Welcome to another edition of From My Collection. If you’re based in the Midwest or a regular of the festival circuit, chances are you spent this past weekend alongside yours truly in Lombard, Illinois at the Metal Threat Festival. And boy, what a festival it was. I was treated to ripping sets from the likes of Cianide, Messiah, Whiplash, Cardiac Arrest, and the subject of today’s retrospective essay, Nasty Savage, just to name a few. Of all the bands who played this past weekend, none left a bigger mark on me than Nasty Savage. Musically, they’re as punishing as ever, unleashing pure old school brutality. Visually, they’re even more pleasing, with frontman Nasty Ronnie still as charismatic and destructive as ever after all these years. Today we pay tribute to these underground legends and what is perhaps their strongest album, Indulgence. Please maniacs, indulge yourselves!
Prior to the death metal boom of the late ’80s, Florida didn’t have much of a metal scene beforehand. Two bands were responsible for changing this and largely shaping the future of metal, not just in this state, but across the globe: Savatage and Nasty Savage. As we all know, Savatage would score a major label deal with Atlantic and subsequently reinvent themselves from ripping US power metallers to grandiose progressive metal innovators, expanding their sound with orchestral elements and conceptual pieces. Their aspirations would grow even bigger come the overnight success of their Christmas themed alter egos, Trans-Siberian Orchestra. As for Nasty Savage, well, things turned out a little different…
They too scored a record deal, albeit with Metal Blade Records, which back then, was nothing to sneeze at. After all, this was the label who spent ’85 putting out such classic releases as Slayer’s Hell Awaits, Destruction’s Infernal Overkill, Sodom’s In the Sign of Evil, Lizzy Borden’s Love You to Pieces. Naturally, Nasty Savage’s self titled debut fit right in. A wicked amalgamation of merciless power, subtle speed, and arcane darkness, Nasty Savage captured the post-NWOBHM, pre-commercialized thrash era like no other release of its day. And their live shows became the stuff of legend. Broken TVs, powerslams, blood on the stage: All hallmarks of Nasty Savage’s live show to this day!
Come 1987, metal had progressed significantly and so had Nasty Savage. The kids who once attended their shows in awe were now putting out their own albums and setting the stage for a new decade of heaviness (i.e. Chuck Schuldiner of Death). Nasty Savage could’ve very well rehashed their classic debut and I’m sure there would’ve been no shortage of pleased headbangers cranking it fondly as a throwback to “the old days”. But no, Nasty Savage took note of their surroundings and amplified the brutality tenfold on their sophomore full length, Indulgence.
From the opening onslaught of my personal favorite Nasty Savage song, “Stabbed in the Back”, we’re given a complete 180 from the band who was singing “Metal Knights” just a couple years earlier. The double bass drums are in full gear, the riffs are punishing, the atmosphere is dense, and Nasty Ronnie’s voice borders on pure gutturals. Put it all together and you’ve got an essential early death metal song. Yes, as far as I’m concerned, this song is as deadly as anything off Slayer’s Hell Awaits, Kreator’s Pleasure to Kill, Possessed’s Seven Churches, and any other pioneering death metal release from ’85-’87. Those with a full understanding of the genre’s evolution would likely agree.
“Divination” turns down the extremity dial, though not by much, bulldozing the listener with a lethal dose of pure thrash, albeit with a slight technical slant. The riffs, mosh-worthy have they are, have an unorthodox feeling to them, and the overall arrangement can be described as mesmeric. Nasty Ronnie’s alternation between gruff screams and King Diamond-esque falsettos only further add to the confusion. Following this is a song that dates back to Nasty Savage’s ’84 demo era, “XXX”. This sex-crazed romp has since been given the late ’80s thrash/death treatment, a far cry away from its humble, high speed, NWOBHM inspired beginnings. Anthemic as it is depraved, “XXX” remains a staple of Nasty Savage’s set even now.
Closing out side A is the spastic, technical thrashing title track. When listening to the riffing, rhythm section, and inner nuances of this one, it’s no wonder Coroner and other technically inclined outfits labelled Nasty Savage as an influence. Shock tactics aside, this was a band who knew their respective instruments inside and out. All of the members could’ve probably moonlighted in prog/jazz bands if they wanted to, but let’s not kid ourselves: In 1987, that was the last thing anyone wanted to do, and you had a better chance paying the bills with thrash metal. Let’s not forget even Slayer’s Reign in Blood went gold!
As we flip over to side B, we’re greeted by the scorching hot “Inferno” (pun fully intended). This blistering headbanger alternates between unrelenting high speed riffs and ridiculously blistering solos, provided by guitar duo David Austin and Ben Meyer. These two are no Denner and Shermann, or even Tipton and Downing for that matter, but they play off each other’s chaos to create a twin guitar attack that’s violently unique. “Hypnotic Trance” lives up to its name, channeling the unsettling tropes of “Divination” and even recalling the avant-garde explorations of Celtic Frost circa To Mega Therion, sans the blackened atmosphere. Nasty Ronnie growls his way through this one, adding an extra layer of aggression.
“Incursion Dementia” is another tune that can be filed in the tech thrash category, yet without sounding overtly similar to any other tech thrashers of the era (i.e. Megadeth, Voivod, Toxik). The guitar work is confusing and, well, demented. Even the bass lines are twisted, and again, Nasty Ronnie’s half growl, half operatic delivery is something that’s truly his own. After all this musical exploration, it makes sense that “Distorted Fanatic” keeps things straightforward with its mid-tempo, mosh friendly, thrashing barrage, before the aptly titled, winding instrumental that is “?” closes this outing for good.
Although Indulgence did not receive the collective acclaim of its predecessor, it is regarded as a cult classic among thrashers and death metallists alike. Nasty Savage would soldier on for one more album in Penetration Point (1989), before calling it a day not long after. They’d then reunite, then break up again, and reunite again, and break up again, and…you get the idea. Nasty Savage have been performing and recording on and off ever since, with their most recent 2016 reunion kicking off what’s proven to be their most successful run since the ’80s. For their sake, let’s keep it this way!