This article is a continuation on the series of band spotlights for this weekends festivities at Manic Relapse vol. 7. Yesterday we highlighted one of the best current hardcore punk bands around today, Nosferatu. If you missed it, make sure you check that out here to stay up-to-date with everything Manic Relapse.

Oh fuck, I am so excited to have an excuse to write about Savageheads. They’ve been around – for what seems like – forever. This savagely underrated band hails from Boston and first touched down with their demo way back in 2013. I had the pleasure of being around during that time and saw a couple of their sets, which is how I got turned onto them. Their shows were wicked (a word I inadvertently can’t stop using since my short stay in MA) and were always packed. To this day, I’m always surprised that they don’t have more of a household name in punk.

Sure, they’ve played New York’s Alright. Sure all the ‘cool’ punks can say they still have their demo Savageheads shirt (shit, RIP the coolest shirt I could own). Ya, Digital Octopus covered their song, “Prisoner of the CIA”. But unless you’re a nerd (yA Hi) for the most part Savageheads kind of fell off the radar for a lot of people who would otherwise appreciate them. If you are one of those people who don’t know them, maybe bands the members were plucked from might be familiar to you: Bloodkrow Butcher, Dry Hump, Male Nurses, Subclinix, and No Sir I Won’t.

Savageheads bring a certain energy not often found in modern hardcore punk. They were the height of UK82 worship and I would argue they were the true pinnacle of it, honestly. They brought ‘it’ in a more honest way than other worship bands could. The closest thing that comes to mind today is that new Bootlicker EP. Even then it doesn’t come close. It’s lame to say something is ‘raw’ in punk, but Savageheads really did bring the energy that other bands WISHED they could have in their demos.

Fuck, I keep talking about them in the past tense. I know they’re active, but until VERY recently I don’t think I heard a damn word about them. The Savageheads demo has been in constant rotation, never forgotten in my house, but they never showed up on fliers and they never put out anything after 2015. To me, Savageheads were long gone, a distant dream of how punk should sound. I’m really glad to see them showing up on fliers again in Boston opening up for the likes of Condor, and traveling to Oakland for this years Manic Relapse.

Speaking of their discography, before we dive into it, Savageheads put out three releases: the demo, their self-titled, and Live at The Chelmsford Acne House. Each had unique tracks. Unfortunately, even with the heavy digging that I tend to do I couldn’t find the live release anywhere without being asked to download something in a shady manner. It’s alright, though, because the demo is really the crux of their sound and if you have “Detained” and “Savageheads” than you’ve got – well – Savageheads.

Goddamnit. Just fucking listen to those first iconic strums of the guitar and the pounds of the snare and floor tom. My blood just starts to rage and boil over. They’re unmistakable for me. No matter where I am, I find myself screaming, “BACK TO THE VAN… IN YOU GO!”

How could you not?

If there is one band to point to as proof to keep it simple, it’d be this one. Fuck your heavy riffage and fancy drum fills, give me fast and give me mean. Give me tape hiss and lo-fi tones. Give me oompa, pogo beats that makes everyone in the venue bow low and somersault on the basement floor. Give me a drummer that ends a song quicker than he began it. Give me a guitarist that wrote riffs too fast for him to slide around on his instrument. Give it all to me and give it to me in a dingy spot with no exit doors.

Savageheads had a really big feat to outdo and live up to the expectations of their demo. I lay awake at night thinking about that sometimes. Don’t get me wrong, this sophomore release is hard-hitting and brings the energy of their first. It’s just not the same. That demo is one of the more perfect things I’ve heard in years; there are few bands that can put out a demo that rose to the level that Savageheads’ did.

Unlike the demo, with its instant fury and iconic intro, Savageheads is like a snowflake gathering mass as it rolls down a mountain. It’s a bit slower of a start, but by the end they’ve hooked you again. They bring back their anthemic “Savageheads” and it’s hard to spot a difference, massive tape hiss aside. My favorite track on this release must be “Trained Killer” with their signature catchiness that forces you to yell out “TRAINED KILLER, TRAINED KILLER” and by the time you’re at the last track, “Extremist”, they leave you wanting more.

They have a way of doing that to you, Savageheads. They’ve released little, tour sparsely, and kept a low profile. Either the band is teasing us with this sporadic schedule, only to quietly flame out, or they’re gearing up for something bigger and are testing the waters to give us more.

Either way, they’ve got a place in my history books and tape shelf no matter where they go.

Catch Savageheads live at Manic Relapse vol. 7 for the Friday main show. Check out the full lineup and fest schedule to know when and where you need to be to not miss ’em.