Nasty Savage: Nasty Savage (1985)

This album is something of an underrated gem.  I suspect much of the reason that Nasty Savage has gone by unnoticed by so many is the fact that they were really not part of any actual scene.  Arriving in the mid 1980's, at a time when thrash metal was rising to power, they formed in Florida.  Not the Bay Area.  Not New York.  Not even Canada or Germany.  So they flew in under the radar.

The music here is terrific. fast-paced traditional metal with some thrash metal riffs and air raid siren vocals.  There is nothing exceptionally technical here or really anything that makes the band stand out all that much.  They do not do anything super original.  It is just well-crafted, catchy metal riffs.  The songwriting really deserves some credit because each of the songs sticks with the listener long after the album is over. 

The vocals are the star here.  The lead singer Nasty Ronnie is exceptional.  He has a wide vocal range that he uses to great effect throughout the album.  For much of the album, he uses a mid-range style frequently used in thrash metal, but he can unleash some truly blood-curdling shrieks at times.  He also has a lower-pitched gruff style that he uses at other moments.  Nasty Ronnie almost single-handedly keeps the album entertaining through his varied vocal approach.

This album is one reason why I like tracking down Metal Blade releases from the 1980's.  There are so many gems from that time period and the label really did a fantastic job finding talented bands, even if very few of them went on to stardom.  This is yet another of those gems that Metal Blade had so many of during the 1980's.