Live Review : Savage Messiah + The Raven Age @ Academy 3, Manchester on April 14th 2018.
An injection of Heavy Metal was on the cards this past Saturday at the Academy 3 in Manchester with the London based metal newcomers Savage Messiah on their UK tour supported by The Raven Age.
Fresh from a recent Japanese tour, currently on their UK tour and with an appearance in the pipeline at the Download Festival later on in June, they seem unstoppable. I did say 'newcomers', and maybe they aren't exactly as they formed in 2007 and are now promoting their 4th release, the excellent 'Hands Of Fate'.
To kick off the evening, The Raven Age wasted no time in occupying every corners of the stage on the 'Darkness Will Rise', followed by 'The Promised Land'. The London band formed in 2009 have started gathering a bit of momentum in recent years, they have been touring the World with few prestigious bands such Anthrax, Tremonti and Iron Maiden. The cynicals would reproach them to have a member genetically fortunate in acquiring contacts in the music industry, but I am not one of them. Having seen them previously perform on 2 separate occasions, as they sure have really good songs and as a unit connect well with the crowd.
Mid-set, we are finally introduced to former Wild Lies vocalist Matt James being added to the group's ranks with the new single 'Surrogate', but most of us had heard the news. James seems rather timid, hidden under his Assassin's Creed hoody, maybe slightly nervous as he settles in his new band. his vocals are well suited, lifting all the tunes up a notch, particularly the slow starter 'Salem's Fate' and 'My Revenge'. while the rest of the band keeps on headbanging.
The band finally end their performance on the ever catchy riffs of 'Angel In Disgrace' which epitomize what this band can be and hopefully will be with a new album and singer.
The first time I incidentally noticed Savage Messiah was on the Cradle Of Filth tour last November when they were the support act. Slightly influenced by the Greats, the likes of Megadeth, Metallica or Judas Priest. On certain tracks, especially the older ones, the comparison is inevitable. Savage Messiah is hardly trying to reinvent the wheel of Metal but instead use a well known formula and do it extremely well.
Saturday night was no exception. With a set well over the 1 hour and a half mark, Savage Messiah alternates songs from mostly their last 2 releases, 'Hands Of Fate' and 'The Fateful Dark', firing the crowd into a frenzy. Between verses Dave Silver constantly switches from guitar playing to fist pumping adding fuel to the fire.
Memorable moments of the evening remains the infectious bombastic choruses of 'Solar Corona' and 'Eat Your Heart Out' and the relentless riffs and shredding from Dave Silver and Sam S Junior. After 10 years, Savage Messiah is a well oiled metal machine which deserves more recognition than they may have had in the past. With a fantastic new album and a series of festivals this summer. Let's put this right.
Words and photograhyy By Johann Wierzbicki