“Plague of Conscience” is the second album from London based melodic thrash metallers Savage Messiah, and their first on new label, Earache Records.  Upon first listen I was hooked by the raw energy and power of the title track. Musically, this fits right in with bands like Testament, Overkill, and Death Angel, but lead vocalist Dave Silver adds a melodic, yet aggressive vocal style to the band. Silver actually “sings” rather than yelling and shouting and when the song calls for it, he can use his upper register quite effectively. The next track, the anthemic “Six Feet Under The Gun” has some tasty riffs with a chorus that is heavy and infectious. The lead guitar work by Joff Bailey and Silver (also a guitarist) combine to add some nice harmony guitar solos. The track “Carnival of Souls” starts with a melodic clean guitar intro, but soon blasts into the thrash zone with a vengeance with drummer Mauricio Chamucero shows his thrash metal chops off and Silver uses the verses to convey aggression while the chorus is sung in a more traditional metal style.  

The bass intro to the song “In Thought Alone” by Stefano Selvatico is reminiscent of old school Queensryche. The harmony vocals during the chorus are quite memorable (reminding me of Italian progsters Eldritch) and the lyrics are conveyed with emotion:

“Soul Lies, Evermore

 War In The Sanctuary

 Soul Tires, Marching On

 Resistance In Thought Alone”

“All Seeing I” is a frenzied thrash attack with a killer riff and speedy double-time drum work that will get any crowd moving. The most accessible song ( commercial isn’t the right adjective to use here) is “Beyond A Shadow of a Doubt”, lots of melody, a sing-a-long chorus. This song was made to be played in a live setting! On “Architects of Fear” the band settles into a nice mid-tempo heavy groove with fantastic virtuoso guitar soloing from both guitarists. Silver uses the higher side of his vocal range on “The Accuser” with aggression and power. “Shadowbound” has a very old school Iron Maiden meets Bay Area thrash sound to it. The albums final track is also the longest song and also the one with the most “progressive” elements. The song begins slowly and picks up to mid-tempo and another killer chorus and harmony guitar solo before slowing things down again. The breakdown is also very “Maiden-esque”, but in a good way! Savage Messiah have created a multi-genre metal album that almost any metal fan will enjoy. Hopefully we will see them on this side of the pond before too long!

Rating: 8.0