While time has a tendency to corrode things, taking away their vitality with every tick of the clock, there is always an exception to the rule and one that can be found in Savage Grace. Originally formed in 1981, this Los Angeles quartet set the metal scene ablaze with a series of albums and EPs that took the power/speed metal template and amped it up to the nth degree whilst adding a definite sleaze factor. It was an explosive mixture of genres, and one that was so far ahead of the curve that time has yet to catch up. However, it feels that the zeitgeist is finally getting hip to Savage Grace’s charms, the band taking their early forays in speed and fusing it with their latter forays in hard rock to deliver an album in Underworld that takes the listener on a white-knuckle pillion ride.

If there is one thing that’s characterised Savage Grace’s career it is the constant turnover of personnel. Those who’ve appeared in the band’s ranks comprise a veritable who’s who in underground metal (including Randy Rhodes’ brother Kelle), a role call too long to list here, but needless to say that has been both a help and a hindrance to the band’s career. It always takes time for line-up changes to gel and that undoubtedly stalled Savage Grace’s career trajectory. On the flip side, it has been the exilir of youth and has had a rejuvenating effect, and that’s certainly the case with Underworld. Guitarist Chris Logue is the sole original member with the rest of the band joining this year (re-joining in the case of drummer Marcus Dotta), and they sound like a band with the wind in their sails. Opening track ‘White Trash White Heat’ arrives like a Hillbilly drunk on moonshine/crazed on methamphetamine (take your pick), and as such omits a sense of danger (as all good metal should).

The great thing about Underworld is that it doesn’t pander to fads and trends, it has a timeless quality that suggest it could have been released at any point in the last 45 years (or the coming 45) and therein lies the secret to Savage Grace’s longevity. Songs such as the anthemic ‘Valley Of Fire’ and the proto-thrash of ‘Way Back From Love’ are delivered with vim and vigour, each of the twelve tracks comprising this album inching the needles close to the red. In Sebastian Hauser the band have found a worthy frontman, his operatic vocals adding an air of excitement that sweeps the listener along on wings of effervescence. If you grew up on (or have a penchant for) 1980’s metal then you’ll find a spiritual home in tracks such as ‘On The Run’ with caustic closer ‘Magic By Day Tricks By Night’ displaying the same kind of energy which powered their early career.

Underworld sounds like the kind of album that could have been released in 1985, yet it is no exercise in nostalgia either and Savage Grace prove why good music never goes out of style.

• Underworld is released via Back On Black on 23rd October 2026.

Track List:

1. White Trash White Heat
2. Underworld
3. Three Ways To Heaven
4. Destiny Damour
5. Valley Of Fire
6. Way Back From Love
7. Bad Day In Hell
8. Have A Good Time All The Time
9. Hard Times In Hollywood
10. On The Run
11. Love Never Comes When You Want It To
12. Magic By Day Tricks By Night