Review Summary: Nothing But Nothing is the sort of album that feels like it came from a whole new band while still reflecting the knowledge of past experience
It’s been twelve years since Danava released their last album, 2011’s Hemisphere of Shadows, and their fourth installment is unlike anything else they’ve done. Their core blend of eclectic influences is as potent as ever, heavy metal crossing over with spaced out prog under a stoner-friendly seventies rock umbrella, but they’re applied in a much more exaggerated fashion than before. Those metal elements are at their most prominent, flailing about with reckless abandon in what is easily their heaviest effort to date.
With that shift in mjnd, it only makes sense for Danava to put their fastest foot forward. The title track starts off on a fiery note with wild guitars and constantly blasting drums that sound like Budgie trying to cover “Hit the Lights.” From there, “Let the Good Times Kill” and “At Midnight You Die” play like a more self-aware Anvil with busy tumbling rhythms while “Season of Vengeance” is a supercharged instrumental that feels like Iron Maiden’s “Transylvania” on steroids. Speaking of which, it’s also nice to see “Enchanted Villain” and “Strange Killer” serve up some anthemic mid-tempo fare.
These tracks would’ve been great on their own but the last two songs are what truly elevate Nothing But Nothing from the enjoyably standard. “Nuthin But Nuthin” goes full-on krautrock with its glistening keyboards and motorik beat bolstered by some lingering heaviness and a catchy chorus while ”Čor” winds down with spacey balladry with singing in Czech and dynamics that avoid getting too overblown. Part of me wonders if an outlier like this could’ve been introduced earlier, especially with the spoopy synths and effects sprinkled into the other songs, but I also like the idea of building up to it like this.
Overall, Nothing But Nothing is the sort of album that feels like it came from a whole new band while still reflecting the knowledge of past experience. it’s an exuberant listen with the frenzied musicianship and fun throwback style, but the band has the know-how to inject enough outside inspiration to make it more substantial than your usual workman metal. As fun as it is to dig into Danava’s past ventures, it’s always satisfying when a veteran band’s latest effort turns out to be their best.
