50 Best Hard Rock & Heavy Metal Albums Of 2017

Coming almost three-and-a-half years after Savage Messiah’s last offering The Fateful Dark (2014), Hands of Fate is a long-awaited disc for fans of the melodic yet speedy Brits. And much like the album that came before it, the group’s fourth full-length continues Savage Messiah’s journey away from the archetypal, Metallica-inclined thrash of their formative years to a more harmonic, hook-driven and technical style reminiscent of pioneers like Iron Maiden.

And I love Iron Maiden.

So, by extension, I love Hands of Fate.

The record’s melodies especially are to die for. Frontman Dave Silver’s clean singing only improves record after record, with the choruses found on entries like “Fearless” and “Solar Corona” channelling pure rock n’ roll in their sheer, rousing grandeur.

However, don’t let this fool you into thinking that Hands of Fate is merely a carbon copy of the NWOBHM’s best and brightest. The guitar riffs from Silver and his ex-Devilment colleague Sam S. Junior are as versatile as they are powerful, the clean opening seconds of the title track, “The Last Confession” and “Out of Time” existing in direct opposition to the power of “Blood Red Road” and “Eat Your Heart Out”.

Ironically, in a year that has seen metal step forward in numerous exciting ways, Savage Messiah going back to the heyday of their genre works to undeniable success, resulting in a short, fun album with the charisma to unite rock fans old and new alike.