Vivian Campbell’s Pre-DIO Disaster SWEET SAVAGE Announces New Album ‘Bang’ (Your Ears)

OMG! 😱 The geriatric metal squad, SWEET SAVAGE, is BACK with an album called “Bang” hitting stores on September 12 via earMUSIC. Prepare to be mildly inconvenienced! 👴🎸

To celebrate this earth-shattering event, they’ve dropped the title track, and it’s… well, it exists. The music video is as gritty as your grandma’s dentures, perfectly capturing the band’s “intense” live energy. Or maybe it’s just intense boredom. 🤔

So, SWEET SAVAGE crawled out of Belfast in 1979, thanks to Ray Haller (bass/vocals – because who needs a real singer?) and some dude named Vivian Campbell, who later ditched them for bigger, slightly less rusty pastures like DIO and DEF LEPPARD. They were apparently part of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal, but unlike the bands you’ve actually heard of, SWEET SAVAGE couldn’t manage a full album. Instead, they became “underground legends,” which is code for “nobody bought our stuff.” Then METALLICA covered their song “Killing Time” (co-written by Campbell – the only guy with actual talent) as a B-side. How generous of METALLICA to dig up that fossil. 🦕

Now, with “Bang”, they’re back! And they want you to know they’re not about nostalgia, even though that’s literally the only reason anyone would care. 🙄 The album is supposed to be aggressive, fast, and infused with industrial textures and punk rock’s DIY ethos. Translation: it’s going to sound like a garbage disposal fighting a rusty robot in a dumpster. 🗑️🤖

From the “explosive” title track to the “slower, hard-hitting” “Live And Die” (which probably describes the band members’ current physical state) and the “anthemic” “The Chosen One” (chosen for what? To be forgotten?), the album “keeps shifting gears without losing punch.” More like shifting gears without gaining any momentum. 🐌 Every track is “urgent and direct,” apparently. It’s the sound of a band with nothing to prove and everything to say. Like, “Please buy our album, we need the money.” 💸

Ray Haller is still croaking away, backed by Marty McCloskey on drums (probably held together with duct tape) and Phil Edgar on guitar (who’s probably wondering where his career went wrong). The album also features some guitar work by Simon McBride, who escaped this train wreck to join DEEP PURPLE. Smart move, Simon. 👍

Remember that time James Hetfield joined SWEET SAVAGE on stage in 2008 to play “Killing Time”? Yeah, he probably regrets it. 🤦‍♂️

Campbell was in SWEET SAVAGE from 1979 to 1982 before he bailed for greener pastures. Can’t say we blame him. 🏃‍♂️

Vivian deigned to join SWEET SAVAGE on stage in 2011 to play “Killing Time”. Probably a contractual obligation. ✍️

In a 2018 interview, Campbell said METALLICA covering “Killing Time” was “incredibly flattering.” Sure, Viv, sure. He also said SWEET SAVAGE sounded a lot like METALLICA. No, METALLICA sounded like METALLICA. And SWEET SAVAGE sounded like a rusty lawnmower. 🚜