Ελληνικά
Last Updated on 08:22 AM by Giorgos Tsekas
Genre: Heavy/Power/Epic Metal
Country: United States
Label: Bleeding Heart Records
Year: 2014
Quietly and steadily the forging of glowing metal goes on at the other end of the spectrum. Of course the age when molten steel flowed endlessly is sadly long gone but there will always be bands like Savage Wizdom to release albums faithful to the teachings of the glorious creations of the past. ‘A New Beginning’ is the second album of the quintet from Santa Fe, New Mexico, seven whole years after their debut ‘No Time for Mercy’. The album title is not accidental for the reason that we’re talking about a whole new band. The first line-up disbanded shortly after the release of ‘No Time for Mercy’ due to the fact that the band members had all come from different musical backgrounds so it was very hard to properly manage all these influences under one musical vision. That’s why the record sounded so confused. Vocalist Steve Montoya Sr. reformed the band after a year this time determined to follow his vision to the end by not allowing any thrashy and Slipknot based influences be a part of his creations. ‘A New Beginning’ features Pablo Roybal on guitar, Steve Montoya Jr. (Steve’s son) on guitar/vocals, Steve Cordova on drums, James Stuart III on bass and of course Steve Montoya Sr.on lead vocals.
The epic cover is the creation of the famous J.P. Fournier, an artist known for his work with Avantasia, Edguy, Immortal, Impaled Nazarene, Lonewolf, Pharaoh, Sacred Blood and more! The album was recorded and engineered by Auguistine Ortiz, produced by Savage Wizdom and co-produced by Auguistine Ortiz.
Old school, American heavy/power metal with the necessary dose of epicness. Savage Wizdom charge into battle with razor-sharp guitars, galloping riffs and amazing (cult) vocals from father and son. The ticking of the clock with the mellow guitar part in the short intro ‘Sands of time’ is the calm before the storm. After the first seconds of ‘A new Beginning’ the call to arms is sounded and woe to the ones that stays behind. ‘Let it go’ starts with a nice riff but it lifts off with a great melody (from the ones that sends shivers down your spine, heavy metal perfection) before it is fully delivered to the wild appetites of Steve Montoya Sr. and the special guest of the album, the one and only Blaze Bayley. ‘The Barbarian’ is my personal favorite along with ‘Let it go’, a pure epic metal anthem in the vein of Steel Assassin with amazing high vocals and an outstanding guitar solo. The almost eleven minute opus ‘Trail of sorrow’ is divided in two parts, the first talks about the seeker of a murderer and the second about the killer himself. A feast of riffs, killer leads and melodies makes the first part a classic piece of power metal with the second part being more melancholic and sad. ‘Do or die’ and ‘far away’ have a more dark power metal vibe in the vein of old iced earth. ‘Chase the dragon’, Shattered lives’ and Point of no return’ without reaching the high levels of the rest album closes the second chapter of the history of Savage Wizdom successfully.
For all you U.S metal freaks that live and breathe with bands like Helstar, Jag Panzer, Attacker, Steel Assassin, Enchanter, Twisted Tower Dire, Zandelle, Gothic knights etc. this record is a must. This is the true beginning of the band and I am pretty sure that the follow-up will be even more interesting.
4,5/6
