Nasty Savage – Jeopardy Room

01. Invocations
02. Jeopardy Room
03. Brain Washer
04. Southern Fried Homicide
05. Witches Sabbath
06. Schizoid Platform
07. Aztec Elegance
08. Operation Annihilate
09. Blood Syndicate
10. The 6th Finger
11. Sainted Devil

The Return of “Nasty” Ronnie is an exercise in Indulgence.

Ronnie Galletti, AKA Nasty Ronnie, one of the best frontmen in ’80s thrash, is back, bringing all his skills and unwavering commitment to metal in one of the most celebrated bands in thrash history. When Paul Baloff, the most iconic frontman in thrash at that time, left Exodus in 1987, I thought Ronnie should have been the one to replace him. I’ve never known if the Exodus guys actually considered Ronnie, but he seemed like the perfect fit for the role.

Galletti survived the excesses of the ’80s drugs, drink, and sex. But, on stage, he has always maintained his professionalism and his signature look (a blend of wrestler and sadomasochist), pushing his presence to the limit with absolute dedication. In his band’s shows, Ronnie’s outrageous performances included smashing TV sets over his head on stage; he literally “broke his head” every night, embodying the band’s wild image.

Nasty Savage, formed in the early ’80s by Ronnie and guitarist David Austin in Florida, quickly became a major force in the Florida underground metal scene alongside bands like Death and Obituary. Nasty Savage first gained some attention with their song “XXX”, later included on Indulgence in 1987. However, frequent lineup changes eventually led to the band’s breakup in 1989. After that followed several reunions, resulting in one non-memorable record.

Jeopardy Room has the classic Nasty Savage sound and is their most faithful release since Indulgence, like an Indulgence part II.
Jeopardy Room is a great record. The song “Jeopardy Room” opens right after a short intro, followed by “Brain Washer” (the new “XXX” kind of song), and the fierce, ironically mocking song “Southern Fried Homicide”. The album moves into Nasty Savage’s traditional sound, leading to the centerpiece, “Witches Sabbath”, featuring Donald Tardy from Obituary, a nod to the long standing friendship and collaboration between the bands. “Aztec Elegance” is the best song on the record, while “Operation Annihilate” and “Blood Syndicate” also showcase their sound. “Blood Syndicate” even includes female moans, reminiscent of their earlier stage performances about sado-orgies like the classic “Dungeon Of Pleasure” song from their debut record. The album closes with another great song, “Sainted Devil”. Jeopardy Room is a very good record wurh great guitar work, drums, and bass. Everything sounds very good and polished, very well recorded and produced.

Ronnie Galletti’s voice sounds aged, but his alter ego, “Nasty Ronnie,” remains intact. Maybe he’s still smashing TVs onstage, but with today’s lighter LED TV models, as it would be easier than with the heavy sets of the past. I’m not sure if “Nasty” will stay as wild as before or if he’ll tone down the “savagery” to suit the times, but one thing’s for sure: there will be blood…