New Zealand's worse kept heavy secret; Saving Grace return with their fourth full length album of solid home-grown metal and hard-core. Squealing 'Wolfenstein' guitar licks, huge rumbling breakdowns, it's all here; and just when it's easy to pile accolade upon accolade down on this album and therefore SG's head; it's a relief that listen after listen it's refreshing to find that it's praise that's all heartily deserved. No clichés here, The Urgency is anything but. It's an honest record made by artists that are at the top of their skill level, accessing their influences; in an earnest effort to bring more brutality, more groove, and more heart-starting, pit-stomping action to your cochlea.
If you enjoy staple metal bands such as Slayer and Pantera, then you really have absolutely no excuses not to go out and get this album; and that's not to say that this selection of 13 tracks are carbon copies of your sacred forefathers of metal – oh no, no…far from it, this is the new flood. Savage selections for your introspection include; 0, 1994 and The Man Who Painted The Pavement: these are great windows into an album that’s well-crafted by the members and expertly produced and engineered by Zack Ohren (The Ghost Inside, Carnifex, All Shall Perish).
Venomous and aggressive, The Urgency shows a solidified line-up that soars together. Saving Grace have travelled the world and played to thousands; shared the stage with their idols in Auckland as recently as heavy music event Westfest; and we should be proud to call them Kiwi and froth over their every discordant note..
Habakkuk 1:5 “Look at the nations and watch, and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.”
This is the scripture that has been spoken over Saving Grace since their inception in 2005 in a small coastal beach town in one of the world’s smallest countries… New Zealand.
From starting out playing shows in a garage in front of 20 friends to signing multi-national record deals, 5 star reviews, headlining tours and festival appearances across Australasia to touring the world proclaiming the message of Christ to thousands of people… The Lord’s favour upon Saving Grace and the doors that He has opened have by far exceeded the band members’ initial visions, hopes and childhood dreams.