In this age of instant gratification, it seems nigh on impossible to keep a sense of anticipation for anything, but with careful planning SonicAbuse has managed to avoid hearing too many snippets of the new Savage Messiah album and so the sense of excitement felt when we pierced the cellophane wrapping on the gorgeous vinyl pressing of ‘the fateful dark’ (nice work Earache – you’re one of the few labels who kept faith with vinyl throughout, and this excellent pressing with its crisp, clear sound is further proof of your commitment to producing releases for the fans first and foremost) was palpable. Long one of our favourite bands and with an enviable reputation built on the live circuit, Savage Messiah are one of those bands who just keep getting better and there is a strong argument that ‘the fateful dark’, the band’s third full-length record, is their first album deserving of classic status. Quite simply, whereas both 2009’s ‘Insurrection Rising’ and 2012’s ‘plague of conscience’ offered the sound of a band honing their chops, ‘the fateful dark’ is the sound of a monstrously confident band stepping forth from the shadows to take their place as one of the finest metal bands the UK has to offer. Drawing upon the country’s uniquely excellent heritage, Savage Messiah have taken the best elements from Maiden, Priest and even Def leppard only to cross-pollinate them with the brutal thrash of vintage Metallica and Megadeth, crafting a sound that is both instantly accessible and furiously addictive.
With vinyl pressed in a number of different colours (our version is on pristine ‘hellblazer splatter’), the first thing you notice is how crisp and dynamic the sound is. A whisper quiet pressing, the only discs to hold a candle to this near perfect platter are the recent re-issues of Pink Floyd’s back catalogue and the generally exquisite releases from provogue records. Meanwhile the artwork (reproduced on a beautiful gatefold sleeve) deserves to be seen on the largest possible canvas and a bonus 10” disc offers up four cover versions which will undoubtedly delight the faithful whilst further cementing Savage messiah’s link to Maiden. For those who ordered from Earache there is even a three track CD featuring all of the covers apart from ‘of wolf and man’ – it is a tidy package and one that fans of the band will be keen to get their hands on.
Pressing and packaging aside, musically ‘the fateful dark’ is a savage and monstrously entertaining record from start to finish. To the fore is vocalist / guitarist Dave Silver who seems to have grown in stature as a vocalist over the years. A heavy metal singer of style and power, he sounds like the progeny of a mating betwixt Bruce Dickinson, James Hetfield and Rob Halford and he delivers his lyrics with a panache that belies his youth – something particularly noticeable on the epic power ballad ‘live as one already dead’ upon which he delivers a performance that sends shivers down the spine. Before we get there, however, we have the devastating thrash of ‘Iconocaust’ which sees Dave trying out his Halford wails whilst Joff Bailey fires off riffs and finger-wrecking solos like a man possessed. It is a stunning opening track and comparable to Megadeth’s hitherto considered unbeatable opening gambit of ‘Holy Wars’ with its jagged riffing, light and shade dynamics and a chorus that seems custom built for packed stadiums full of denim-clad metal heads ready to roar in unison. ‘Minority of one’ maintains the momentum, with a floor-shaking beat and heavy groove nailed to a classic metal melody that is guaranteed to wedge itself firmly within the centre of your cranium whether you wish it to or not, a characteristic the song shares with pretty much every other track on the disc. Indeed, it’s as if Savage Messiah have tapped into the Faustian vein of inspiration that saw maiden deliver ‘number of the beast’ and Priest serve up ‘British Steel’ whilst simultaneously firing a nitrous powered rocket up the devil’s backside, so insanely memorable are the tunes on offer here, and whether you are a metaller of the old school or a recent inductee to the world of thrash and metal, you’ll find much to love on this epic mix of old school chops and technically gifted musicianship. ‘Cross of Babylon’ forges intelligently written lyrics to a blissful blast of scything guitars and newcomer Andrea Gorio’s (who joined the band in 2012 following the departure of Mauricio Chamucero) propulsive beats before ‘hellblazer’ tears holes in the fabric of the universe with its exquisitely harmonized guitars and lightening quick changes. However, the band’s wildcard is saved for the conclusion of side a, with ‘live as one already dead’ proving to be an epic power ballad housing some of the band’s most confident and expertly delivered material. It’s a carefully balanced change of pace and one that highlights the diverse influences which stir in the hearts of Savage Messiah. It is ‘live as one already dead’ that grabs the attention and marks out ‘the fateful dark’ as an album upon which Savage Messiah have flexed their creative muscles and it highlights just how damn good the band have become as a result of their relentless commitment to touring.
Forming the centerpiece to the album it is the pairing of ‘live as one already dead’ and the title track that emphasizes the power the band now wield, seemingly at will . Whilst ‘live as one already dead’ shows the band on more contemplative form, the title track is an absolute monster, a hulking beast that draws inspiration in equal parts from Metallica’s ‘harvester of sorrow’ and Maiden’s ‘children of the damned’ with well-balanced measures of brutal metal groove and incisive melody. ‘Zero hour’ kicks off with a humungous grinding riff that seethes with bristling anger before suddenly changing pace to become a prog-tinged epic shot through with references to Dream Theater at their heaviest and hints of priest. Joff’s Faustian fingers continue their devilish runs throughout and the harmonies are as addictive as ever, the song roving through metal’s wide and varied pastures in a way destined to make the masses fall in love with the genre in a way not seen since the black album captured the hearts and minds of more or less anybody with a pulse. Indeed, if the world were righteous place this would be required listening across the country. Next up, ‘hammered down’, with its eerie intro, slams into a testosterone fuelled blast of pure mosh-pit feeding frenzy, recalling the whip-smart riffing of ‘master of puppets’ – no mean comparison. ‘Scavengers of mercy’ is a furious assault that rolls over the listener like a Panzer assault before the finale, ‘the cursed earth’, closes the album on a high with its massive groove and melodic lift from ‘where eagles dare’ leaving you breathless at the dizzying pace.
Savage Messiah have always offered promise and it is in no way intended as a slight upon previous albums to suggest that ‘the fateful dark’ blows them out of the water in pretty much every conceivable way, but rather as a measure of the obscene quality the band have bought to bear on this outing. Not a song feels overlong, out of place or forced and the result is an album that you can listen to from start to finish without ever once feeling for the remote. Savage Messiah clearly grew up worshipping metal and the album is never short on respect for what has come before with references to the genre’s touchstone bands abounding, but what really marks out ‘the fateful dark’ as a classic in the making is the way in which the band have taken those influences and made them entirely their own with the result that every song on offer here is instantly recognizable as a savage messiah track. It’s the sort of record that people will be carting over to their mates houses to show them what they’re missing, the sort of record that makes you simply glad to be a metal fan and one that will detonate mosh pits the world over. On this reckoning, Savage messiah deserve to be huge, but whatever the fickle gods of fate have in store for them, this album will stand as a proud testament to their unswerving faith and passion not to mention the exquisite levels of proficiency the band have attained. It may be early in the year, but it is hard to imagine a better metal album than ‘the fateful dark’ appearing in the year – this one has it all, power, passion, persuasive melodies and aggressive riffs. If you love metal, then you love Savage Messiah, it’s as simple as that, and this record is one that you need in your life.
Bonus 10”
Having so unquestionably marked out their own style on the parent album, the bonus 10” offers Savage Messiah the chance to have some fun with a handful of classics. Side a offers up a faithful take on ‘be quick or be dead’ (Maiden) and ‘lightening to the nations’ (Diamond Head), whilst side b offers up ‘Killers’ (Motorhead) and ‘of wolf and man’ (metallica) all of which are delivered with beer-soaked glee and horns raised proudly aloft. It’s hard to tell who had the most fun,the band who are clearly energized by the opportunity to kick out some riffs that must be as familiar to them as their own; or Dave who clearly relishes the opportunity to take on Bruce Dickinson, Lemmy, Brian Tatler and James Hetfield over the course of the short EP. As much fun as the band clearly had, however, the EP is almost as much fun for the listener and if you don’t want to crack a beer, dance around the room and celebrate the power of the metal then you clearly need to head over to HMV and purchase the latest effort from Robbie Williams because metal sure as hell ain’t your thing! It’s an excellent bonus disc and more than worth shelling out an extra few pence for.
