BravePicks 2021 - SABER's Without Warning #12

December 19, 2021, 2 years ago

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BravePicks 2021 - SABER's Without Warning #12

As the world continues to battle a virus, we present the ultimate escape! It is time to celebrate our BravePicks 2021! Heavy metal is the ultimate diversion, so let's let the music do the talking. It is time to unveil our annual BravePicks countdown, where the devout scribes at BraveWords cast their votes at the hits and misses of the year! So who will be our #1? You’ll find out as we count down the BravePick Of 2021 each day in December! 

Everybody has an opinion and it’s time for ours! And stay tuned in January for the writers’ individual Top 20s (new studio albums ONLY), Top 5 Brave Embarrassments (a fan favorite!), What/Who Needs To Stop In 2022? and Metal Predictions For 2022. All will be showcased come the New Year!

First up, the best of the best for 2021 begins NOW!

BravePicks 2021

12) SABER – Without Warning (Church Recordings)

Without Warning indeed. Released on New Year’s Day, this full-length debut endured throughout the year as it was an album we kept on coming back to. Saber mix and match classic metal with Sunset Strip grit that reaches of the highest of the high notes along with a touch of speed and trad metal. It’s like early Mötley Crüe matched with newer acts such as Haunt and White Wizzard. It’s full-throttle, youthful energy that launches Saber to the forefront. Their infectious attitude and playing keep us returning for more. This debut is an amazing achievement and also one of the best of 2021 as it shreds to #12 on our countdown!

Scribe Mark Gromen penned in his review:

There's a bit of Sunset Strip, sing-along sensibility to the titular/video number, apart from the falsetto accentuation (don't try that at home, folks!). Switching gears, the gritty chug of "Midnight Rider" gives Dominguez the opportunity to show off his sustain, as well as stratospheric pipes. Within "Strike Of The Witch", the singer shouts, "My cries will destroy you," which is definitely true, as some metalheads, will undoubtedly be unable to handle it. "Outlaw", which seems a little under-cooked, is still tasty, in a Too Fast For Love-era Motley outtake/junk food vein. Jake E. Lee's "Bark At The Moon" guitar work reappears in "Leather Laced Lady" (even that title is so ‘80s!) although no one could confuse the two vocalists.

The closing pair end on the strongest note (pun intended). Straight forward "We'll Meet Again" bounces on a simple, repetitive lyric that foreign audience (swaying side-to-side, in time to the music) will latch onto and the aforementioned "Speed Racer" (talk about those ‘70s cartoons) lives up to its name, blazing away, to the finish line.

BravePicks 2021 Top 30

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12) SABER - Without Warning (Church Recordings)
13) EXODUS - Persona Non Grata (Nuclear Blast)
14) BAEST - Necro Sapiens (Century Media)
15 EINHERJER - North Star (Napalm)
16) BUCKCHERRY - Hellbound (Round Hill)
17) KHEMMIS - Deceiver (Nuclear Blast)
18) DEE SNIDER - Leave A Scar (Napalm)
19) BLACK LABEL SOCIETY - Doom Crew Inc. (eOne)
20) GOJIRA - Fortitude (Roadrunner)
21) BLAZE BAYLEY - War Within Me (Blaze Bayley Recordings)
22) KONQUEST - The Night Goes On (Iron Oxide)
23) IRON MAIDEN - Senjutsu (Parlophone)
24) CRADLE OF FILTH - Existence Of Futile (Nuclear Blast)
25) DANKO JONES - Power Trio (Bad Taste)
26) DARKTHRONE - Eternal Hails (Peaceville)
27) SMITH/KOTZEN – Smith/Kotzen (BMG)
28) TODD LA TORRE - Rejoice In The Suffering (Rat Pak)
29) KK’S PRIEST – Sermons Of The Sinner (EX1)
30) ASPHYX - Necroceros (Century Media)



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