Saturday 3 March 2012

A Review - Savage Messiah - Plague of Conscience

Like RTR, I've already briefly mentioned these chaps in a previous article. When I saw them supporting Evile, I thought they were just another support band, nothing particularly special. By the end of their set though, I found myself clapping, cheering and singing along, even though I'd not heard of them previously. They were staggeringly good.


Which leads us to their new album, 'Plague of Conscience'. I have to say, it's a bit of a puzzler. Title track and album opener 'Plague of Conscience' is powerful, punchy, and has a catchy chorus. The heavy thrash influences of 80s style Metallica are very evident, but they aren't over powering. And Dave Silver's opening Rob Halford style falsetto scream is just to die for.


However, something which nags at me a little bit is the synchronised falsetto with the clean vocals. The falsetto is just plain amazing, and the singing isn't bad by any means (in fact, it's pretty darn good), but the thing is - both of these voices are Dave's, and they mask one anothers good qualities when put together. Also, when playing songs live, he has to choose between one or the other. Either way, live, as one isn't covered up by the other, it somehow sounds an awful lot better, which begs the question - why put it on an album?


The guitarmanship is also sublime, with some sensational riffs and dynamic, technical guitar solos throughout. Not to mention the fact that drummer Mauricio Chamucero is one hell of a drummer, without a single fault. Not even one. Lets see Lars do that with his little biscuit barrel drum kit and vast army of cymbals, magnets and tables.

Although some of the verses seem to have some slight mashing of vocals/music, the chorus of 'Six feet Under the Gun' is brilliant, probably my favourite from the album due to how dynamic, melodic, yet simple it is. It also has some excellent guitar solos, from a harmonised dual guitar solo to blistering sweep passages.


Although I really like the chorus, I can't help but feel like something is lacking from 'Carnival of Souls'. Whatever it is, it certainly isn't falsetto, or guitar solos. Although some of the song is really interesting and fun to listen to, it feels a bit like there is more solo than song, and that some of it was just a little bit of filler. Don't get me wrong, none of it sounds bad, but it just feels like the song is just one big solo session. It's almost like Joff Bailey and Dave Silver were having a solo off, and didn't even realise that they were still being recorded

'In Thought Alone' has a very nice acoustic style introduction which nicely compliments Dave's voice, and the harmonic back-up singing is also quite nice. A bit less thrashy than the songs beforehand, and a bit more modern, this song has a very distinctive, also Maiden style, chug to it, which you can't help but handbang along to. The quick tempo changes and general energetic feel of this song both add up to an excellent sound all round, as well as some interesting, thought provoking lyrics. The chorus may not be the catchiest thing in the world, but the overall riffs and outro to this song more than make up for it.

 'All Seeing I' and 'Architects of Fear' both have almighty thrash style intro licks (such as the thundering drum riff which leads into 'Architects of Fear') that even the most cynical of thrash fans have to approve of, but the choruses both seem way too try hard. Although he proves on other songs just what he is capable of, Dave sounds like he has to force his voice. These odd little blips are overshadowed though by those riffs (especially so on 'All Seeing I', that is a tremendous riff, regardless of the rest of the song). The solos aren't anywhere as good either, but the ratio of song to guitar solos are far more balanced in both. The bridging section in 'Architects of Fear' is also brilliant, an odd moment in the song where the vocals are actually really good and back on track.

In heavy contrast to this is 'Beyond a Shadow of a Doubt' with it's incredibly powerful chorus, but it does still have a pitfall, in that the song itself feels a little bit same-ish. It feels a little bit like they were running out of ideas for guitar riffs and solos by this point (considering the vast number of solos this album has, I wouldbn't be too surprised if they did), so they stuck what remained together, as backing for a vocal line they had already written. It's not exactly a bad song, but it's far from the best, and isn't particularly noticeable compared to the rest of the album, bar the singing. But hey, at least they didn't use breakdowns.


They kick it back up a notch for 'The Accuser' which again much faster and heavier, but again with that odd Judas Priest style falsetto thrown in (throughout the album the falsetto is just mindblowingly good, and they definitely deserve a pat on the back for that). It has a very 80s style gallop to it almost in parts, before turning back to thrash style shredding, and then, as to be expected, guitar solos a plenty.  It is a very technical song, and like a few songs on the album, the melody seems to be ignored, in an all out guitar solo war.


'Shadowbound' has 'Painkiller' style falsetto throughout, and musically sounds nigh on identical to Megadeth. As in, it sounds a lot like a replica of a Megadeth song, but with a different vocal line added over the top. I'd probably find that annoying, except I actually think it is a vast improvement, due to my hatred of Mustaine's distinctive inability to sing (with each album he sounds more and more like there is something growing in his throat, trying to stop him singing. I hope, for the sake of everyone involved, that it completes its mission soon). There is no escaping the fact that this approach is far from original, but it has to be said, it doesn't exactly sound bad either. 

Rounding off the album is 'The Mask of Anarchy', and with its acoustic introduction, plus Dave's emotive singing style, it sounds beautiful, with some sweet little acoustic elements to it, before kicking into an energetic, booming verse. This is, beyond a doubt, the best song, vocally. The vocals and music go together perfectly, with subtle guitar licks here and there, it is perhaps the first time on the album where the vocals seem truly dominant. A much slower tempo than the rest of the album, but it works far better. Personally I have to say, I think this song is the best proof of this band's skill overall. It isn't overly technical, or too try hard, and there isn't too many guitar solos. It is, overall, a superb song. The sudden changes in tempo, leading into a much heavier, although melodic, outro, is pulled off perfectly. I can't really find any fault with this song. 

Overall, this is an odd little album. It's not the best in the world, but it is still fun to listen to, and bar some Megadeth riffs, this album has a very unique sound to it. Sure, it does need some polishing, but it is a diamond in the rough. If they focus a bit more on melody, and less on guitar solos and over technical passages, Savage Messiah have a very real chance of working their way up to the top. Just so long as they quit it with the guitar battles, that is.


[6/10]









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