Sometimes you just can't or don't know. What was the main reason behind the British SAVAGE's departure from the worldwide Metal scene after their 2001 album "Xtreme Machine"? Why did it happen earlier after their 1985 album "Hyperactive"? I can't guarantee an answer for these questions, only SAVAGE can and like every band out there that made the same choices as they did, I am sure they had their reasons. However, after letting their later material run loose in my mind, I guess that those early exoduses did leave such a good mark on their music. From a NWOBHM oriented group to a highly Bluesy Hard Rock inspired more of the American origin than their British Metal nativity. Well what can a boy do? "Sons Of Malice" is SAVAGE's second comeback album after nearly eleven years. If you think that the likes "Babylon" and "Xtreme Machine" changed in their current playlist, you are terribly mistaken. With "Sons Of Malice" SAVAGE even more carved the demise of their NWOBHM origins.

Don't get me wrong, the band's ongoing direction since the mid 90s didn't corrupt their skills in any way, yet for some reason everything in their music has been feeling as if it was tired or laid back. Sometimes I miss their speedy stuff from the early to mid 80s, these old energies, not necessarily inspired by once a youthful spirit, were a thing of beauty and made the SAVAGE name a classic. Man I still run "Eye For An Eye" in mind many times and it feels like heaven. On "Sons Of Malice" I recognized some stuff that brought back a few memories such as on "Waking The Dead", which is SAVAGE's best Heavy Metal offering that is in good quality. Nonetheless, although I am twisting the knife here, SAVAGE also came to create some finer stuff in their current form like the Bluesy chop of "Monkey on My Back" and the 70s inspired "Look At Yourself". Andy Dawsonis sadly not close to his wild lead guitar years back in the 80s when it comes to wild solos, but his performance is still good. Same goes for the vocalist / bassist Chris Bradley, which is not close to his hungry days as a psycho singer and since the 90s he has been opting himself a sort of an American brutish figure when singing. Generally, I think that "Sons Of Malice" serves SAVAGE right more than just conserving their name and their rather weak previous albums, but much more than that.

As much as it is hard for me to admit and to get used to the idea, maybe because I hoped for a different comeback, but maybe that is the right course for SAVAGE. They have enough experience on making such Bluesy music in a good quality and "Sons Of Malice" is enough proof of that. Furthermore, I really hope that they won't take another long break because the years are passing by like running water and I don't suppose that father time is on their side.