By now, the name SAVAGE MASTER should be more than familiar to anyone following today's occult heavy metal scene. Founded in 2013 by guitarist Adam Neal and vocalist Stacey Savage, the duo transformed their love of heavy metal and horror into one of the most exciting and electrifying sounds around. During their first six years, SAVAGE MASTER swiftly built an impressive canon of work over the course of two cult albums, one EP, one single, and especially their over-the-top live shows. Prolific touring and festival appearances followed, but it was the duo of 2019's Myth, Magic And Steel and 2022's Those Who Hunt At Night - both released by Shadow Kingdom - which catapulted the band to the top of the true metal pack. Sound and vision had aligned into a spectacle both mysterious and mesmerizing.
After yet more prolific touring, SAVAGE MASTER return with arguably their crowning achievement. Fittingly titled Dark & Dangerous, the band's fifth album furthers the plausibly streamlined sound of its predecessor, where early/mid '80s stunners like JUDAS PRIEST's Point of Entry (moody and dynamic) and JAG PANZER's Ample Destruction (locomotion and drama) formed the crux of SAVAGE MASTER's refinement. On Dark & Dangerous, that refinement continues, and it bears arena-ready HEAVY METAL gold. Gleaming steel, clean and clear, utterly HUGE in effect: one could here liken the record to JUDAS PRIEST's Defenders of the Faith, so swaggering and surefire are SAVAGE MASTER. The leads likewise take a more melodic, triumphant turn, making these mid-tempo hooks hit fucking HARD. Stacey Savage entrances as only she can, hitting the heights (and dark depths) of her by-now-signature delivery, with the sum effect truly sorcerous. Dark & Dangerous? Most definitely, but the album can also poignantly pull at the heartstrings, as exemplified by the cautionary "I Never Wanna Fall In Love" - bound to be the band's big hit!
"SAVAGE MASTER exists in a fantasy," concludes the frontwoman. "Some say reality is stranger than our world of darkness. The lyrics for Dark & Dangerous dance between the two dimensions. We took our personal struggles into that realm. For the listener to escape this universe and apply our message into their life, that's the intent. We want the listener to feel the never-ending fire inside themselves - to be strong, like a chain that never breaks."
In the meantime, hear the brand-new track "The Edge of Evil" BELOW and head to Shadow Kingdom Records' Bandcamp, where all formats of the album can also be preordered. Also see & hear the previously revealed video "Devil Rock" at Shadow Kingdom's official YouTube channel.
Tracklisting: