If you read the detailed review, which focused on the reissues of Trojan’s Chasing The Storm and Talion’s Killing The World at MetalTalk back in August, then you may be slightly more familiar with the name Pete Wadeson than you were before. What you may not know is that Wadeson is also one hell of a guitarist, with his instrumental work released in the form of demos Play With Fire and Burnout, both iconic within the Metal underground.
Pete Wadeson – Metallic Savage
Release Date: Out Now
Words: Paul Hutchings
This release should be of interest to more than just fans of Trojan and Talion. Guitar virtuosos may be ten a penny these days, especially with the flood on social media and YouTube of young nimble-fingered musicians shredding at a speed faster than your top-of-the-range motor can reach.
But there’s a certain romance here, linking back to a time when demos were drafted on tapes, not laptops or iPhones, and where it took real dedication to master the craft. I’m not dismissing today’s talent in any way before you deluge the Editor with complaints.
It’s to the credit of Sonic Age Records and Cult Metal Classics that Metallic Savage is now available. It combines the music of those two EPs, as well as a couple of other gems, and is a demonstration of the quality that Pete possesses.
With Trojan/Talion resurrected and touring once more, maybe now, the name of Pete Wadeson will finally get the credit deserved.
Metallic Savage comprises 13 tracks in total, some of which are different versions of the same song. The CD comes with a detailed history of Pete’s musical career, including his decisions and some of the paths he followed, and an interesting selection of press cuttings and reviews from the time (if you can read them, that is!)
All the tracks were recorded from 1987 – 1995, some at Twilight Sound, others at Boundary Row and Home Studios. The additional musicians who support Pete on the various tracks include former Trojan bassist Eddy Martin, Trojan/Talion drummer Johnny Lee Jackson, bassist Tony Schofield and drummer Dave Edwards.
The CD opens with the frenetic Schizo Phreniac, probably a title that would earn a lashing at the slave stick in today’s world. Regardless, it’s a phenomenal opening, with Pete’s frantic soloing impressive, controlled and measured despite the high-energy workout that he delivers. This is the (Ball One Strike Two – USA Compilation Version) that Pete completed, playing bass and programming drums as well.
We get three versions of Thrill Of The Chase from Play With Fire. Each slightly different, the original demo and two versions recorded for the 1992 Metal For Muthas compilation, revived by the legendary Neal Kay.
The album version is solid enough, but it’s the unedited version that really is the cream of the crop here, with an astonishing display of fretwork magic backed by Schofield’s rampant bass lines and Edwards’ solid drumming. It’s a fine instrumental workout and one that deserves a far wider audience.
Elsewhere, there’s the melancholic feel of The Traveller, another from the first demo, which shows the soulful, bluesy side of Pete’s playing. Not only can he decimate at speed, but he can also take things from the heart and hit you deep.
And two completely different tracks close out this dynamic release. The Rage is a futurist track, beginning with robotic voices and industrial sound effects that compete with nursery rhymes in some crazed parallel universe.
This is followed by the futuristic Robocop mix of Biomechanoid, an industrial outro which provides a different conclusion to an album that is well worth getting involved in.
