NWOBHM reincarnated and served up for a whole new generation of metal heads.
As an impressionable teen (yes, I was one once ... honest!) discovering for the first time what intoxicating delights the outside world had to offer in the late 70’s/early 80’s, many of my defining musical tastes were shaped by the NWOBHM. Every other week it seemed that some exciting new band or other would come along and shake the very foundations of the established world order. With the benefit of some thirty odd years (cough) hindsight most were little more than glorified pub bands at best (and half of those you couldn’t even class as ‘glorified’); but they seemed damn exciting at the time and as well as those that went on to achieve superstar status, a fair few more still had the chops ... step forward and take a bow bands like Demon, Diamond Head, Grim Reaper, Tygers Of Pan Tang, Tank and Savage!
A band hailing from my neck of the woods up in the East Midlands, Savage were little more than teenagers themselves when they first got started back in 1979. Although perhaps best remembered for their embryonic thrash work out ‘Let It Loose’ (the rampaging opener to seminal debut ‘Loose N’ Lethal’ that so inspired the equally impressionable Lars Ulrich), Savage were far from your average kick down and rush tub thumpers...indeed, sophomore set ‘Hyperactive’ with tracks like the brilliant ‘Stevie’s Vengeance’ showcased a maturity and sophistication way beyond that of most of their peers at the same stage in their respective careers.
The Savage story has been one of ‘on again, off again’ over the years, but more than a decade after their last studio effort (2000’s ‘Xtreme Machine’ opus) original members Chris Bradley and Andy Dawson are back with a revamped band and a brand new studio album. Entitled ‘Sons Of Malice’, it encapsulates the essence of the Savage of old ... gruff vocals, crunching riffs and cutting solos all meshing together within a contemporary sounding framework to drag the NWOBHM kicking and screaming into the here and now.
Delve below the surface and you’ll hear elements of UFO, Thin Lizzy and Deep Purple for sure – maybe even the odd bit of Zeppelin if you listen carefully enough – but taken together its unmistakeably pure Savage. From angst ridden opener ‘The Rage Within’ through the swaggering title track ‘Sons Of Malice’ to the grinding ‘Look At Yourself’ or ‘Junkyard Dogs’, this is the NWOBHM as I remember it; reincarnated and served up for a whole new generation of metal heads.
As I said earlier, Savage were always a cut above most of their contemporaries back in the day, and it’s great to see that edge hasn’t been dulled one iota with age.
Dave Cockett
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