Formed in 2019 in Bavaria,
Germany, New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal (NWOTHM) band Savage follows up
their self-titled debut EP from 2022 with their much-anticipated first album, Glory Riders. Now signed to boutique
metal label Dying Victims Productions, this old school metal band delivers on
their cool album cover’s promise of kick-ass metal.
Before I get into the album, I must address an issue. I love the Dying Victims Productions label; they release
some of today’s best heavy metal and if you’re into ‘80s type metal, they are
probably the best indie label out there. BUT they keep screwing up on release
dates on Bandcamp. At the time of writing this, Savage’s Glory Riders is still stuck on Pre-Order on Bandcamp. We’re October
22nd and the album was supposed to have been released on the 20th.
This has happened a lot with their releases and as someone who doesn’t do
Spotify or Apple Music, it’s incredibly frustrating. I no longer have faith in
them to pre-order any of their releases and I know many fans share my
exasperation. It’s pretty crappy to have to go on YouTube and listen to an album
upload from a third-party just to be able to hear the entire album when it
should already be released. What is the label doing? Why not schedule automatic
releases on the day of on Bandcamp? Why aren’t bands pushing back on this? Anyway,
I digress, end of rant.
On to Glory Riders. This set of eight fist-pumping metal songs is a
glorious affair. Man, how I love this kind of music and this LP absolutely hits
the spot! It’s so much fun from beginning to end. The band does have more of a
garage sound with a little less polish, but what it lacks in the production
values department, it more than makes up for with sheer passion. These guys
love making metal music and wear their influences on their sleeves. At times Glory Riders feels like a love letter to
early ‘80s metal. Fans of W.A.S.P., Twisted Sister, and Motley Crüe will particularly
get a kick out of this gem of a record. Savage offers us plenty of great guitar
solos, pounding rhythms, and Blackie Lawless-inspired vocals to satisfy metal
fans of all ages. Eight head-banging tunes, no filler, and if you dug any of
the three singles, you’re gonna love every bit of the remainder of the album. Glory Riders is heading straight into my
Top Ten Albums of the Year list, folks. Give it a spin, or two or three, but
get in on the action for the glory of metal!
Dying Victims Productions’ Bandcamp page for Savage: https://dyingvictimsproductions.bandcamp.com/album/glory-riders
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