In recent years, old-school glorifying heavy and speed metal bands have been springing up like mushrooms. Out of an unstoppable need to make raw, pure metal without much frills, we see a real boom in spandex-wearing denim vest scum who, armed with a healthy dose of enthusiasm and a shared aversion to modern thrashing, hark back to speed metal groups such as Exciter, Agent Steel and Razor. The fact that instrument mastery and singing skills sometimes lag behind that enthusiasm is not always insurmountable, but it is often a thin line to balance on.
The Spanish formation Savaged takes action with their recently released debut album Night Stealer also back to the eighties. If the hilarious, anachronistic hairstyles of the band members are not an indication of this, then it is the also very amusing album cover, on which we see a kind of mechanical panther tearing apart the moon while the earth goes up in a cloud of smoke. It’s so hideous that it’s charming again. However, given the fierce competition in this reactionary niche, charming corniness is insufficient to convince the average listener. More is needed for that. Does Savaged have the instrumental and compositional qualities to distinguish themselves in a positive sense?
The answer to that is not clear. This is already evident from the opening track I Will Fight, in which singer Jamie Killhead (snicker) literally sounds like he’s slipping down a slippery mountainside from the first note. A false start, but his less extreme outbursts actually sound very nice. We also like to take the cheesy keyboard work for granted. With the next song Tons Of Leather however, the tire goes completely off course. Killhead’s screams are at times excruciating. It doesn’t help that the song is musically rather stale due to blase, simple riffs and the cumbersome, monotonous rhythm. Then the band comes in Knights Of Metal (of course the titles come from the same grab bag that Manowar and Metalium also seem to use) a lot better. With fresh galloping riffs and a good dose of enthusiasm, this track also borders on kitsch, but it is above all a pleasant riff-fest, in which Killhead also comes into his own in terms of vocals.
The variability also dominates in many other tracks. The entertaining Elm St – a musical ode to one of the iconic horrors from the eighties is musically sound, but is somewhat lacking due to the singer’s accent and his sometimes strange gnawing. Money Sucks despite its somewhat stupid title, it is a lot better musically and manages to leave an above-average impression, especially thanks to the drawn-out, instrumental middle section. With the frivolous Running For Your Love (Tonight) Fortunately, Savaged ends with the strongest and nicest song on this album. Yes, it is cloying at times, but the performance is so energetic that the group gets away with it.
Despite those sporadic charms, I have to conclude that Night Stealer is in many ways too changeable a job to generate much lasting impact. If the singer learns to dose better and the band lets go of the worst clichés, it could still be something. For now, Savaged will mainly remain a curiosity, a band that only becomes really fun when the blood alcohol level increases drastically. And that is never a very good sign, I say as a southerner who is used to carnival misery.
Track listing:
1.I Will Fight
2. Tons Of Leather
3.Knights Of Metal
4. Welcome To…
5. Elm St
6.Money Sucks
7. Stealing The Night
8. Running For Your Love (Tonight)
