BEYOND A SHADOW OF A DOUBT: Savage Messiah get ready to be the Next Big Thing

By Matt Dawson

It’s been quite a good year for Savage Messiah: touring with Evile, signing to Earache and now being part of the upcoming Next Big Thing concert along with Evile and Cerebral Bore.

To top that all off they allowed their new album to be released by Earache for absolutely free late last year becoming only the third artist on the roster to do so (along with Gama Bomb and Wormrot).

We spoke to guitarist Joff Bailey about the idea of physical vs digital, how to encourage fans to buy records, touring with Evile, reformations and what the future holds..

Let’s begin by talking about the plan to release Plague Of Conscience as a free download before physical release.

Do you feel that by releasing it to people for free that it helps decrease the threat of the album leaking and illegal downloading in general?

JB: I suppose there is an element of that to it. If its free in the first place then there’s no issues are there! Haha! We just wanted to reach out to as many people as we could. We’re all really proud of what we’ve achieved on this album so we though we’d share it. The response we’ve had has been absolutely phenomenal!

Was there any plans to give people any extras for buying the physical e.g. bonus tracks?

JB: There is actually an exclusive bonus track on offer through itunes when you pre order the album through them. There’s loads of cool pre order offers including posters and patches and all sorts of cool stuff.

Do you feel that the use of platforms like Bandcamp or Pledge help create more of a connection towards the fan and the artist?

JB: Definitely yeah. You can buy whole albums or separate tracks on there which is a good idea. You can see what songs are more popular than others by how they’re selling so you can build your live sets etc around the strengths of your downloads…  The possibilities are endless really.

With Plague Of Conscience there seems to be not just a thrash influence but also an influence given towards acts such as King Diamond and Judas Priest, what would you say were the records that you loved growing up and the main ones that helped during the writing process of the album?

JB: We’re all really into bands like Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Testament, Queensryche and  Megadeth so you can definitely hear the influences come through in different ways through out the record. There’s some real thrashers in there, dual guitars and some 100% balls out riff thuggery but also some softer, and in places, more progressive parts to the album.

How was it working with Scott Atkins?

JB: Brutal! Haha! Anyone who’s worked with him before will know what I mean! Haha! He’s a great guy to work with. Seriously, seriously good!  He works you really hard and really gets the absolute best out of you. If its “good enough”… its not good enough for Scott Atkins! Its killer or nothing all the way!

Recently you toured the UK with Evile, what were your favourite memories of the tour?

JB: The whole tour was killer! We had a real great time on the road with Evile. Highlight though… It would have to be going to see Phil Lynott statue in Dublin. I’m a huge Thin Lizzy fan so it was a real cool thing to do.

You are also part of the Earache Next Big Thing showcase coming up on February 11^th, how does it feel to be part of that?

JB: Yeah really great! It’s always a privilege to be chosen for a show like this. Really looking forward to it! We’ll tear Manchester a new one that’s for certain!

2012 has already begun with the rise of the reformation such as the return of bands like Refused and At The Drive In. If you could convince ONE band to reunite for one show who would you pick and why?

JB: I’d have to say Black Sabbath! With the sad news of Toni Iommi’s recent diagnosis with cancer it would be amazing for him to make a full and speedy recovery and complete the upcoming reunion tour! That would be one hell of a show!

What are the plans for Savage Messiah during 2012?

JB: It’ll certainly be a busy year for us and we really can’t wait to stuck in! We’ll be touring the album extensively through out the year and we’ll be back in the studio towards the end of the year to start recording our next album! Keep your eyes peeled on Facebook, twitter and at Earache.com for the latest goings on in the savage camp!