The savage grace
The Savage and the Grace simply fails to make the same sort of instant impact though that Back with a Vengeance did for me. I was quite a big fan of their debut, a very fun and energetic speed metal record in my opinion, so obviously I was looking forward to hearing more from the band.
But for the moment I'm actually glad about that, as it allows me to evaluate The Savage and the Grace based on Masters of Disguise as their own band, without worrying about how much Savage Grace worship is really going on.
Their debut certainly made me interested in their idols, but a year and a half has passed since Back with a Vengeance was released and I still haven't done so. Thing is with me and Masters of Disguise, I haven't ever actually listened to Savage Grace. They have also covered one Savage Grace song on each release they're done so far, this time choosing Sins of the Damned from Savage Grace's Master of Disguise (1985) album. With Savage Grace seemingly defunct, Masters of Disguise was begun, with the apparent aim to be a worthy successor, taking their name from a Savage Grace album and alluding to them every chance they get, the latest example being the title of this second album, The Savage and the Grace. The band's original line-up, minus vocalist Alexx Stahl of course, was the 2009 - 2010 touring band for Savage Grace whose own last known line-up consisted only of their vocalist Chris Logue. Masters of Disguise make no secret about what they are all about, they exist purely out of worship for the US band Savage Grace. They've also swapped drummer to Jens Gellner. The band has had their line-up cut down from five to four since the release of their debut Back with a Vengeance (2013) with the departure of guitarist Roger Dequis. The Savage and the Grace (2015) is the second full-length album by German speed metal act Masters of Disguise.