SAVAGE MASTER – Creature of the Flames/Toronto (EP & Concert Review)

Galloping out of the fires of Hell (Louisville Kentucky), Savage Master charge upward, riding hard and fast. The full on leader of female fronted occult heavy metal. Their blend of NWOBHM tinged, speed-laden, thrash-influenced metal hits hard. Relatively new, Savage Master began life in 2013 and have risen quickly in establishing a name for themselves. With a roster of Adam Neal (guitar), Larry Myers (guitar), Brandon Brown (bass), John Littlejohn (drums) and Stacey Savage (vocals) they burst forth from the darkness. In their four year tenure, they have issued several high-quality recordings. Mask of the Devil in 2014, Black Hooves (CDS) 2015, and With Whips and Chains in 2016. Recently, Savage Master presented Creature of the Flames (EP) as their newest creation. The cover art for this EP or Mini LP as it’s described was supplied by Chris Moyen.

Steeped in devilish occult themed lyrics as anyone familiar would expect, Creature of the Flames finds the band firing on all cylinders. The five-song collection vaults out of the fiery depths of Hell with “Child of the Night”. Pure old school Heavy Metal at it’s finest. If I’m not mistaken, even recorded in an all analog studio, and mixed and mastered without digital editing. Old school! The next selection, “Burning Leather”, has been already unveiled as a single in the teaser video seen below. This gives you a great feel of what Savage Master is all about if you’re new to the coven.

“Dark Enchantress” is probably the most accessible with an infectious refrain and lyrics regarding “sexual witchcraft”. This one has quickly transferred to my running MP3 travel to work playlist. Don’t be surprised to find this featured as a “Dick in the Dirt” track on the CGCM Podcast. As it truly has knocked my dick in the dirt.

At near six minutes, “Creature of the Flames” has an epic doomy feel to it, yet keeps you entranced through to the end. And the fifth member of the collective, closing things up is a cover song. The Savage Master crew do a great justice to Holocaust‘s “Death or Glory”. In fact, if you didn’t know it was a cover, you wouldn’t know.

Meeting SAVAGE MASTER in Toronto

Looking around prior to the start, two friends and I noted that no one from our usual concert crowds was present. Spotting lead vocalist Stacey Savage behind the merch table the three of us descended. An army of three. A swarm of three. We attacked. Sharpies, vinyl, posters and CD inlays were our weapons of choice (mass destruction). Our army/swarm secured autographs from Stacey as we purchased tour shirts.

Shortly Adam Neal appeared, Savage Master‘s guitarist. How such a towering gent can sneak up on you like that is mystifying. Chatting and adding his scrawl to our collective paraphernalia, Adam commented on my Lady Beast attire. He quickly darted off to direct the rest of the band to pop over and sign our shit. Both Larry Myers (guitar) and bassist Brandon Brown turned up and obliged our plight. We didn’t see new Savage drummer John Littlejohn, presumably as he joined after the releases we clutched.

Larry Myers hung out with us during the opening act and part of the second before having to prepare for the stage. He regaled us with stories of border crossings, mistaken identities, and tour van breakdowns. The life of a touring musician. Thanks Larry for taking the time to chat with us.

SAVAGE MASTER Live in Toronto October 27, 2017

In what seemed a bit of an odd billing Savage Master tore a new asshole into Toronto on October 27. The band was a late addition to a mostly punk flavored bill that included Green Jelly (Jello) and The Dead Boys. Situated between those two “headliners” and two presumably local bands Blind Matty and Sista Fista. This Satanic, devilish, more traditional metal outfit went over well with the punker crowd.

The four men flooded the stage. All were sporting leather harnesses, bare chests, black eye-slit only hoods and thick neck chains secured with heavy padlocks. Before long, the executioners were joined by their Savage Master, Stacey. Adorned similarly, with a leather and silver cup harness/bra and scaled arm pads. The band bounded into “Black Hooves”. And for the next 30 minutes, Savage Master pummelled the punk audience with their thrashy, speedy, trad metal compositions. With such a visual production, I didn’t even notice that the candles in candelabras on the cabs had not been lit. Ruling the roost, Stacey really stole the show. The conviction on her face. The venom as she spat lyrics. The fist clenched. A hellacious singer. The Savage Master.

There was no time for between-song banter, they just kept hitting harder and harder. Things went down well with the punkers as pushing and shoving moshes broke out behind us. We steeled ourselves in the front row to ward off the random surges, fists never dropping. One of the best shows I’ve seen in a long time. The band was tight, doling out the riffage with Savage‘s hellacious throaty delivery crystal clear in the mix.