Review: Savage Messiah – Insurrection Rising (2009)
The latest UK based thrash outfit, Savage Messiah is looking to follow in the footsteps of Evile, especially with their recent signing to fast rising Candlelight Records. Now, with their 2009 debut full length Insurrection Rising, Savage Messiah is ready and willing to take the World by storm. The only problem is, despite what the media is labeling them, they really aren’t thrash to begin with. In fact, dare I say it, Savage Messiah are actually power metal *GASP!*.
Honing the ferocity of a Testament stripped of any semblance of punk, combined with the melody and classic metal tribute of Iced Earth (the song “In Absence of Liberty” could have been ripped from an IE album with only the patented triplets missing), Savage Messiah have snuck under the unsuspecting new age thrashers ever present gaze to bring the usual extreme metal Candlelight label, an interesting dose of what boils down to speed metal (power metal is a derivative of speed metal, don’t start…). Now I won’t deny that Insurrection Rising is not without its moments of thrash, particularly in the highlight track “Enemy Image,” but even this is just a glorified tribute (albeit a good one) to Iced Earth, but it is NOT a thrash album.
I’m sure there are people laughing at their computers right now (probably the same people who think Children of Bodom are black metal, ha!), but truth is beheld in the music. Regardless of its genre classification, Insurrection Rising isn’t too shabby of an album. Would I call it “good”? Ehhh…not really. The riffs really are carbon copies of what Testament has done bigger and better, the vocals of Dave Silver are less than stellar, and the solos/melodic classical metal feel is really second rate all over. While I wasn’t necessarily underwhelmed by the album, as it had adequate amounts of staying power to keep me listening, I can’t ever see myself digging out Insurrection Rising to show off to my friends as a great slab of modern power metal.
If you are looking for a review of “that British thrash band that isn’t Evile”, you may be disappointed, but give this album a whirl anyway, because guaranteed it won’t be what you are expecting, and it may even strike a chord!
NOT BAD
Similar Artists: Testament, Iced Earth
1. Insurrection Rising
2. Corruption X
3. In Absence of Liberty
4. The Serpent Tongue of Divinity
5. Vigil of the Navigator
6. Enemy Image (Dehumanization)
7. Silent Empire
8. The Nihilist Machine
9. He Who Laughs Last
Dave Silver – Vocals & Guitar
Sy Taplin – Guitar
Sasha Cron – Bass
Ernesto Nogara – Drums
http://www.myspace.com/savagemessiahmetal
Review by CODY
