This week’s AMPED Artist of the week is London-based metal outfit, Savage Messiah. The track, ‘Cross Of The Babylon’ from the band’s latest album, ‘The Fateful Dark’ can be found below.
The release of ‘The Fateful Dark’ in March last year landed Savage Messiah in the center of controversy, after the band was refused permission for a photo session at the United Grand Lodge of England, headquarters of the UK Freemasons on the basis that their name was offensive to the society.
“Once more the dubiously hypocritical nature of religious groups has reared its head,” Savage Messiah frontman Dave Silver said of the UK Freemasons decision. “We’ve been denied access to a building due to our apparently ‘offensive’ name. I’m assuming that the word ‘Savage’ is the root of the consternation in question. This I find amusing from a group of people that adhere to a book that promotes slavery, genocide and celebrates a single human sacrifice as if it had any bearing whatsoever in the eradication of ‘sin’ or whatever that is supposed to be.”
Ironically, ‘The Fateful Dark’ loosely addresses issues of greed, power and corruption, backed with some cultured lyrics, top-notch guitar playing and extremely catchy melodic vocals. The album was released in March 2014, via Earache records. Savage Messiah will kick off their tour in support of the album later this week when they hit the road with metal heavyweights Amon Amarth and Huntress across Europe. Check out the band’s website via the links below for a full list of dates.
Savage Messiah online:
‘The Fateful Dark’ official press:
Savage Messiah unleash their new album ‘The Fateful Dark’ on March 10, easily their most versatile and immediate collection of songs showcasing the melodic vocals of Dave Silver and the frenetic lead playing of Joff Bailey and Silver himself.
The band have steadily refined their sound to this point, honing their skills through extensive touring with the likes of Wintersun, Evile and Havok in the last 12 months. The new album was recorded with Scott Atkins (Cradle of Filth, Behemoth, Amon Amarth) and delivers razor sharp riffing coupled with classic twin lead trade-offs that are unashamedly Heavy Metal. So confident are the band in their new material, that their live set on the Havok dates in November was made up entirely of new songs the fans had never heard before.
Dave Silver: “This is easily our best record to date and we’ve been playing most of it live since we toured with WINTERSUN in July and the reaction to the songs in a live environment has been killer! Hopefully you’ll all enjoy listening to this one, and we look forward to seeing you all out on tour in 2014!!!”
The widely anticipated follow up to 2012’s critically acclaimed “Plague of Conscience” finds the band working as a tighter unit, with powerhouse new drummer Andrea Gorio forming a close understanding with bassist Stefano Selvatico, underpinning complex songs like “Minority of One” and “Live As One Already Dead” and allowing Bailey and Silver to work their riff magic over the top. Back in 2012 the band gave away “Plague of Conscience” as a free download, a move which saw 40.000 fans take advantage of the band’s generosity and helped develop a strong fanbase. With “‘The Fateful Dark”, fans can expect to be treated to epic, progressively-minded Heavy Metal on songs like “Cross of Babylon’ and full on heads-down stormers like “Hellblazer” all of which serve to demonstrate the diversity on offer and the huge progression the band has made between each recording.
Savage Messiah were recently refused permission for a photo session at the United Grand Lodge of England, headquarters of the UK Freemasons on the basis that their name was offensive to the society. A theme of greed, power and corruption runs loosely through the album, backed with some cultured lyrics.On the subject of the Freemasons’ decision to block the bands photo plans, Silver offers up this response; “Once more the dubiously hypocritical nature of religious groups has reared its head. We’ve been denied access to a building due to our apparently “offensive” name. I’m assuming that the word “Savage” is the root of the consternation in question. This I find amusing from a group of people that adhere to a book that promotes slavery, genocide and celebrates a single human sacrifice as if it had any bearing whatsoever in the eradication of “sin” or whatever that is supposed to be. If the band was called “arse-fucked Messiah” I might understand their concern, however the very nature of the biblical myths is based on the most savage of human behaviours. Ironically most Christian churches depict the effigy of a brutal murder, the most violent of image of a man strung up, maimed, humiliated and sacrificed, yet us long haired, peace loving, free-thinking heavy metal louts are too “Savage” to enter a building…such is the way of the world!”
In the past Savage Messiah have toured across Europe several times playing with the likes of Queensryche, Overkill and Death Angel, and played major festivals such as Bloodstock and Hammerfest. 2014 looks set to be the year when Savage Messiah finally come of age.
Also available with the album are specially recorded cover versions of less obvious songs by Iron Maiden, Diamond Head and Motorhead.