Savage Gods is the third album from Utah’s Sonic Prophecy, following on from 2015’s Apocalyptic Promenade. The band got together in 2008, right from the outset the band claimed they wanted to “capture a sound that’s not been found in any other band from their native Utah”. Despite few changes to their line-up along the way, this remains the bands purpose in life.
What’s their new album like? According to guitarist Darrin Goodman “Savage Gods is 100% pure Heavy Metal, and Sonic Prophecy will no doubt be one of the bands taking the flame of Heavy Metal into the future”. Has he got a point? Well, actually, he has. Savage Gods is an album containing a lot of very enjoyable power metal, with some detours into slightly more intense sounds along the way. If you’re a fan of bands like Saxon, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, then Sonic Prophecy will surely appeal to you. There isn’t too much in the way of originality here, but then what has in 2017?
Opening track ‘Savage Gods’ begins with a Slayer-like intro before some intense speed guitar work breaks in. The band then sing about how Heaven will burn and Hell will fall as we await the holy war. A nice gentle opener. The album then follows pretty much the same pattern, lots of power metal, several quite glorious riffs, some epic guitar work and powerhouse drumming. But, it’s not all about riffs. There are several quite catchy melodies and the tracks on the album are sufficiently diverse to keep things fresh.
The single taken from the album, ‘Night Terror’, is probably the most commercial track, a powerful metal blast with good usage of backing vocals. Tracks like ‘Dreaming Of The Storm’ and ‘Walk Through The Fire’ are almost pure classic rock, with a shorter version of the latter track a suitable single. A shout-out should be given to vocalist Shane Provstgaard who has not only written some quite intelligent lyrics for the songs, he also possesses one of the most powerful voices heard for some, while often reminiscent of Rob Halford and Bruce Dickinson in its range and intensity. On the track ‘Prayer Before Battle’, his vocals and the middle eight screams Maiden before the guitars come in. One of the best tracks on the album. If Sonic Prophecy tour in 2018, as Darrin Goodman hopes to, this album could see their stock being increased.
