SAVAGE – Sons Of Malice

Minus2zebra 2012

Quintessential British Metal

New albums from New Wave Of British Heavy Metal survivors Savage are sadly few and far between. A band noted as a major influence on Metallica – Lars Ulrich of course being the main reason for that with best known track “Let It Loose” featuring on early Metallica set-lists and demos – this is just their sixth album. After a decade plus hiatus though Savage are with us once more and in “Sons Of Malice” deliver a rock solid return and a terrifically impressive one at that.

Their influences, drawn still from classic 70s bands, are evident but only in the mix as Savage are no mere copyists. The excellent “Hanging Tree” proves one of many outstanding numbers worth listening out for, emerging from a classy introduction into a memorable track UFO would be happy to deliver. There’s a distinctly Blackmore style riff driving “Choose Revolution” and the lyrics of “The Rage Within” are delivered in a torrent pleasurably reminiscent of the late, great Philip Lynott circa “Thunder And Lightning”. To only name-check three songs seems unfair to the filler free remainder though as hard-hitting “Now”, the groove laden “Black And Blue” and the instantly noteworthy title track too all hit the spot. Hell, the whole lot does! At near enough an hour in duration this is a set longer than they’d have been able to squeeze onto vinyl back in the early 80s and the lack of output in subsequent years is somewhat compensated with both quantity and quality in spades, whilst a better sound than you suspect any budget back then would have enabled proves an added bonus.

Noted in Malc MacMillan’s NWOBHM Encyclopaedia as one of the few bands from the genre to truly deliver quintessential British metal its a genuine pleasure to find that 30 years later they’re still capable of doing the same. An excellent album.

****1/2
Bill Leslie

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