published 17 June 2013
Pulled straight from the heart of heavy metal and signed to ARC Records, Salvation is a four piece metal band based in Birmingham, England. With legendary bands like Black Sabbath and Judas Priest founded there, Birmingham is appropriately called the birthplace of metal.
The United Kingdom has plenty of claims to fame when it comes to musical movements. From the British Invasion of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and the Who to the New Wave of Elvis Costello, The Police and Duran Duran. But there’s another, louder movement that sprouted from Birmingham: heavy metal.
Black Sabbath brought a heavier blues rock style with dark lyrical themes to the musical world in 1968. Judas Priest modernised twin-guitar playing and influenced heavy metal fashion with S&M inspired outfits. The 1970’s acted as the New Wave of Metal for the UK, with acts like Def Leppard, Iron Maiden and Motörhead gaining prominence. And the 1980’s brought new styles of metal to the scene, particularly death, thrash and speed metal. During this time, Napalm Death, a Birmingham death metal band, was founded.
Thirty years later, Birmingham remains a vibrant scene for metal music, especially Salvation. With influences that range from Metallica, Mudvayne and Judas Priest to Red Hot Chili Peppers, Johnny Cash and Jeff Buckley, the band lays claim to a unique style of music: a mix of hard rock and metal, with a country influence. We chat with bass player of Salvation, Andrew Morgan, and vocalist/guitarist, Doug Reid, to discover more about Salvation and the Birmingham music scene.
Without pioneers like Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and Napalm Death, Birmingham’s current metal scene would be considerably different. Morgan explains, “Birmingham’s current metal scene owes its very existence to those early bands. The calibre of musicians within the unsigned metal scene in Birmingham is unbelievable, and I think it’s safe to say they are all proud of the history and heritage that this city has.”
Reid shares his feelings about Birmingham’s legacy, “Being a musician in the home of metal is like a badge of honour that I wear with immense pride. We believe that we must carry the torch and fly the flag of metal wherever we go now and always. We want to leave our stamp, just as they have.”
To carry the legendary torch of heavy metal, bands must have a handful of factors. For example, in fields like business and technology, competition drives innovation. The same can apply to music. For metal in Birmingham, Morgan says, “Every band wants to be the best. There’s no point in doing it otherwise. We have made many friends over the years from playing with bands, but we’d all like to do better than each other.”
Salvation brings innovation to Birmingham’s metal scene in their style of metal. “It’s a fairly consistent scene, mainly very heavy thrash stuff, which struggles to stand out. But Salvation and Valous (another local metal band) are really flying into the face of that with strong melodies and hooks, mixed in with good old fashioned metal to create a more interesting outcome,” explains Reid.
Competition isn’t the only aspect of Birmingham’s metal scene, there is also the community. Reid says, “We have local bands, which we tour and gig with, and they are like brothers to us. We admire and respect them and help spread their music, as they do for us. It’s what keeps the scene alive and breathing.”
And the scene isn’t just bands and fans. “Eclectic is the word to use,” Morgan says, “Live music can be found in many different pubs and clubs in the city centre and beyond. If it weren’t for these venues willing to arrange these events, there would be no music scene at all.”
In cities like Birmingham, with a population over one million, certainly many events and gigs go on every night in the city’s 50+ venues and clubs. Salvation has the sound to attract listeners, but how do they attract an audience? “We find that people are reluctant to attend shows if they are required to travel too far,” Reid explains, “So if we are headlining a show, such as our album launch, we offered our album with the cost of a ticket, which sweetens the deal for a consumer or gig attendee. It’s just about offering value for money, really. So the biggest struggle is putting together a good package for fans.”
Morgan confirms the impact of distance on audience attendance, “If it’s too far, people are less inclined to attend. But the day of the week and time of the month also play huge parts. If it’s a ‘school night’, or the end of the month when people are broke, it’s never easy to organise a successful gig.”
But success isn’t always defined by attendance. “My favourite gig up until now was probably the Metal to the Masses heat at the Roadhouse in April,” says Morgan, “It had a great turn out, great bands to play with and we progressed to the semi-final. It was a fantastic night and the crowd was incredibly warm and accepting.”
Reid shares his favourite show, “Our album launch at the Route 44, we played to a sold out venue and played thirteen songs. We got hot, sweaty, down and dirty! We love a good intimate venue where we can let loose and feel the vibe directly. Although every gig we play is an honour, sharing the stage with the three most talented and committed people I have ever met.”
Both the Roadhouse and Route 44 are metal and loud rock based venues. Metal to the Masses is an annual competition set up by the Roadhouse. Bands perform in a battle of the bands style to win a slot at the Bloodstock Festival – one of the UK’s largest heavy metal festivals.
From the metal legacy to favourite gigs, Salvation’s key enjoyment comes internally. Reid’s favourite aspect of being in the band is the “Freedom of expression and being in a band with my three closest friends, who are my brothers eternal. And to create music and be part of a great band, which is ever evolving.”
“Song-writing is a key part which is very enjoyable,” expands Morgan, “But playing live and getting a good response from the crowd is always the best feeling.”
With success coming to the band in the forms of personal enjoyment, gig attendance and unique musical style, Salvation is certainly one of the torch bearers for Birmingham’s metal legacy.
Published with photos at: CulTour Magazine