ALBUM REVIEW: Nasty Savage – Jeopardy Room

Classic Power/Thrash Metal pioneers Nasty Savage are back! 20 years have passed since their last album, but we are getting more at last! Out via FHM Records on October 10th.

Following a short introduction we launch into blistering Thrash Metal warfare with those unique vocals spitting venom across barrages of ferocious drums and guitars. The unusual attack of this band remains totally their own and recognisable, picking up where we left off all those years ago. The soloing is face-melting and the rhythm is tight as a fist to the jaw, giving us the Nasty Savage we know and love. Their progressive tendencies harness all of their technical proficiency while none of the balls-to-the-wall aggression is lost in the process. Continuing to give us those angular and jarring metallic whims in a way that is so addictive, I am pleased to hear the feel of the band isn’t gone. This is real power thrashing death from an 80s legend whose reincarnated form honours the past while striding boldly forward. My first impressions of this record are very good, let’s hope they remain so…

“Witches Sabbath” is one of my favourite Nasty Savage songs of all time. I always wondered why it never made the debut record after being such a memorable cut of the demo tape. Anyways, it is finally presented in a more final form here. The evil, haunting atmosphere of the song is kept with its Mercyful Fate-like eeriness. Stomping through, it feels refreshed and it’s so cool to finally hear an album version of the track. It’ll never beat the demo for me, as that’s always just gonna be a personal favourite, but it’s a damn cool revisitation to a piece I adore. Plus the Tardy brothers from Obituary as guests on this song really give it even more punch! Anyways, back to the more general scope of the album, the thing takes enough twists and turns to not stagnate in its running time of 45 minutes. This is a band who clearly still know how to refine their craft and offer only their strongest performances.

There are some almost extreme tendencies on this album which give a brutal edge to things, not overlooking some modern production values too. Thankfully neither gets in the way of good classic thrashing mania and what we end up with is the best of both worlds. Instead of an indecisive mess, Nasty Savage invoke the past to fuel their present energetic delivery. Keeping plenty of those savagely spasming hooks intertwined with merciless grooves and frenzied hostility; this album has all the dynamics and trademarks of some magnificent material. If you doubted the savages return would happen, revel in being proven wrong by this wicked opus.

Still eclectic, bold and inventive while keeping true Thrash Metal firmly in their sights. The masters of the unusual and wonderful, Nasty Savage, and their new record must be one of the year’s most anticipated releases. Personally, I thought it was killer. Not sure what to expect, it sounds like the band we all adore, but in the present day. They’ve aged well, not abandoning their roots but without feeling like a cheap nostalgia cash-in. “Jeopardy Room” is a statement of intent that these maniacs are not dead and they will conquer… Let’s just hope the next one is not such a long wait!