Ladies and gentleman you will be pleased to hear that good old U.K Thrash is back and as strong as ever. Bands like Evile, Pitiful Reign, Gamma Bomb and Amok are dusting down the sleeveless denim jackets and Hi-Top trainers to produce some of the most exciting, neck breaking Thrash heard on this fair Isle in many a year.
At the fore front of this musical wave were Headless Cross fronted by a rather talented guitarist called Dave Silver. They released a demo and a couple of EP's before imploding when Dave sacked all his band mates back in 2006 and subsequent attempts to keep a hold of new members failed.
Luckily for the Thrash scene Dave didn't hang about after the dissolution of his first band and quickly formed
Savage Messiah in 2007. The bands first release
Spitting Venom is now upon us and is a fine example of the gifted song writing currently emerging from the U.K.
It's fairly short even by Thrash standards, coming in just 8 tracks in 32 minutes and 6 seconds and almost has the feel of an E.P rather than a full length. And the last of these songs is even listed as a bonus track! That said it's certainly not lacking in quality with each track brimming with crunching riffs and spectacular solos.
A few of the songs have been recycled from the older Headless Cross releases, one from 2004's
Crown of Thorns and three from the In Cold Blood E.P. This explains how the band was able to get such a well written record out within less than a year of forming.
First track
Spitting Venom begins with a hail of feedback before setting the tone of the album with a fine whiplash inducing riff. One thing that is truly stunning on this and all the tracks on the album is the excellent melodic lead work. Witness the lead break at 1.03 in this song and then the solo at 2.12. It's some immense finger work and really helps the album come into its own.
The production on this record is different than you might expect and all the better for it. The band have chosen to leave behind the rough and ready production usually associated with Thrash and gone for a fuller sound reminiscent of Andy Sneap's work with Arch Enemy. Its warm and full sounding with all instruments mixed in perfect relation to each other.
This serves to highlight how high the standard of musicianship is, from the pulsating bass to the pounding drumming of guest musician Ben Perry (now replaced with ex Marshall Law drummer Pete Hunt). All the instruments are well played and sound like a million dollars (at probably a fraction of that cost).
The album continues with brutal
Frontline, it's obvious that Dave's vocals have improved since the early days and they sound great here. The screams at the end of each verse are particularly effective.
One of the strongest songs for me is
Servant to Your Death which is evocative of prime
Annihilator or Testament but with a fresher, melodic sensibility. Its rapid fire chorus and dual guitar harmonies are perfectly executed. This is followed by the slightly slower, more groove influenced
Heavens Gate which has a nice chiming guitar arpeggio breakdown complete with a soaring solo.
W.D.U (or
Watch Death Unfold if you prefer) is another solid track with some tasty 'tallica esque riffing and
Conspiracy in Silence is a ballad not a million miles away from Fade to Black territory. It goes to show that there is nothing wrong with wearing your influences on you sleeve from time to time as both songs are miles better than anything Jim Hetfield and co have managed to come up with in years.
The album proper is rounded off by
In for the Kill which provides a short sharp exit from the release, clocking in at less than 4 minutes. It's an excellent closer and makes a change from bands writing a convoluted epic and immediately placing it at the end of the album as its seen like the "in thing".
I've got no idea why
In Cold Blood is listed as a bonus track as the inlay doesn't give any indication. The only reason I can think of is because it's not quite as strong as some of the other songs on display here. In saying that, the solo in the end section is staggering as usual. But it would probably have made more sense either sticking the track in the middle of the record or leaving it off entirely.
Savage Messiah have put together a fine debut which bears all the hallmarks of classic thrash but brought up to date with very modern production values. I would recommend even if you have just a passing interest in thrash that you have a listen and see what you think.
Oh and if anybody is intrigued with the current resurgence in the Thrash Metal community in the U.K you can check
www.ukthrash.co.uk for a list of bands currently doing the rounds. You won't be disappointed.
Written by
Stuart Wednesday, February 20, 2008
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