NWOBHM WEDNESDAY: SAVAGE

Andy says-

Formed in 1976 Heavy Metal/NWOBHM act Savage is known mostly for the fact that Metallica covered their song "Let It Loose" on one of their early demos. With that said there is actually more to Savage than just that particular song. Along with Venom, Avenger and Raven the band Savage were at the forefront of what would become speed metal and thrash. While their debut album Loose 'n' Lethal (released in 1983 on Ebony) is filled with top notch NWOBHM tracks the fact is that "Let It Loose" was ahead of the times and is one of the all time greatest songs of the movement. While their debut album was a success their follow up album left many scratching their heads. Having moved on to to a bigger record label (in this case Zebra) 1985's Hyperactive failed to catapult the band into stardom and amidst personal and record label problems they called it a day. It wouldn't be until 10 years went past that the core duo of Andy Dawson (guitars) and Chris Bradley (vocals and bass) put aside any differences and resurrected Savage. While the band is still active they haven't released a studio album since 2001's Xtreme Machine. While their new material is by all accounts still rooted in the traditional sounds and styling of NWOBHM it is doubtful they will ever be able to top their debut. Indeed it is a land mark album and an essential part of any NWOBHM collection.

Metal Mark says-

Seven years is a long time to wait before releasing your debut. Still glad they stuck with it. I am listening to Loose n' lethal through headphones as I write. "Let it loose" is a killer song. Kind of like Saxon only stepped up a few notches. I love the guitar sound particularly on songs like "Berlin" and "Dirty Money". The fuzzy layers just adds to the texture of the overall sound. "On the rocks" is another stand-out in my mind as well. Maybe almost a late 70's/very early 80's sound kind of like Saxon meets post Michael Schenker UFO. "The China Run" rocks too with a great galloping riff and a fantastic flow plus the vocal howls are great as well. Savage had a very relaxed feel with their music. Every ounce of music just seems to come out so natural. Even though they formed early I think the fact that the debut didn't come until 1983 hurt them because the field was so very crowded by that point. It was difficult for them to make an impact. The fact that follow-up wasn't along the same lines probably sunk them quickly. I think this band is all too often forgotten even today. That's a shame because they had some real talent and some fantastic songs. So check them out.