Its always a pleasure to see familiar faces returning with new music, since nowadays the music industry seem to swallow and spit musicians till, they become a shapeless mass without identity. And its always pleasure to see that these familiar faces keep on creating powerful inspiring music.
So, SAVAGE MASTER are back and this time the denim clad Americans, sound more European than ever. Now that I think of it, NWOBHM influences were always welcome in their music, but now are dominant in such a level that I felt I traveled in space time, into the 80’s British scene, thanks to their songs: The double lead themes of “Eyes Behind the Stars” are reminiscent of early IRON MAIDEN, the hard rocking vibe of “Rain of Tears” is a reference to PERSIAN RISK and the epic harmonies of “Queen Satan” blink to TREDEGAR. Yes, there is a whole arsenal of influences from BLITZKRIEG to RAVEN and from SAVAGE to BLADE RUNNER, influences that evince a variety in tempo, harmonies, and speedy outbursts.
I kinda loved the “Hangman’s Tree”, “Vaster Empires”, “Eyes Behind the Stars” and “Spirit of Death” which seem to be the highlights of the album. They all share fast rhythm and memorable melodic choruses, especially the latter. However, this doesn’t mean that the other tracks lack of these features but instead they emphasize on other characteristics of the band. For example, “A Warriors Return” and “The Death of Time” depict a more epic side while the opening track could be described as a more “commercial” one.
Needless to say, the guitar work is simplistic but stellar and the vocals of Stacey Savage are the trademark of the band. She bears a similar rough vibe with Kate de Lombaert from the legendary ACID while there is a grind that reminds me of very early WARLOCK and I really dig on it.
To sum up, I’d say that this album is probably their best effort. The band has somehow evolved backwards, and this time they seem to be more focused and determined. I do look forward for the vinyl edition, even though I have to admit I missed a good Mike Hoffman painting in the cover.
The album will be released August, 5th on Shadow Kingdom Records.
Check the discussion about the album on our forum pages.
Listen to SAVAGE MASTER on our radio show.
