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Savage Messiah

Insurrection Rising

Written by: PP on 25/10/2009 21:56:42

Savage Messiah are relatively new thrash metal outfit from Britain, who got signed by Candlelight Records based on the positive response to their 2007 EP "Spitting Venom". Two years later, thery're releasing their debut album "Insurrection Rising", which specializes in emulating Testament instrumentally and Megadeth's Dave Mustaine vocally. Basically, it has a derivative sound that doesn't feature much originality at all. But it could be I need to get my ears cleaned, because I've seen this album get almost nothing but positive reviews across the web, so bear that in mind and take my words with a grain of salt.

With Chris Tsangarides behind the production desk (Judas Priest, Thin Lizzy, Black Sabbath etc), the first thing you'll pay attention to is the crisp sound that the disc has. All instruments are perfectly audible in the mix, which is quite essential really because otherwise Savage Messiah's exceptionally technical guitar lines would go in vain. You only need to listen to a couple of songs to be assured that these guys can play, and while that's certainly something I'll commend in this review, it's not always enough. Even though the tracks are technically superb, they aren't very interesting overall and show almost a complete lack of soul. In fact it feels like Savage Messiah are on 80s thrash metal autopilot and forgot to actually pour their hearts into the music on offer here. What I'm trying to say is that while anyone is able to appreciate the record for its awesome guitar work, it still fails to create any kind of feeling inside the listener. It's a hollow, nothing-saying sound of a band who sounds like a bunch of much better bands. One example can be found on "In Absence Of Liberty", which is essentially a balladic Metallica type of gentle song that breaks into a beautiful guitar solo halfway through to demonstrate yet another influence. It's a decent track, but it just isn't insert your favorite Metallica balladic track here.

And such moments can be found everywhere on the record. You'll think "hey doesn't this sound like....", confirm it does by checking out the song/band you were thinking about, and then conclude something along the lines of "well those guys are way better actually but I don't mind this". Maybe if bay-area thrash metal from the 80s is your favorite dinner plate, then you'll probably find this release an entirely decent one. But you're looking for something more modern, relevant sounding, then steer clear of "Insurrection Rising".

Download: In Absence Of Liberty, Insurrection Rising
For the fans of: Testament, Megadeth, Metallica
Listen: Myspace

Release date 07.09.2009
Candlelight Records