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NASTY SAVAGE
Jeopardy Room
F*H*M Records

I feel very fortunate to have grown up at the time I did. Computers, smart phones, now electric cars and robots. And musically, the very beginnings of the form of music we call Heavy Metal, through all its sub-genres: Thrash, Death, Speed etc. And the NWoBHM too, although technically not a genre but a period of time. If you asked me what my favorite period of time for Metal was/is, I'd probably pick the 80's. Most all the 70's era bands were still around, and consequently still putting out quality music. And then you had all the bands playing these new styles as listed above.

You also had the creation of The Metal Underground. While it may not sound like such a big deal now, The Underground was paramount in getting a band's name and music out there. Obviously as there was no internet or computers, The Underground was how it was done back in the day! There were fanzines (little xeroxed copies of band album and demo reviews, interviews, and playlists made by everyday Metalheads spreading the gospel of their favorite form of music), and there was tape trading. Cassettes & vinyl were all there were back then, so bands that were looking for exposure or record deals put their songs out on tape. Once it hit The Underground network, if your band was worth its salt, you'd have companies sniffing about in no time. If you don't believe me, see METALLICA's No Life 'Till Leather demo as proof that I'm not exaggerating when I tell you how important this scenario was to a band's actual existence. I found out about bands from all over the United States and the world this way! Back then we really didn't think that globally, so to get a demo from, say Germany (IRON ANGEL) or Denmark (MERCYFUL FATE), and then to hear what those cats were conjuring up thousands of miles away, it was life-altering for a dorky Metalhead from Texas.

And it wasn't just overseas, as the scene here in The Colonies was booming! And Texas was right in the mix! In fact, Houston's own HELSTAR won the poll results for the best Demo in 1983 from the legendary Metal Forces magazine out of the UK in issue No. #3! Speaking of, a magazine like Metal Forces had a column called Penbangers, where Metalheads from all over the world would write in with lists of their favorite bands and their demos. So you would send them some tapes, they would make you some tapes, and viola! That's how The Underground started. While I don't take for granted that sounds kind of rudimentary nowadays, to say it was a different world we lived in back then kinda goes without saying.

So you might be wondering what's with the history lesson? I'm getting to that. One band that caught everyone's attention was a band from Brandon, Florida called NASTY SAVAGE. They formed in 1983, and unleashed a thoroughly savage (see what I did there?) demo in 1984 called Wage Of Mayhem! And mayhemic it most certainly was. Pounding double-kick drums, riff madness galore and vocals that were punctuated with soaring screams when needed. It didn't leave my tape deck for weeks. It also caught the ears of my buds on The Random Sampler radio show on KPFT 90.1 FM, who I ended up helping on til our unfortunate demise thanks to the late Jeff Hanneman from SLAYER. But that's another story for another day. So thanks to our airplay, along with a classic phone interview and word of mouth, Metalheads in Houston were hip to the NASTY SAVAGE machine. A local promoter Gene B., who had ties to us and also wrote for a local newspaper, Public News (RIP), got a hold of some Metal promoters in San Antonio and Austin, and before you know it NASTY SAVAGE was headed to the Lone Star State! Now why is this significant you may ask? Because this was done solely on the back of a DEMO!!!! NS didn't even have a record deal at the time! Thus was the power of The Underground and NASTY SAVAGE themselves.

Like just about every band in existence, the NASTY SAVAGE you see today is not the ones from the glory days of yesteryear. They had called it a day several different times through the years. Now the last man standing in the ring, if you will, is vocalist 'Nasty' Ronnie Galletti (who has actually been a professional wrestler to boot). The new members sharing their "Savage Desire" with Ronnie are James Coker on drums and Pete Sykes on guitar, both ex members of Florida death metal titans BRUTALITY. On bass is Kyle Sokol, who's also in NOCTURNUS AD, and on the other guitar is David Orman, who was in Tampa death metal band CONTORTED. And what these lads have achieved is pretty remarkable. It's one thing entirely to just cover the already written music from bygone days. You can see cover bands in bars all over the world playing your favorite songs that they didn't write. But to write brand new original music, and sound like the OG band with their style and not sound fake or contrived, well that's a horse of a different color as they say. And they somehow manage to throw in some of those death metal style riffs and picking, and it fully conforms to the NS style 100%. The technical, uptempo style of the NASTY SAVAGE you know and love is at the fore, and it's a welcome return to be sure. Instrumental opener "Invocations", was even written by original bassist Fred Dregischan, who had to bow out of the band back then because of a nasty hand injury. The title track is a pounder that has an early MORBID ANGEL vibe to these ears. If you're thinking Ronnie and crew are mellowing in their older ages, let me assure you that you couldn't be more mistaken. "Brain Washer" starts off with Jim's feet of fire double kickin' those drums, a perfect tribute to OG skinsman Curtis 'The Shark' Beeson, who sadly passed on earlier this year. I know he'd be proud of that indeed. The song itself is just a crusher that I defy you not to headbang too. Of course I take no responsibility for your neck afterwards. You HAVE to love a song called "Southern-Fried Homicide" and I do. A sinister track that musically fits the title. And the last song from the Wage Of Mayhem demo that hasn't been re-recorded and updated now can no longer make that statement. "Witches Sabbath" gets its due here with a special assist from the Tardy Brothers John and Donald, from Florida death metal kings OBITUARY. An already iconic cut is now taken to another level, if you even thought that was possible. The boys even continue a NASTY SAVAGE tradition, that of the instrumental. Like "?" off of '87's Indulgence, and "Horizertical" off '89's Penetration Point, the honor here goes to "The 6th Finger". It's a smorgasbord of riffs, notes, kicks and all manner of heaviness. You can hear everyone clear as day, and it's a fine continuation of the NS legacy.

And that's definitely what you have here. A band not resting on past laurels but slashing its way into the brains of a whole new generation. Jeopardy Room clocks in at a tick under 45 minutes and will pummel you from the first note to the last. If you never got to see NASTY SAVAGE live, you need music that could withstand the visual assault of Curtis blowing fire from behind the drums, while Ronnie convulsed, contorted and brought much physical abuse to his body. That part hasn't changed, so if you're curious keep an eye out for NS tour dates. Only Nasty Ronnie bleeds for his fans, and I ain't talking about the Gene Simmons way either! "Operation Annihilate" is in full effect. You have been warned!!

And yes Igor, there WAS Vinyl! If you slept on this limited edition mauler, you might be SOL. All the super limited color variations sold out early. I got #237 out of #250 Limited black vinyl version. You know what they say, if ya snooze, ya lose. Good luck!

4.8 Out Of 5 Skulls ☠️☠️☠️☠️