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A New Beginning

      
         
         
         
     
             
Savage Wizdom are a power metal band from the USA formed in 2004 and releasing their debut album in 2007. However, by the end of the year the band had disbanded only to reform the following year with a new line-up. After a number of years writing, recording and more line up changes, Savage Wizdom released their second album 'A New Beginning' in 2014.    
             
Influenced by legendary German power metallers Helloween, Gamma Ray and Primal Fear with a slice of British stalwarts Iron Maiden and American thrash giants Metallica, Savage Wizdom deliver a brand of heavy power metal with huge riffs and thunderous drums. Opening song, and the title song 'A New Beginning' is a raucous romp, very Helloween-like with chunky guitar riffs and high pitched vocals similar in style to (ex-Helloween singer) Michael Kiske. The album however, does have a much heavier sound than Michael Kiske-era Helloween and is evidenced by the extremely hard hitting, almost brutal riffing of 'Let It Go' featuring (ex-Wolfsband and ex-Iron Maiden singer) Blaze Bayley. Thunderous like a jack hammer, 'Let It Go' is fast paced with a touch of thrash metal about it and an excellent guitar solo to boot.    
             
'The Barbarian' hints at Viking metal with its epic, mythology tinged vibe and it thunders along, much like many of the epic masterpieces Iron Maiden are famous for, except that Savage Wizdom are that much heavier. At over ten minutes in length 'Trail Of Sorrow' is an epic wander through powerful power metal, with hints at thrash metal and speed metal too. The guitar work is awesome, the vocals are superb, and there is plenty of melodic moments, breakdowns and time changes to keep the listener entertained all the way to its conclusion. 'Do Or Die' continues the heavy power metal assault with its chunky riffs and thunderous rhythms. this is very good power metal mixed with melodic thrash moments to produce a unique sound.    
             
A slow intro to 'Far Away' is deceptive as the song takes on a brutal doom metal riff when it kicks in, and is so much heavier than any power metal to have emerged from Germany during the great days of the late eighties. 'Far Away' does have its Iron Maiden style melodic moments to it, but much, much heavier. Foot tapping, head banging heavy metal returns in blazing style with 'Chase The Dragon' which has a very traditional British metal feel to it as it romps along, Judas Priest style, at pace with an excellent guitar sound.    
             
Mid tempo brutality introduces 'Shattered Lives' before it flies off at full tilt rumbling along relentlessly, with a definite NWOBHM tinge to it. Savage Wizdom cite more power metal bands as their influence than traditional heavy metal bands, but 'Shattered Lives' and the previous song owe more of its sound to the NWOBHM movement of the early to mid eighties than the power metal explosion of the late eighties. And to confirm my thoughts, the final song 'Point Of No Return' is a definite Iron Maiden Judas Priest mix of melodic heavy metal played at pace.    
             
Overall, Helloween, Iron Maiden and Judas Priest traits are combined to produce a very heavy and thunderous, power metal sound.    
             
             
Review by Iron Mathew Collins    
             
Reviewed for Vlad Promotion    
             
             
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