I can’t even remember the last time I reviewed a demo for this site, which is a bit sad considering the very foundation of this genre’s underground was built upon demos. Perhaps it’s partially because what was once something you eagerly anticipated to get your grubby paws on has turned into an endless slew of bands and projects clogging up the servers of Bandcamp, each one more eager than the other to crap out a meaningless 3 or 4 song demo. The sad reality is, had Savage Sword’s debut demo not been picked up by the good folks at Dying Victims, they’d probably get lost in this wave as well. Lucky for us, they haven’t.
Formed just last year, Savage Sword are a Swedish power metal band who, like many of their peers, draw exclusively from a well of ancient metal sounding roughly from 1981-1985. While it’s easy to lump these newer acts as part of the never-ending NWOTHM scene, this latest wave, largely spearheaded by Century, almost seem like a response to the rampant Enforcer-fication of traditional metal. A band like Savage Sword prides themselves on lo-fi production, wild delivery, and not adhering to the usual Priest and Maiden-isms that have become the general template.
No, instead, Savage Sword’s debut 4 song demo sounds like a FWOSHM act trying to imitate early USPM, with the musical finesse of Satan. The opening “Blazing Firesword” speaks for itself. Piping hot and deadly sharp, just as the title infers, this blazing power-speed blitz sets the stage for an unrelenting affair of battle metal. Sure, frontman/guitarist Henke Edqvist’s vocals are a far cry from the operatic screams of Rob Halford, but the fit the intensity of the music, and by extension, the band. “Crimson Fields”, which was released last year as the band’s debut single, keeps the battle going strong. The vocals and riffs are even nastier here than on “Blazing Firesword”, their spin on power metal being of the utmost barbaric order.
After two nonstop power-speed savages, Savage Sword switches things up with a bloodthirsty gallop attack in “Meant for War”. The riffs and licks bear a distinct NWOBHM tinge, specifically reminiscent of the mighty Satan. If you compiled an ’80s cult metal mixtape and paired this cut with Satan’s “Break Free”, the cohesion would most certainly be there. Rounding it all out, a song that boasts no shortage of USPM heroics, “Power By the Blade”. For a band of Swedes, I can’t help but think they cut their teeth on Brocas Helm, because this closer sounds lifted straight off 1988’s Black Death, fusing epic speed with unrelenting power…by the blade! Get it?
While Savage Sword’s debut demo is far from a gamechanger, especially in an age where just about everything in the realms of traditional, power, and speed metal has already been done, it does a most excellent job showcasing this band and their underlying potential. With four bangers this strong to their name, one can only imagine what Savage Sword will achieve come the full length stage. To you, my Swedish liege, I quote the “Kings of Metal”, Manowar: “May your sword stay wet like a young girl in her prime.”
7 out of 10
Label: Dying Victims Productions
Genre: Power Metal
For fans of: Heavy Load, Brocas Helm, Satan