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Full-length, Black Dragon Records
September 1985
Vocals : Mike Smith
Guitars : Christian Logue
Bass : Brian East
Drums : Dan Finch
1. Lions Roar 01:02
2. Bound to Be Free 04:26
3. Fear My Way 04:22
4. Sins of the Damned 04:19
5. Into the Fire 03:29
6. Master of Disguise 04:03
7. Betrayer 04:57
8. Sons of Iniquity 04:40
9. No One Left to Blame 04:14
Total playing time 35:32
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Aside from the wicked speed throughout here, completely ahead of its time, this album deluges you into some masterfully crafted metal here. Everything here is extraordinary and incredible. The songs are downright catchy, and there's crazy hooks and leads to be heard throughout all of them. The riffs are pretty out of this world at times and original, and then the solo's are just lightning fast and extremely technical. The dual guitars are like unstoppable gatling guns exploding in your face. A lot of the work here is extremely melodic, "Into the Fire" being a great example. Then there's songs like "Fear My Way" and "Sons of Iniquity" that have a Walls of Jericho/Ride The Sky syndrome in them; the solo's just don't seem to stop coming and they're just completely explosive and awesome. Expect some very fast drumming that was usually only heard in Thrash at the time. Lots of nicely executed double bass drumming slamming down left and right. Same can be said about the bass guitars, which is just as fast as the rest of the band. Outside of Thrash and some singles and demo's here and there from various bands, this is hands down one of the fastest early 80's metal albums I've ever heard, and one of the best to boot.
A major comparison you can make to their next release, After the Fall From Grace, are the vocalists. Here we have Mike Smith, who sounds extremely similar to James Rivera at times (of Helstar, and dozens of other great bands). He's extremely aggressive, and executes his vocals perfectly with the music. Also, the comparison with James Rivera just goes to show Smith has an incredible range as well. He can hit extremely high notes and carries them across the void at ease. Guitarist Christian Logue who does the vocals for After the Fall From Grace, is extremely good as well. He's probably best compared to an off-spring of Geoff Tate, using a lot of falsetto. He too fits with with this style pretty well also. In the end, it probably depends on your tastes for who you favor more here. Myself being an avid James Rivera, Harry Conklin, Eric Adams, fan (just to name a few), in the case of Savage Grace's lightspeed and aggressive style here, I would go with Mike Smith. His aggression over Logue gives this album its explosive energy, and tips off the iceberg for me.
There's also quite a difference in style and sound comparing the two albums. This one being a little more straight forward, though that doesn't go to say this album is just "simpler". Its different in its own way. Probably more melodic, easily overall faster and more aggressive. Because of this, I've come to favor this album over their next a little more. While After the Fall From Grace is still definitely pure speed metal, it feels a little held back and somewhat experimental compared to this. Regardless, if you like this album or their second release, it'd be essential to check them both out.
The production is pretty solid overall for its time. Each instrument is pretty clear and easy to here. Nothing overpowers anything here, including Smith's vocals. This is definitely not at the level of Iron Maiden etc productions, still being a little raw, but its nowhere near the level of say, Helloween's Walls of Jericho.
Overall, this is heavy metal with an ultra lightning fast kick to the balls. Easily one of the earliest speed metal albums I've ever heard, and surely set some standards and a perfect example for later bands to follow. On top of that, this album is just downright explosive and top notch in every way. This is an absolute must buy for metal fans of practically any kind. If you've heard After the Fall From Grace and loved it, you should already have this, and vice versa! Fans of Agent Steel, Attacker, Helstar, and basically all Speed and early Power Metal out there won't be able to contain the droolage over this. Ultimately recommended! |
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