The classic sounds of ’70s hard rock and heavy metal have never gone out of style (that’s why they’ve earned the tag of “classic”), but although each subsequent generation has offered up bands eager to tap in, recycle, and reinterpret these timeless teachings, this enduring “retro” tradition has gained an especially large and dedicated legion of believers in the 2000s. So much so that for every band looking to the predictable Sabbath/Zeppelin/Aerosmith axis for inspiration (see Wolfmother, Witchcraft, The Sword, etc., etc.), there are others digging through forgotten crates to find other, significantly less obvious, root sources like, for example, the psychedelic acid trips of Iron Butterfly, the outer space adventures of Hawkwind, the epic synthesizer-laden prog metal of Rush, and yes, even a little Black Sabbath, but of the often dismissed, late-’70s period of the Technical Ecstasy and Never Say Die! albums. These very influences apply to Portland, OR’s Danava (pronounced do-nuh-vuh), which was formed in 2003 by Illinois transplants Dusty Sparkles (vocals, guitar, synthesizer), Buck Rothy (drums), and Dell Blackwell (bass), with additional synth player Rockwell joining in time for the group’s 2006 debut through Kemado Records. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia, Rovi
