Savage Messiah

Savage Messiah are a heavy metal and thrash metal band from London, United Kingdom. Formed in 2007, they are active from 2007 to the present and build their sound around the intersection of classic heavy metal, thrash metal and modern metal.

Line-up

The band consists of lead guitarist and singer Dave Silver, lead guitarist Joff Bailey, bassist Mira Slama, keyboardist Carlos Alcalde De Lema and drummer Charly Carreton.

Background and style

Savage Messiah develop a style that combines sharp technical playing with heaviness and a strong melodic focus. Their music draws on older metal influences while also aiming for a more contemporary sound. The band is described as having a persistent, self-directed approach, and Dave Silver has also worked in various roles across the music industry.

Albums and recording

The band’s fifth full-length album is Demons. It marks a shift in approach after four albums recorded with Scott Atkins, with David Castillo producing the sessions at Jens Bogren’s Fascination Street Studios in Sweden. For those recordings the band works with Carcass drummer Dan Wilding and touring drummer Ali Richardson.

Demons is made up of 11 new songs and includes a cover of Chris Stapleton’s “Parachute”, reworked into a hard rock format. Dave Silver says the album reflects a more personal writing style, including material inspired by Shakespeare’s Hamlet and by George Orwell’s Down and Out in Paris and London. The album also includes “Under No Illusions”.

Career and live activity

Savage Messiah build their reputation from the UK underground and continue to tour internationally. They have toured with Symphony X and also headline their own shows. Silver says the band has had to overcome label changes, difficult tours and other setbacks, and that they brought the group back from near collapse on the previous album, Hands of Fate from 2017.

The band also gains a wider audience through streaming platforms and social media, with millions of plays on YouTube and Spotify. Silver has described performing at large-scale events in Japan and on the main stage at Hellfest as part of the band’s history.