings Earthless. And despite its somewhat cheesy boogie, "A High or a Low" is the best T. Rex these dudes have ever attempted-- believe, they've tried their hand a couple times.
But singer Dusty Sparkles and one-namer Rockwell's synth work is the real treat throughout, turning "way too long" into "rewardingly ornate" on tracks like the symphonic Atari grinder "The Emerald Snow of Sleep". Seriously, without the alien tones and War Games final third of "Where Beauty and Terror Dance", the album's Reaper-fearing lead single is little more than a three minute guitar somersault with a decent rhythm section shuffle. As it stands, its laser-light coda is one of the record's finest moments.
Elsewhere, just when the eight-minute-plus sprawler "Down From a Cloud, Up From The Ground" is about to over-stay its welcome, a giant swatch of synth turns things downright operatic, casting Sparkles' boney, revered voice in the most flattering, spaced-out light it's ever seen. Scattered throughout UnonoU, and rarely birthed by six-string rumble, these grandiose moments showcase a band able to do much more with heavy armor than recite Sabbath scripts. Indeed, while not yet fully formed, Danava's voice has grown surprisingly unique on the band's second outing.
