Sweet Savage
Encyclopedia
Sweet Savage are a metal band from Belfast
, Northern Ireland, formed in 1979. The band once included former Dio
and Def Leppard
guitarist Vivian Campbell
. Since forming in 1979, Sweet Savage have released three studio albums, three singles and one demo.
Considered one of the pioneers of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal
movement alongside acts such as Iron Maiden
, Saxon
, Motörhead and Def Leppard
. However, even though they were often considered among the forerunners of the NWOBHM movement, success eluded them and they disbanded shortly after 1982.
The band reformed in 1984 with a different line-up, but did not last long. Sweet Savage was once again reformed in the 90's due to Metallica
covering their song 'Killing Time' as a B side for their The Unforgiven
single.
Sweet Savage released a new studio album, entitled Regeneration, in May 2011.
on their Renegade tour and supported acts such as Ozzy Osbourne
, Wishbone Ash
and Motörhead.
In 1981 the band signed to Park Records and released their first single 'Take No Prisoners' which was limited to 1000 copies - this single included the song Killing Time. A self-released demo known as 'Demo 81' was released at this time which contained a BBC session of 4 songs.
Campbell left the band in early 1983 to join Dio
.
covered 'Killing Time' in 1991 as a B side for The Unforgiven
, there was interest in Sweet Savage. Fueled by this interest, the band reformed and signed to Neat Records
in 1996, releasing their first studio album entitled Killing Time. The band at this stage were joined by Simon McBride on lead guitar and the return of Trev Fleming on additional guitar, Ian Wilson was concentrating on other projects and was not present on the Killing Time record, with Simon McBride taking over from him.
Killing Time contained re-worked and re-recorded versions of songs that were originally released early on in their career.
Two years later in 1998, the band recorded and released an album of completely new material entitled Rune.
Following the two albums, the band went on hiatus as each member wanted to follow different musical routes.
his bravery, comedy, and great personality.
April 23, 2008 saw the long awaited return to the stage by Sweet Savage as they supported Saxon
on the St. Georges Day concert in London's Shepherds Bush Empire.
Bates decided to leave the band and was replaced by Jules Watson. A trip to Germany ensued in early August where they played the Headbangers Festival and the Wacken Festival
to great acclaim, later that month they supported Metallica
& Tenacious D
in Dublin, Marlay Park, August 20, 2008. On August 1, 2009, again in Marlay Park, Ray Haller joined Metallica on stage for "Killing Time".
The current line-up of Haller, Wilson, Fleming and Watson has been cited as being 'the strongest version of the band' by the industry professionals and as frontman Ray Haller explains 'All this interest lately, has come out of the blue and it's phenomenal how well the band is being received by everyone. We played Germany for the first time recently and were surprised to hear the kids singing our tunes back to us, we really had no idea how popular the band are'.
In 2009 Sweet Savage were confirmed as the support along with Doro
for Saxon’s Battalions Of Steel World Tour II.
2009 also sees the release of their newest studio effort entitled Warbird, on SPV Records
. The album features Vivian Campbell
making a guest appearance on a cover of Thin Lizzy's "Whiskey In The Jar
".
At the bands support show with Motorhead, lead singer Ray Haller confirmed that the new record Warbird will be released in Spring 2010 and not 2009 as planned, the band also announced in Belfast that the show was being recorded for a live music video or DVD.
On 7 July 2010 Sweet Savage were announced as replacement support for the first date of Iron Maiden
's Final Frontier European Tour at the O2 in Dublin on 30 July 2010. Heaven & Hell were originally announced as support but were forced to cancel all of their summer dates due to Ronnie James Dio's death.
At the show, Sweet Savage introduced a packed Dublin crowd to new drummer Marty McCloskey who would be taking over from Jules Watson. The band revealed that the new record Warbird, which had been postponed due to the current economic climatic in the music business, would be seeing a full release in Oct/Nov 2010.
On 2 October 2010, guitarist and songwriter Trev Fleming died after treatment for a recent illness, he had been missing from the bands lineup since February 2010 and was not present for support slots with Deep Purple
and Iron Maiden
or for Sweet Savage's performance at Sonisphere Festival.
Former
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, Northern Ireland, formed in 1979. The band once included former Dio
Dio (band)
Dio was an American heavy metal band from Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Formed in 1982 and led by vocalist Ronnie James Dio, after he left Black Sabbath with intentions to form a new band with fellow former Black Sabbath member, drummer Vinny Appice. Naming the band Dio made sense from a commercial...
and Def Leppard
Def Leppard
Def Leppard are an English rock band formed in 1977 in Sheffield as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. Since 1992, the band have consisted of Joe Elliott , Rick Savage , Rick Allen , Phil Collen , and Vivian Campbell...
guitarist Vivian Campbell
Vivian Campbell
Vivian Patrick Campbell is a Northern Irish rock guitarist who is a member of Def Leppard and was, from May 2010 to November 2011, a member of Thin Lizzy. Prior to joining Def Leppard in April 1992, he had been a member of Whitesnake, Sweet Savage, Trinity, Riverdogs, and Shadow King...
. Since forming in 1979, Sweet Savage have released three studio albums, three singles and one demo.
Considered one of the pioneers of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal
New Wave of British Heavy Metal
The New Wave of British Heavy Metal was a heavy metal movement that started in the late 1970s, in Britain, and achieved international attention by the early 1980s. The movement developed as a reaction in part to the decline of early heavy metal bands such as Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and Black...
movement alongside acts such as Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
, Saxon
Saxon (band)
Saxon are an English heavy metal band, formed in 1976 in Barnsley, Yorkshire. As front-runners of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, they had 8 UK Top 40 albums in the 1980s including 4 UK Top 10 albums. Saxon also had numerous singles in the Top 20 singles chart...
, Motörhead and Def Leppard
Def Leppard
Def Leppard are an English rock band formed in 1977 in Sheffield as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. Since 1992, the band have consisted of Joe Elliott , Rick Savage , Rick Allen , Phil Collen , and Vivian Campbell...
. However, even though they were often considered among the forerunners of the NWOBHM movement, success eluded them and they disbanded shortly after 1982.
The band reformed in 1984 with a different line-up, but did not last long. Sweet Savage was once again reformed in the 90's due to Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
covering their song 'Killing Time' as a B side for their The Unforgiven
The Unforgiven (song)
"The Unforgiven" is a song by American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released as the second single from their eponymous fifth album Metallica...
single.
Sweet Savage released a new studio album, entitled Regeneration, in May 2011.
Early days (1979-1983)
Sweet Savage began with a line-up of Trev Fleming and Vivian Campbell on guitars, David Bates on drums and Ray Haller on bass and vocals. The band gained a support slot for Thin LizzyThin Lizzy
Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Two of the founding members, drummer Brian Downey and bass guitarist/vocalist Phil Lynott met while still in school. Lynott assumed the role of frontman and led them throughout their recording career of thirteen studio albums...
on their Renegade tour and supported acts such as Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
, Wishbone Ash
Wishbone Ash
Wishbone Ash are a British rock band who achieved success in the early and mid-1970s. Their popular records included Wishbone Ash , Argus , There's the Rub , and New England...
and Motörhead.
In 1981 the band signed to Park Records and released their first single 'Take No Prisoners' which was limited to 1000 copies - this single included the song Killing Time. A self-released demo known as 'Demo 81' was released at this time which contained a BBC session of 4 songs.
Campbell left the band in early 1983 to join Dio
Dio (band)
Dio was an American heavy metal band from Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Formed in 1982 and led by vocalist Ronnie James Dio, after he left Black Sabbath with intentions to form a new band with fellow former Black Sabbath member, drummer Vinny Appice. Naming the band Dio made sense from a commercial...
.
Reform (1984-1985)
After a year long break, Sweet Savage decided to reform but without Campbell and Fleming. Ian "Speedo" Wilson joined Sweet Savage on guitar and the band recorded a single with vocalist Robert Casserly (aka Rob Cass), 'Straight Through The Heart' and was released on Crashed Records. In 1989, the band recorded their third single 'The Raid'. After this, Sweet Savage disbanded for a second time.The albums (1996-1998)
Much later in the late 90's after MetallicaMetallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
covered 'Killing Time' in 1991 as a B side for The Unforgiven
The Unforgiven (song)
"The Unforgiven" is a song by American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released as the second single from their eponymous fifth album Metallica...
, there was interest in Sweet Savage. Fueled by this interest, the band reformed and signed to Neat Records
Neat Records
Neat Records was a record label based near Newcastle, England. The label was established in 1979 by David Wood, who was the owner of Impulse Studios in Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, England. The establishment of Neat coincided with the arrival at Impulse of Songwriter/Producer Steve Thompson who guided...
in 1996, releasing their first studio album entitled Killing Time. The band at this stage were joined by Simon McBride on lead guitar and the return of Trev Fleming on additional guitar, Ian Wilson was concentrating on other projects and was not present on the Killing Time record, with Simon McBride taking over from him.
Killing Time contained re-worked and re-recorded versions of songs that were originally released early on in their career.
Two years later in 1998, the band recorded and released an album of completely new material entitled Rune.
Following the two albums, the band went on hiatus as each member wanted to follow different musical routes.
Death of Trevor Fleming
Trevor Fleming, former band member, died in October 2010, of cancer. The band miss him dearly, and he will always be remembered forhis bravery, comedy, and great personality.
Present day revival (2008 onward)
In 2008 Maniacal records from the USA was to release the band's early studio material on vinyl. But the band abruptly cancelled the project, citing lawsuit concerns from a former member.April 23, 2008 saw the long awaited return to the stage by Sweet Savage as they supported Saxon
Saxon (band)
Saxon are an English heavy metal band, formed in 1976 in Barnsley, Yorkshire. As front-runners of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, they had 8 UK Top 40 albums in the 1980s including 4 UK Top 10 albums. Saxon also had numerous singles in the Top 20 singles chart...
on the St. Georges Day concert in London's Shepherds Bush Empire.
Bates decided to leave the band and was replaced by Jules Watson. A trip to Germany ensued in early August where they played the Headbangers Festival and the Wacken Festival
Wacken Open Air
Wacken Open Air is a summer open air heavy metal music festival. It takes place annually in the small town of Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany...
to great acclaim, later that month they supported Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
& Tenacious D
Tenacious D
Tenacious D is an American rock band that was formed in Los Angeles, California in 1994. Composed of lead vocalist and guitarist Jack Black and lead guitarist and vocalist Kyle Gass, the band has released two albums – Tenacious D and The Pick of Destiny...
in Dublin, Marlay Park, August 20, 2008. On August 1, 2009, again in Marlay Park, Ray Haller joined Metallica on stage for "Killing Time".
The current line-up of Haller, Wilson, Fleming and Watson has been cited as being 'the strongest version of the band' by the industry professionals and as frontman Ray Haller explains 'All this interest lately, has come out of the blue and it's phenomenal how well the band is being received by everyone. We played Germany for the first time recently and were surprised to hear the kids singing our tunes back to us, we really had no idea how popular the band are'.
In 2009 Sweet Savage were confirmed as the support along with Doro
Doro (musician)
Dorothee Pesch , popularly known as Doro Pesch or Doro, is a female rock vocalist, formerly of the German heavy metal band Warlock ....
for Saxon’s Battalions Of Steel World Tour II.
2009 also sees the release of their newest studio effort entitled Warbird, on SPV Records
SPV GmbH
SPV GmbH is an independent German record label.Founded on January 1, 1984, it has slowly grown to be one of the largest independent distributors and record labels worldwide....
. The album features Vivian Campbell
Vivian Campbell
Vivian Patrick Campbell is a Northern Irish rock guitarist who is a member of Def Leppard and was, from May 2010 to November 2011, a member of Thin Lizzy. Prior to joining Def Leppard in April 1992, he had been a member of Whitesnake, Sweet Savage, Trinity, Riverdogs, and Shadow King...
making a guest appearance on a cover of Thin Lizzy's "Whiskey In The Jar
Whiskey in the Jar
"Whiskey in the Jar" is a famous Irish traditional song, set in the southern mountains of Ireland, with specific mention of counties Cork and Kerry, as well as Fenit, a village in county Kerry. It is about a Rapparee , who is betrayed by his wife or lover, and is one of the most widely performed...
".
At the bands support show with Motorhead, lead singer Ray Haller confirmed that the new record Warbird will be released in Spring 2010 and not 2009 as planned, the band also announced in Belfast that the show was being recorded for a live music video or DVD.
On 7 July 2010 Sweet Savage were announced as replacement support for the first date of Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
's Final Frontier European Tour at the O2 in Dublin on 30 July 2010. Heaven & Hell were originally announced as support but were forced to cancel all of their summer dates due to Ronnie James Dio's death.
At the show, Sweet Savage introduced a packed Dublin crowd to new drummer Marty McCloskey who would be taking over from Jules Watson. The band revealed that the new record Warbird, which had been postponed due to the current economic climatic in the music business, would be seeing a full release in Oct/Nov 2010.
On 2 October 2010, guitarist and songwriter Trev Fleming died after treatment for a recent illness, he had been missing from the bands lineup since February 2010 and was not present for support slots with Deep Purple
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...
and Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
or for Sweet Savage's performance at Sonisphere Festival.
Studio Albums
- Killing Time (Metal Blade; 1996)
- "Killing Time"
- "Vengeance"
- "Welcome To The Real World"
- "Thunder"
- "Eye Of The Storm"
- "Parody Of Wisdom"
- "DUD"
- "Prospector Of Greed"
- "Why?"
- "The Raid"
- "Reach Out"
- "Ground Zero"
- Rune (Neat Metal Nation; 1998)
- "Ditch"
- "Life's A Game"
- "Trust"
- "I Am Nothing (You Are Less)"
- "Who Am I?"
- "Shangri-La"
- "Survive"
- "Communication"
- "Why Me?"
- "Walk On By"
- Regeneration (Candyman; 2011)
- "Warbird"
- "Powder Monkey"
- "Regenerator"
- "No Guts, No Glory"
- "Saviour (I Am Not)"
- "Do Or Die"
- "Money"
- "Razor’s Edge"
- "Whiskey In The Jar"
- "Eye Of The Storm"
- "Queen’s Vengeance"
- "Achilles"
- "The Raid"
Singles
- Take No Prisoners (Park Records- PKR 1001; 1981)
- "Take no prisoners"
- "Killing time"
- Straight Through The Heart (Crashed Music - CAR 48; 1984)
- "Straight through the heart"
- "Teaser"
Live Sessions
- Friday Rock Show (BBC; 1980)
- "Into the night"
- "Queen's revenge"
- "Eye of the storm"
- "Killing time"
Compilations
- The Friday Rock Show (BBC Records; 1981)
Featured track: "Eye of the storm" - Now In Session (Downtown Radio; 1982)
Featured track: "Lady of the night" - NWOBHM '79 Revisited (Caroline Records; 1990)
Featured track: "Eye of the storm" - Lightnin' To The Nations: 25th Anniversary of NWOBHM (2005)
Featured track: "Killing time" - Full Metal Garage: The Songs That Drove Metallica (2006)
Featured track: "Killing time"
Canceled Releases
- Eye Of The Storm - The Early Years (Maniacal Records/High Roller Records; 2008)
- Side A:
- "Eye of the storm (studio)
- "In the Night
- "Prospector of Greed (studio)"
- "The Raid (studio)"
- "Queen's Vengeance"
- Side B:
- "Killing Time (studio)"
- "Ground Zero (studio)"
- "The Ripper"
- "Lady Marion"
- "Take no Prisoners"
- Side C:
- "Teazer"
- "DUD"
- "The Raid (remix)"
- "Prospector of Greed (remix)"
- "Sweet Surrender"
- "Crucify"
- Side D:
- "Sweet Surrender (live)"
- "Prospector of Greed (live)"
- "Eye of the Storm (live)"
- "Take no Prisoners (live)"
- "Killing Time (remix)"
- "Eye of the Storm (remix)"
Band members
Current- Ray Haller - lead vocals, bass guitar (1979–present)
- Ian 'Speedo' Wilson - guitar (1984–present)
- Marty McCloskey - drums (2010–present)
- Phil Edgar - guitar (2011–present)
Former
- Trev Fleming - guitar (1979–1983, 1996, 2008–2010) †
- Vivian CampbellVivian CampbellVivian Patrick Campbell is a Northern Irish rock guitarist who is a member of Def Leppard and was, from May 2010 to November 2011, a member of Thin Lizzy. Prior to joining Def Leppard in April 1992, he had been a member of Whitesnake, Sweet Savage, Trinity, Riverdogs, and Shadow King...
- guitar (1979–1983) - Simon McBride - guitar (1996–1998)
- David Bates - drums (1979–2008)
- Jules Watson - drums (2008–2010)
- Robert Casserly (aka Rob Cass) (1983–1985)