Savage Blade - We are the hammer

Canadian power metallers Savage Blade were formed in 2008 and in 2009 they published their first full length output We are the Hammer.

Starting into the album direct with the Title track „We are the Hammer“. This song shows soon where the way goes. Deep in the 80's and NWOBHM is the kind of metal Savage Blade chose to play. So we find straight riffing and Nikko Forsberg performs his vocals in middle heights. A big and long scream in the middle of the song leads over to the first guitar solo. The refrain is up for everyone to sing with. Easy but straight played....cool. Slow drum and bass start in „Night of the blade“ before the guitars set in. A first deeper chorus, this song is hanging in slower tempo. Forsberg and the backing vocals are nearly in one level. Again a refrain easy to remember. A more elegian guitar solo gives this song an epic touch. At this point I have to say that the production is not like the standards today. It is real old school produced..so Savage Blade sounds like the 80's extremely. But I like it, it is not overproduced like many outputs today. No samples, no loops, no computerized shit. „Merlin“ is faster, played in midtempo. Forsberg performing really high. The vocals have a little Megadeth touch for me. A break with strong guitar riffs cause a scream by Forsberg....and another one. Seems that he likes to integrate long screams. Acoustic start in „Willow run“. Is this a ballad? No...after that it starts to rock again. Rockin parts changes to balladesque parts and back. I would even say that this song goes back to the 70's. And I can find out some Lizzy Borden vibes in Forsbergs voice. But what is this? A piano part at the end together with some epic and symphonic elements before the guitars end the song. Ok. We can call this a semi-ballad. „(In) The Eye of the storm“ is up next. Clean and soft vocals at the beginning. And between more aggressive and rougher parts that comes back. A Van Halen memorial guitar solo rounds up this 5 minute Rock'n Roller. Maybe the replay of the refrain at the end of that song is too long. One minute less would have been better. „Stallions of the highway“ up next. No..this is not a remake of the Saxon classic. Screaming vocals rule that song. Straight forward again. Breathing the dust of the streets, yeah the dust of the highway. Rock'n Roll. A short guitar solo is the only break in this song. This is a guitar song anyway. Riffing all the time. A car starts at the beginning of „Silver ghost“. Forsberg performs in different vocal styles. From dark to high, and in alliance with a lot of backing vocals. One of the faster songs of this album. And in the end the car is back. „Crowfoot“ begins with a nice hookline. This song is again more slowing down. Some doom elements are packed in. Is this an Indian song? Don't know, but a different facette in the music of Savage Blade. So that proves that this band is not limited in their performance. Great song. „Magic in the night“ remembers me again a bit to Lizzy Borden. Real high vocals, mostly double layed. This song has a strange refrain, not easy to listen to. Hell, the piano is back. This is an 8 minutes track. And from this piano part on the song changes to an epic. Wonderful guitar part, shredding part and it is getting faster and faster. Will the guitar explode? No..suddenly we are in midtempo again. The song ends with the same strange refrain like before. Interesting work in that song. The eagle has not landed, „The eagle is stranded“. But this song could be the instrumental brother of the Saxon classic. 3 Minutes guitar part before the vocals set in. As the name of this song says, I think Saxon was in the bands mind if they wrote that song. The last song „Opus of fire“is an acoustic, classical guitar song. With a short electic guitar part. This last song is for people who would like to dream.

For me this album is a journey back to a time where rock'n roll was handmade. Only plug the guitars in and play. But, there is more to explore, like some songs proved. I don't know if the band will have success with a production like this. I would like to hear the band in the future with a sound of todays standards and transfer their vibes and heartly rock to this. But this band is young and I think we will hear much more from them in the future. For people that are deep in the 80's....this is an album for you worth to check out. Nice start, guys.

Points:  7/10

review by Kerb