Savage Grace "Ride Into The Night + Demo 1983" CD (Bonustracks)

Masters of the US Power / Speed Metal! A compilation of their highly acclaimed EP (originally 1987) and their great 4-track demo, previously released as a 7" vinyl together with the mighty Snakepit Magazine.

“…we live our lives on a wing and a prayer…”
And afterward, ride off into the night is exactly what this four-piece does, and it seems this night is the personal darkness the band suffers between their ’86 full-length After the Fall From Grace and the saddling of this ep, the span where things within presumably go awry. Prior to this advent of darkness, time swallows bassist Brian ‘beast’ East and spits out Derek Peace, a veteran replacement and ex of Heir Apparent, a musically similar band that joined the Graceful ones for a stretch of their “US Speed & Power Tour” in ’86. He’s a new hire that may not have realized he’s jumped onto the slanted surface of a downward journey, and if the band’s internal shadow had anything to do with whatever darkness veiled this ep from most consumer view and consumption, it’s unknown. What is known is that it made this odd-disc-out the scarce one of the band’s offerings (often found as a picture disc; never seen a regular copy).
To zero surprise, the last man standing is founder/guitarist/vocalist Christian Logue, who since ’81 has been the guy behind it all and remains here dually lit by a wide spotlight of enthusiastic guitar and vocals, a coupling that first graced the After the Fall From Grace lp. Really, after all those years of booting vocalists, who’da thought Logue never needed ‘em in the first place?
Ride Into the Night gives us three originals and a cover of Deep Purple’s “Burn”, which doesn’t suck as its old inner beast is brought out with an expected injection of premium butane, lava, or whatever DP originally fired it up with. Would’ve rather had another freight train original blow me apart if ya honestly wanna know, but it’s a shame to throw a strong cover away. Two-thirds of the rest rely less on the group’s often called upon speed, but right off the bat the title cut ain’t one of ‘em as it savors the band’s scorchier agenda that a year ago ran roughshod over the likes of “We Came, We Saw, We Conquered” and “Age of Innocence”.
“We March On” and “The Healing Hand” in classic complexion and tone breathe traditional atmosphere, inspiration Grace wisely never lost sight of and obviously didn’t lose to the darkness that was somewhere floating closer. Almost epic on an unconscious level is “We March On”, seemingly heeding its message with hotly-mixed flurries of dual guitars, a curiously content urgency, and a cool, passively forceful chorus with single-buckshot backing vocals. In intervals, gentle is the touch of “The Healing Hand”, a warm and assuring lying of the fingers until they’re smacked away by quickly growing surges of metallic lifeforce that peak its vital signs and empowers it to second gear toward the front lines near “We March On”.
Most prominent is Logue, who proves his mostly glass-shatter performance on ATFFG wasn’t a fluke and even seems more confident here as he tackles all kinds of tenor-or-above range. Mr. Peace doesn’t let his presence slip by in the short time he doesn’t know he has with the outfit and as well as anyone before him unleashes superior voltage throughout these songs.
And so comes to an end Savage Grace’s respectful-of-women album covers of the ‘80s. Admittedly, my first swing through these trees didn’t make my second pass happen any quicker. Guess I needed something more savage than graceful when I plopped this down, but boredom makes us do things that seem futile at first rummage through the record collection. Just ask the mutant rise of Impaler.

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