ALBUM REVIEW: Savage Messiah - "Hands Of Fate"

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 27/10/2017

Label: Century Media Records

The record is a solid, well written, well produced and expertly played slice of modern heavy metal. The hooks and melodies are there and they are very good, but adrenaline is not a key ingredient any more.

“Hands of Fate” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Hands Of Fate

2. Wing And A Prayer

3. Blood Red Road

4. Lay Down Your Arms

5. Solar Corona

6. Eat Your Heart Out

7. Fearless

8. The Last Confession

9. The Crucible

10. Out Of Time

The Review:

Savage Messiah are one of the UK's premier melodic thrash/heavy metal acts and have done considerable business both at home and abroad over the course of their first three albums. From their thrashing debut “Insurrection Rising” to the slightly difficult second album “Plague of Conscience” and then on to the melodic majesty of “The Fateful Dark”, this fourth album comes with considerable expectations attached and is wrapped up in an altogether more “serious” package of artwork and sounds.

Once again, the band has stepped up onto a larger label, once again the ideas are forward thinking and once again the production is very good. The title track is up first and is best described as a mixture of mid period/ latter day Judas Priest and Metallica at their more melodic. As the record progresses, it is clear that the band are now much more firmly in the “heavy metal bracket” and much less in the more underground thrash genre. That is not to say that the album is not heavy- it is; the likes of “Wing and a Prayer” has chugging verse sections, lots of leads but all topped with a slick vocal production and some very catchy soaring choruses.

There are faster tracks here, but no outright barn burners; “Blood Red Road” shows the band can still put the pedal to the metal and also demonstrates that Savage Messiah now inhabit a similar genre to the excellent Absolva- British Heavy Metal as a composite of classic sounds and bands with a very modern twist. The band have gone for the solid ten track album format and as the tracks go by, there is a cohesive feel- even from mid paced stompers like “Lay Down Your Arms” to the speedier melodies “Solar Corona” to the anthemic and pacey “Eat Your Heart Out”- which almost sounds like a classic Def Leppard track until the first riff kicks in.

Make no mistake, this is slick stuff and offers up a kind of composite which bridges NWOBHM sounds and enthusiasm with Priest at their arena conquering height whilst also taking in more modern production techniques and sounds. “Fearless” is almost hard rock- the vocal and chorus could be straight off … well, something a lot more commercial than I would expect. The solo section makes up for this somewhat saccharine turn, though.

There is nothing over five minutes on this album, which is quite telling in regards to where the band are aiming for and where they are heading. The quasi-ballad “Last Confession” drops the tempo but does not extend the playing time, opting instead for an anthemic chorus and a quiet/loud dynamic. The final two tracks of the album appealed to me a lot more- “The Crucible” is one of the heavier tracks on the album with a solid riff and commercial leanings kept to a minimum, while “Out of Time” provides a darkly atmospheric finish to this  intriguing record.

Overall, then we can conclude: Savage Messiah are a thrash band no longer and that style has not been pursued here. The band are making a play for commercial appeal by dialling down the metal imagery and more spiky elements of their sound. The record is a solid, well written, well produced and expertly played slice of modern heavy metal. The hooks and melodies are there and they are very good, but adrenaline is not a key ingredient any more. Having seen the band at Damnation Festival in 2015 (I think) I was converted into a fan over the course of their short set. You would be hard pressed to find many bands doing this style better. If melodic heavy metal is your bag, then definitely check this out- if thrash madness is what you are after, then Kreator, Overkill, Sodom and others have more of what you need.

“Hand of Fate” is available here

Band info: facebook

Station Twenty7 - “Beyond The Darkness” (Album Review)

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: Out Now

Label: Station Twenty7 Records

“Before The Gates” lets you know exactly what you are in for; thrash metal, no more and no less- resolutely traditional but with strong production,  world class hooks and world class performances on display.

“Beyond The Darkness” CD//DD track listing:

1). Before the Gates

2). The Taxman

3). A Tyrants Lament

4). Hope Calling

5). Stations

6). The Plan

7). The Whisper

8). The Tides it Rises

9). Commeth The Man

10). The Loudest Voice

The Review:

Mark Beuchet formerly of Anihilated returns here with his new band, comprising of various thrash alumni. Given the pedigree of those involved, you would expect this to sound like well honed old school thrash... and you would be dead right! “Before The Gates” lets you know exactly what you are in for; thrash metal, no more and no less- resolutely traditional but with the kind of production that was well out of reach for thrash bands back in the day (the Big Four excepted).

“The Taxman” continues the sound; double tracked vocals, chugging guitars and some impressive hooks all coalesce to create a rip roaring and thrashing ride through the best aspects of the Brit-thrash sound. Truthfully, I have never fully investigated the back catalogues of Anihilated or Onslaught, for that matter, but I did own Slammer's debut on vinyl, if that assists with establishing old school credentials. Certainly, the Brits always got a raw deal, just by virtue of the fact that they were not American or German- and were thus seen as followers rather than leaders. Harsh, but that was/is the perception. It certainly does material of this quality a disservice, as “A Tyrants Lament” demonstrates, there are world class hooks and world class performances on display here.

The album continues along at a fair rate- but isn't without a dynamic ebb and flow. “Hope Calling” is not pedal to the metal, for instance, and allows for something of a lull in the action. Indeed, it wouldn't be too far out of place on a Therapy? album. “Stations” fairly nails your head to the wall with its lovely half stepping riff. Jagged and angular, but not at high tempo, this is a good example of controlled force within the genre. “The Plan” takes us into the second half of the album with the BPM cranked up at choice moments. Similarly, “The Whisper” is fast and furious, but still with some melodic elements which reminded me of “Savage Messiah” and their ilk- thrash but with that grounding in trad that you would expect. “The Tide It Rises” affirms the band's deft use of dynamics and has a cool “speed up to finish” section at the close!

“Commeth The Man” packs a strong refrain and the vocal performance has some real bite to it- very well delivered. The hook and track has an almost Anthrax-esque feel to it, which is welcome, of course. The acoustic intro of “The Loudest Voice” makes for an atmospheric start to the closing track. Following this maudlin start, the track builds up with an atmosphere of melancholic leads and crashing chords.... before the band's engine chugs into life! The six minutes of this song closes the album strongly. Old school British thrash- this record makes a very strong case for it.

“Beyond The Darkness” is available here

Band info: facebook

Live Review: Damnation Festival 2015, Leeds University Union, 7/11/2015

By: Richard Maw

With a stellar line up, a venue within my own city and the opportunity to wear a battle jacket, attending this year's Damnation was a no brainer. This time around, the music was split between four stages, plus vinyl, merchandise CDs etc. The capacity was limited to a lower level than last year (when trying to get into the right part of the venue to see Cannibal Corpse was a matter of some difficulty) and this made for a much easier day all around, really.

The atmosphere was great from the off. I arrived around 2pm and settled in to watch the main stage openers Savage Messiah at 2.30pm. Really, it is this kind of thing that festivals are all about. I had never heard Savage Messiah before, but I will hear them a lot more now... Their show was absolutely superb. High energy and highly technical thrash/melodic trad came together in a whirlwind of precise riffs and excellent solos. With a new guitar player in tow (who played superbly), this was a show of very high calibre indeed. I was immediately converted as a fan and will be going to see them again when they next come through Leeds or somewhere else in the North. Fantastic band- kind of like Priest/Maiden crossed with Testament. Good singer too. Their (third?) album “Plague of Conscience” is available as a free download through the Earache website- I downloaded it this morning and have it on while writing this review. This evenings plans included ordering the back catalogue (or what of it I can afford) from Amazon/Ebay.  The band deserve to be much bigger, so check them out.

I then caught Sea Bastard on a much smaller stage downstairs- good, heavy doom, played slow and with conviction. I enjoyed their set, but must admit that I did not watch all of it. A little of that stuff can go a long way... Onwards and upwards to The Ocean, then! The German band's “Epilagial” was a superb release a couple of years back and I was looking forward to their set. They did not disappoint as, cellist in tow, they brought an atmospheric and powerful set to life. The front man gave a particularly committed performance- which included diving off the balcony (!) into the crowd. Great band, great show.

On to Keep of Kalessin, who I am not too familiar with; playing a tight and very professional set of extreme and epic metal. For a three piece band, they make a lot of noise and delivered a taut performance with some very fast sections. I enjoyed what they did and, again, will be checking them out on record. I checked out a little of Solstafir, but it wasn't my thing so I moved on for a little food...

For me, one of the main reasons attending was to see Asphyx. They did not disappoint. Complete with dedication to the recently departed Martin “Kiddie” Kearns of Bolt Thrower, the band oozed class and power. Van Drunen screamed his lungs out while his three colleagues played with conviction. Early classics rubbed shoulders with tracks off “Deathhammer” and “Death The Brutal Way.” The band were really, really good and I also must note that their t-shirts were priced at the wholly reasonable £10 each. I bought one- bands charging £15 a shirt is just about acceptable, but anything more than that is very pricey indeed. This was true death with some doom mixed in and their set was a real highlight of the day. Classic band.

Onwards to see another big draw- the mighty High on Fire! Matt Pike and co. turned in a great and loud show. Pike, shirtless, thinner than in recent years and moustachioed threw down his battle axe riffage with aplomb, while Jeff Matz and Des Kensel provided one of the best rhythm sections in extreme music. Plenty from this year's “Luminiferous” was played- I loved hearing “The Falconist” live for the first time- as well as old favourites like “10,000 Years”. Surely one of the bands that most metal heads agree on, HOF burnt as much rubber as their name suggests. I went on to watch some of Primordial who played a professional and entertaining set. Front man Alan Averill was theatrical and charismatic, with as much Maiden as Mayhem in his stage presence. I really must check them out on record, beyond the track on a Terrorizer sampler CD I heard in 1996!

Finally, having been somewhat mystified by Japanese instrumental rock lords Mono for all of five minutes, I headed to watch At The Gates on the main stage. I must confess, first off, that I did not watch the whole set. It had been a long day and the wife was waiting in the Fabia nearby, so I ended up ducking out half way through their set. From what I saw, though, the band are in that rare bracket of “ultra pro” festival act. They played some choice cuts from their “At War With Reality” - which I like but do not love, but really, I was there to see the stuff from “Slaughter of the Soul”. Yes, they played the title track, yes they played other songs and yes, I shouted “GO!!!!” along with everyone else. For me, At The Gates will never really be a current band- I heard “SOTS” first time around and had the Peaceville records too. I think of them as a band from the past- albeit one brought back to life. Maybe that is doing them a disservice- but I just think of them as a kind of extreme metal heritage act. I want to be clear, I love the band and that one record dearly and their performance was one of professionalism and strength- in no way am I knocking it.

Overall, it was an excellent festival and certainly my favourite one in the UK. I like that it mixes genres and bands and brings in some real big guns who I might not otherwise see. For me, band of the day were Savage Messiah- I had never heard them and they blew me away with their utter commitment to the metal cause. At the end of the day, that is what festivals can do. I always check out as much as I can because I might stumble upon a new band that really impresses. If you ever consider attending Damnation, I say do it. I got to see a new band who impressed, veterans who I had never seen and some current heroes who all turned in great performances. And all for £36?! What an absolute bargain.



Live Review: Amon Amarth / Huntress / Savage Messiah, Manchester Academy 2, 25th January 2015

As I approached the venue for the nights gig, there were two huge queues that trailed down Oxford Road. Towards the back as I joined, it became apparent that someone called Jessie Ware was playing at the venue next door; the more smartly attired concert goer merged with the hordes of unkempt beards and vast array of metal shirts from all corners of metal's wide spanning genre spectrum. 

With myself firmly in the correct venue, Savage Messiah took the stage to the strains of ‘Iconocaust’ from 2014’s ‘The Fateful Dark’. In fact, the entire set that the band tore through was made up of songs from their third full length player. To some that might seem like an audacious move, but the songs on ‘The Fateful Dark’ are so much more honed. ‘Scavengers of Mercy’ and ‘Minority of One’ are both huge highlights as part of a short, thrashy and tight thirty minute set. It is always a pleasure to see Savage Messiah live.

With England’s finest thrash bands set in the books, the anticipation for Huntress’ set built admirably during the changeover. Taking to the stage with one of, if not their best track; the band sliced through ‘Spell Eater’. With Jill Janus stalking the stage like a fiendish evil witch, Huntress have the musical nous to change tempos and styles throughout their set. One of the obvious highlights is the colourfully titled Lemmy collaboration; ‘I Want to F*** You To Death.’ There is something a little strange about a predominantly male audience singing these words back to the irresistible Janus; but it is most definitely one of the bands party pieces

As Savage Messiah and Huntress both slay with their sets, any mention of the concerts headliners from the support bands are met with rapturous cheers and applause. It’s clear that everyone’s focus is the Swedish legends! Amon Amarth has carved a clandestine reputation throughout their near twenty five year career. A slew of awesome melodic death metal albums have cemented their reputation on disc, however as a live proposition, the band are a different class.

Johan Hegg is a towering tower of a man as the bands vocalist, and the band were as tight as ever as they shredded their way through a set that took in many points across the bands back catalogue. Opening with ‘Father of the Wolf’ from 2013’s Deceiver of the Gods, Amon Amarth immediately set out their stall to crush the frenzied Mancunian crowd. The band followed with the title track of their last album, before jumping back to ‘Twilight of the Thunder God’ with ‘Live For The Kill’.

As the set moved along, ‘Guardians of Asgaard’ was as impressive of ever with the crowd lapping up every riff and word to sing back as the band held court over the sold out throngs. The band finished their main set with ‘Twilight of the Thunder God’ before a fervent crowd ensured the band returned for an encore of ‘The Pursuit of Vikings’.

With the tour still having plenty of dates to go, Amon Amarth showed that they are one of the most passionate, hardworking and damn good bands on the touring circuit. Their energy and ability is amazing; hopefully 2015 will bring new material and another chance to catch one of metal’s finest acts.

Words by: Dominic Walsh