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Destined to be forever tagged as one of the bands that inspired Metallica – with their classic Let It Loose – Savage deserved to be so much more than just a footnote on Lars Ulrich’s CV.

Over a decade on from Xtreme Machine and Savage are ready to, er, let it loose again.

Setting aside the rather meat ’n’ potatoes lyrics and titles – Waking The Dead, Master Of War and Monkey On My Back to pick but three – musically this is solid stuff, the band’s gift for memorable riffing shining through.

It’s the kind of swaggering, bullish display that can’t fail to bring a smile to your face and, whisper it quietly, have you dusting off the old air guitar. Maybe Lars should give it a spin.

Whether it’s magazines, books or online, Essi has been writing about rock ’n’ metal for around thirty years. He has been reviews editor for Classic Rock and Metal Hammer, rock reviews editor for lads mag Front and worked for Kerrang!. He has also written the Rough Guide to Heavy Metal and contributed to the Rough Guide to Rock and Rough Guide Book of Playlists, and the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles (13th edition). Most fun interview? Tenacious D – Jack Black and Kyle Gass – for The Pick of Destiny movie book. An avid record/CD/tape collector, he’s amassed more music than he could ever possibly listen to, which annoys his wife no end.