Lead by two Oliva brothers, Jon (vocals - always; rhythm guitar, keyboards, bass, and drums -- sometimes) and Criss (lead guitar), Savatage forged a cult of dedicated followers. This is one of the most influential metal bands, almost single-handedly responsible for the subgenre of orchestral progressive metal. This style, however, did not show until their sixth album, "Gutter Ballet" (1989). They started as a straight forward heavy/speed metal band, releasing "Sirens" (1982), "Dungeons Are Calling" (1983), and "Power Of The Night" (1984). In 1985 they were told by the record company to become more commercial, and the results were disastrous. "Fight For The Rock" (1985) was an album all 'Tage members would be happy to forget. According to the popular consensus, this "fight" the band lost. "The Hall Of The Mountain King" (1987) was the first to feature a more stable line-up, including Oliva brothers, Johnny Lee Middleton (bass), and Steve "Dr. Killdrums" Wacholz. This album was a true groundbreaker, demonstrating the band's great songwriting potential (it also started Jon Oliva's long-lasting collaboration with a producer / songwriter Paul O'Neill) and was followed by the even more popular "Gutter Ballet." However, while they were successful musically, a series of turmoils shook the band. First, Jon's personal and drug problems began catching up with him, and in 1992 he stepped down as the main singer, remaining a songwriter and a pianist, and the band hired Zachary Stevens as the new frontman. Resulting album, "Edge Of Thorns" (1993), was very well received. Zach's incredible theatrical voice, Criss's superb guitar skills, and Jon's piano made this album a masterpiece. Next year, however, Savatage suffered another serious blow: Criss Oliva was killed by a drunk driver. Faced with unbearable pain, Jon decided to carry on with the band and, with a help of Alex Skolnik (who at the time was on the way out of Testament), recorded a requiem album, "Handful Of Rain" (1994). Savatage continued, enlisting guitarists Al Pitreli and Chris Caffery (he played with 'Tage in late 80s as a second guitarist) and drummer Jeff Plate, and continued with this line-up until 2001, releasing two more albums deemed instant classics: "Dead Winter Dead" (1995) and "The Wake Of Magellan" (1997/98). Oliva started regaining his confidence and made a comeback of sorts, as a part-time singer. In late 2000 the line-up changed once again: Pitrelli joined Megadeth, and Zach Stevens formed Circle II Circle. But the new album was already in the works, and was soon released with Oliva singing on all tracks and Caffery playing all guitars. The band then hired two new members: Damond Jiniya (vocals) and Jack Frost (guitar, played on the second Metalium album). After the tour Jack left the band to concentrate on his own Seven Witches project. At the present time Jon is involved in the contract disputes with O'Neill, making another Savatage album a distant hope. However, its members are involved in a series of solo projects, which you can check out in their separate Savatage Side Projects section. All Savatage members are active participants in the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and some of them make sporadic festival appearances as "Weapons Of Mass Destruction" (Oliva, Stevens, Caffery, and Wacholz).
SIRENS (1985)
RATING: ****
BEST SONGS: title tracks, "I Believe," "Scream Murder" (or, if you have bonus tracks, "The Message")
Sharp, heavy, powerful, and straight to the point. Very little about this album reminds you of the future 'Tage symphonic prog incarnation, except, maybe, tempo change in "I Believe." Oliva's voice is not as developed as it would be 2 years from then, but at least it's not as flat as 15 years from then, and his brother's guitar abilities make up for it with excess. Album-opening title track is a classic and a must for all 'Tage concerts (I believe they would be stoned down if they don't play it). "We're approaching the island of the SIRENS! SIRENS!! Hungry for flesh tonight!" "Holocaust" has a brutal main riff. "Rage" and "On The Run" are fast, rocking, and very un-sophisticated. "Twisted Little Sister" is a haunting little tune, and "Scream Murder" is thrashy in such way that Metallica would not be ashamed to cover it in the same year (not that they ever did :). Ballads, on the other hand, are not very good, and trademark emotionality of Savatage is only hinted at. But one bonus track, "The Message," I like very much: it's hysterial chorus "Gotta get the message through!" is very convincing. Very good start for a classic American band, but if you are only familiar with their later direction, you might be a little surprised.
DUNGEONS ARE CALLING (1985)
RATING: ****1/2
BEST SONGS: "By The Grace Of A Witch," "Visions Of Hell," "Midas Knight"
This is basically an EP: 6 songs + 2 bonus tracks. Well, it's really good at that. Just about every song is good. It's thrashy, heavy, and extremely sharp. "By The Grace Of A Witch" has an amazingly catchy refrain ("can you feel the hunger BY the grace of A WITCH!!!"). "Visions," "Midas Knight," and "City Beneath The Surface" ("Hi! Welcome to hell!" :) are all excellent rocking tunes. "The Whip" is a speedster, and one bonus track, "Fighting For Your Love" is also neat. The other bonus track is a live version of "Sirens" from the previous album. The sound is very good (mastered by Jim Morris, known to all fans of Crimson Glory, Demons & Wizards, and others). Both Oliva brothers sound excellent: Jon on vocals and Criss on axe. A must have.
POWER OF THE NIGHT (1986)
RATING: ***
BEST SONGS: title track, "Warriors," "Washed Out"
The title track is absolutely divine. And I mean it: it's now my favorite Oliva song. The groove is absolutely vicious, and the main riff will stay with you for weeks. But the rest of the album is somewhat uneven. "Unusual" is nothing unusual, though decent, "Warriors" was done better later as "Legions," and last five songs are instantly forgettable ("Hard For Love," please...). "Necrophilia" is pretty interesting, it took a while to grow on me, but I dig it now, and "Washed Out" is a classical thrashy speed Sava track (reminds me of later day "White Witch": overall, this album seemed to be repeated later on as HotMK). Typical awesome guitar licks from THE MAN. The title track alone makes this album worth having.
THE HALL OF THE MOUNTAIN KING (1987)
RATING: ****1/2
BEST SONGS: "Prelude To Madness"/title track, "The Price You Pay," "Total Devastation"
Perhaps the best medieval-sounding album made in America. If you can step over the first two tracks, "24 Hrs. Ago" and "Beyond The Doors Of The Dark," both of which are OK, but nothing exceptional, you will have a great time with the other 8 tracks. "Legions" is a great metal anthem: gothic rules! "Strange Wings" is a killer love song, with the beginning resembling "Bloodstone" by Judas Priest. "Prelude To Madness," a metal-arranged classic theme by Grieg, is a real pearl. The consequent title track is another great gothic headbanger, and 'Tage still graces us with these two at concerts. "White Witch" is pure speed: as pure as they come. "The Price You Pay" is one of my favorite Savatage tracks: it gives me chills even when it's 90 F outside. The main crunching riff is terrific, and Oliva's vocal is overwhelming, especially in the chorus: "That's the price you pay!" It also, for the first time, hints at Oliva's future fascination with theater. His brother's guitar is also godlike, and, man, is it ever a great song! Next comes a short instrumental, and then comes a concluding "Total Devastation," which was inspiring me all the way through junior year in college (especially when I was writing papers for my history classes). It is a great march of Forces of Destruction, let it be the Four Horsemen, or the Army of the Dead, or Army of the Immortals, whatever. It kicks butt, and is great from the beginning to the end (I only wish Jon would skip that "Stop it!" yell at the end). Production is great: Paul O'Neal surely knows his stuff. Jon's voice is too thrashy for progressive metal, this is why (1) this album isn't really a prog metal album and (2) they found another lead singer later on. Rhythm section is also splending: a marvelous item on your CD stack.
GUTTER BALLET (1989)
RATING: ***
BEST SONGS: title track, "When The Crowds Are Gone," "The Unholy"
I do not like this album. It has only three songs, worthy of Savatage name. Whatever the hell they were thinking, succumbing to the record company again, is a mystery to me. The sticker says "Parental Discretion Advised: Explicit Lyrics," because, in the age of Tipper Gore it was "fashionable" for metal albums to have these stickers, but the album does not have one swear word in it, and the lyrics to the only song that can be interpreted as "satanic" are omitted. The album is too polished and flat. Songs like "Of Rage And War" and "Mentally Yours" are as trivial as they come: nothing new in them whatsoever. Songs like "She's In Love" make me sick, and I see no reason for songs like "Hounds" to even exist outside of the underground thrash bands somewhere in Bay Area. Now, for the good side. Title track is a classic; a must for all 'Tage concerts. The sad thing is that this song has been a last minute addition, recorded in the studio by just Jon and Chris, while originally the album should have been titled "The Hounds of Avatar," or whatever. Had it been the case, the album would have a ** rating and no redeeming qualities. But "Gutter Ballet" is a great song (all Maiden fans think it's a rip-off of "Hallowed Be Thy Name," and, yes, there's a definite similarity in main riffs), and Jon's voice is incredibly passionate and expressive. Another great song is "When The Crowds Are Gone," but this one is a lot more depressing ("All my friends have been crucified"). Both tunes are about theater, and Savatage is well on their way to progressive metal. Kick ass, dude! Everything else (except for a couple of instrumentals, but instrumentals are just instrumentals) is a joke.
STREETS: A ROCK OPERA (1991)
RATING: *****
BEST SONGS: out of 15 tracks, there are about 10 that can be called "best," and different people love different ones. I guess, mine would be "St. Patrick's," "Can You Hear Me Now," "If I Go Away"
What is so incredibly great about this rock opera is the fact that it has so many songs that are awesome by themselves, without the context of the album, just like Operation Mindcrime by Queensryche. The title track, "Tonight He Grins Again" (Jon Oliva's personal favorite), "A Little Too Far," "St. Patrick's" (holy crap, what a song!), "Can You Hear Me Now" (same comment), "New York City Don't Mean Nothing," "Ghost In The Ruins" (same comment), "If I Go Away," and "Believe" are all masterpieces, as separate songs, and should be all over radio. Of course, more story-oriented "Jesus Saves" and "Sammy And Tex" are masterpieces too. The story, in two words, is: D. T. Jesus, a drug deal and a drug user, who becomes a rock star, but quits the band due to personal reasons, comes back, leaves again after seeing his best friend killed, wonders around the streets of NYC, complaining to passing people, god, and himself, but eventually makes peace with all of the above. All songs are oh so emotional, and Jon Oliva delivers a vocal performance, which, as he probably felt, he could never top, so he quit singing at all. My favorite songs are "St. Patrick's" and "Can You Hear Me Now," where he is talking to god, in both literal and figurative senses. "Sammy And Tex" and "Ghost In The Ruins" can rock the dead out of their graves, and "Believe" is full of such inner strength, it's indescribable. The lyrics are great, so are the guitars and keyboards. Metal at its best! Too bad, I can't always co-feel with a main character: his problems and worries are too far from mine, except, of course, for eternal questions: "why are we here?" and "if I go away, what will still remain?" If you don't have it, I have nothing further to say to you, except "GO GET IT!!" :).
EDGE OF THORNS (1993)
RATING: *****
BEST SONGS: title track, "Conversation Piece," "Damien"
Jon Oliva stepped down as a vocalist, but found one hell of a replacement. Zach Stevens is one of the best vocalist the world has known, second, in my opinion, only to Geoff Tate, Rob Halford, and Helloween's Michael Kiske. His operatic voice is absolutely flawless. Jon also surrendered his guitar and stayed only with piano, so all the guitar work on the album is carried out by Chris. The material and production remained terrific. "Edge Of Thorns," "Follow Me," "Degrees Of Sanity," "Conversation Piece," "All That I Bleed," "Damien," and "Miles Away" are absolutely spectacular, in music, content, and emotions. "Lights Out" is a great speed metal tune, taking us back to early Savatage; a real butt-kicker. After hearing "Damien" I couldn't speak for a couple of days. If you have a friend who claims that metal is nothing but noise, play this album to him (I did so to my ex-girlfriend, and now she owns two Savatage albums). "Sleep" is a semi-acoustic song; the main riff similar to "New York City Don't Mean Nothing": the only song from this album I have heard on the radio, and it's nothing compared to other masterpieces. A couple of instrumentals are also really neat. From the piano intro to "Edge Of Thorns" to the last acoustic sounds of "Sleep" you will be if not in nirvana, somewhere close to it. Too bad the only songs the only tunes from this album that 'Tage still plays live are "Edge Of Thorns" and "Miles Away," but it's no surprise, considering their extensive catalog.
HANDFUL OF RAIN (1994)
RATING: ****
BEST SONGS: title track, "Chance," "Castles Burning"
A terrible tragedy strikes the band: Chris Oliva passes away, after his car is hit by a drunk truck driver. Jon, his brother, decides, as an alternative to drug-induced escapism, to continue with the band, and asks his friend Alex Skolnik to help him out. Skolnik, on his way from Testament to Exhibit A, agreed. Resulting is the album Handful Of Rain. My first Savatage album I bought after hearing title track on the radio. What can I say? This album has "Chance." That's all you need to know. Yes, this album doesn't have as much energy and spirit as before (quite understandably), but it still rules. There are only two really heavy songs on the album: "Taunting Cobras" (which, btw, is among the heaviest 'Tage tunes ever) and "Nothing Going On" (where Oliva just let Skolnik have his fun with guitar, while writing some interesting lyrics). Everything else are just really emotional songs, power ballads, if you will, although I don't like this term here. This album has "Chance." My favorite Savatage song, and among 10 Greatest Songs of all time. The song (appropriately nick-named "Schindler's List Of Metal") is about a Japanese diplomat, saving Jews during WWII, but it's not reflected anywhere in the song, and I didn't know about until the year after I have heard this song. Yet, it's one of the best epic songs I have ever heard, and the last part, where Savatage uses for the first time what went on to become their trademark: multi-vocal harmonies, should be played in temples, with people kneeled. Absolutely stunning! The rest of the material isn't whole lot worse: title track (sounds great live!), "Stare Into The Sun," "Castles Burning" and "Watching You Fall" are all great, and dedicated to the gone Chris Oliva "Alone You Breathe" is full of such power that it's almost inhuman. Zach somehow transmits Jon's grief into his voice, and the result can move many people, familiar with this tragedy, to tears. Another gem from a great band. Btw, despite what the booklet says, Jon Oliva played all drums, and, of course, all keys.
LIVE IN JAPAN (1994)
RATING: ****
BEST SONGS: "Edge Of Thorns," "Castles Burning," "Gutter Ballet"
A very good live performance from the Handful Of Rain tour in Japan. Zach carries the crowd very professionally and with great spirits, he sings like a god, the music is rocking and beautiful, good sound, the atmosphere is hot (it's nice to know SOMEWHERE people still rocked in year 1994, when America suffocated in the grunge grip), decent production (I think some studio work has been done), etc. But I have some serious complaints. First of all: they should have left "Chance" out completely, instead of cutting out the best part at the end! The song ends after "Burn the night away" line. Whatta hell? I saw the band play "Chance" in 1998 and 2001, and they nailed the multi-vocal acapella perfectly. Yes, they only had 5 people in 1994, not 6, but all they needed was 3 or 4 people to step up to the mike! What, Alex Skolnik couldn't open his mouth and say "I believe that situation all depends on circumstance"? Johnny Lee Middleton and Jon Oliva did the background singing in 1998, why couldn't they do it before? There's no drumming in that part, so Jeff Plate (I think he was the drummer during this tour) could contribute as well. And not only they cut off that part, they also cut off the lyrics to that part in the booklet, so if the person discovers Savatage from this album, he would think that "Chance" is an OK short song (instead that it's an epic masterpiece, and he should drop everything and run to the store to get it). Anyway. This album is too short for me, 12 song, with 6 coming from HoR and 3 from EoT (no "Follow Me"? no "Conversation Piece"? No "Sleep"? No "Damien," for hell's sake?!). When the new vocalist joins the band, it's quite common that the band releases a live album one or two studio albums later. The purpose of it is to show that the new guy can carry old tunes. Well, we can't really judge Stevens' performance on the old material: there are only 3 songs from Jon's years: "Jesus Saves," "Sirens," and "Gutter Ballet." THAT'S IT! And that's with the fact that Zach does a great job on all three of them (especially on "Sirens"). This sucks. I would kill for the full blown double CD with Zach singing "Grace Of A Witch," "Power Of The Night," "Hall Of The Mountain King," "The Price You Pay," all 5 or 6 songs from Streets!! Well, not to be. Maybe they will learn and release such double live album with Damond Jiniya. Btw, Jon contributes vocally to one song only, "Gutter Ballet"; I guess he was in a pretty bad shape back then. Now, many people felt Alex did a lousy job on Criss's solos on this album. One person to feel this way was Chris Caffery, as he returned to the band next year. I don't know about that, Alex sounds different from Criss, but his leads are by no means "bad." They are different, but exciting, and Alex is one master shredder. Too bad he doesn't care for metal anymore. Another gripe I have is the booklet. DO WE REALLY NEED THE LYRICS TO ALL OF THESE SONGS? I mean, 11 out of 12 songs are from four previous albums, equipped with great booklets full of lyrics. The only song to which I DIDN'T know the words, was "Sirens," and they're not hard to figure out. AND THAT'S ALL THIS BOOKLET HAS! No credits, no line-up, no thank yous, a total of two pictures... is that a proper way to illustrate a live album? I thought one of the purposes of the live albums was to let people re-live their concert experience, and while Japanese fans will certainly recall the show from the music, they (and the rest of us) will hardly even open the booklet, because if you want to listen to the songs for the lyrics, why not just grab the studio release? Or am I just missing something? Anyhow, all that said, it's a solid live album, and a good thing to have for all 'Tage fans.
DEAD WINTER DEAD (1995)
RATING: *****
BEST SONGS: "This Isn't What We Meant," "Memory"/title track, "Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24)"
Another line-up change, another rock opera, another masterpiece. Oliva writes another set of great songs; O'Neal make sure that sound remains intact, and out comes the tale from war-torn Yugoslavia (1993-96). The story itself is not shining with originality, looking too much like both "Romeo And Juliet" and "Westside Story," but songs are all great. Great, great, great. "This Is The Time," "This Isn't What We Meant," title track, "One Child" (another cappella, damn, what a great thing!), and "Not What You See" are your typical awesome 'Tage stuff: powerful and emotional. Al Pitrelli sure works the guitar well, and Zach remains Zach. Now, for the first time since Streets, Jon decides to return to singing, and does two tracks: "I Am" and "Doesn't Matter Anyway," both vicious and ass-kicking. Instrumentals are all spectacular: from "Overture," on through "Mozart And Madness" (themes from Mozart) and "Memory" (themes from Beethoven), to magnificent "Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24), that is pretty much the only song by 'Tage, that's familiar to a wide audience. It found a way on Oliva/O'Neal side project, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, whose album Christmas Eve And Other Stories has gone double gold (no 'Tage album has gone gold, which only proves how stupid the world is). Overall, incredible. Savatage should be given a medal for consistency, since they have not released a bad album since the 80s.
THE WAKE OF MAGELLAN (1997/98)
RATING: ****1/2
BEST SONGS: "Turns To Me," "Another Way," "Paragons Of Innocence"
Something is seriously wrong with this band. Somebody needs to tell them that, after a couple of good albums, a band should take a break for about 4 years, then come back and release a piece of crap! They just don't know the rules, do they? Savatage is the only band that, arguably, keeps getting better with time. This album is a bit more monotonous, and some songs resemble each other, but this is still a great album. A great intro "Welcome" turns right into a supreme rocker "Turns To Me." Other songs follow the suit: "Morning Sun," "Blackjack Guillotine," and "Complaint In The System" that has some industrial overtones. My favorite songs are, strangely enough, are sung by Oliva himself: "Another Way" and "Paragons Of Innocence." It's mostly due to the songs themselves, but, damn, the man sounds wicked, and the ending to "Paragons" ("gotta let it, gotta let it..." 50 times or so) is godlike. Epics are also present: 10 minute title track, which I all but adore, and "The Hourglass," which is less appealing to me, although the band seems to love it. The story, however, is rather weak, IMHO (I can't quite grasp, what's so special about the old sailor, strolling around the beach and seeing various problems of society around him). One of a few times when we, Americans, get a better deal than Europeans or Japanese: US version has four bonus songs, but I only dig one of them: a previously unreleased song that was supposed to be on Streets: "Stay" (a good and dark groove). One of the better albums of 1998.
RETURN OF THE MOUNTAIN KING: TRIBUTE TO SAVATAGE (2000)
RATING: ****
BEST SONGS: "Follow Me," "Sleep," "Hall Of The Mountain King"
I got an Italian digipac with FIVE extra tracks in trade, when I got rid of Heathen Victims Of Deception. Well, let's go track by track.
Projecto "Follow Me." An obscure Italian band. Probably the greatest track on this CD. Just about picture perfect, and the original is one of my favorite songs on "EoT." Good vocalist (with insignficant accent), good sound, good everything. I only wish they did not take out that guitar slide sound at the beginning of the second chorus ("won't you take a chance and follow MEEEEEEEEE!!!!!"). Great job. A
Shadows Of Steel "Strange Wings." Slightly less obscure Italian band with members' names being, among others, Yackson, Wild Steel, Ice Raven, and Golden Hawk. With names like these, they just can't be very good, and they aren't. Namely, the production is not quite on the level (as guitars don't sound good enough, though both Mr. Yackson and Mr. Ice Raven are about on the level of Criss Oliva only if combined together), and the vocalist sounds like he's about to start crying in the studio, as he's singing. Basically, he's like a crying girl version of Labyrinth's Rob Tyrant. On a line "steel tears she cries," he all but starts sobbing. That's quite upsetting for somebody who calls himself "Wild Steel." He also has quite a look on the band picture, like some tyrant from the outer space from the 70s b-movies. But the rest of the band is alright. B-
Wonderland "Tonight He Grins Again." Obscure Italian band, that shares its drummer with Shadows Of Steel (Frank Andiver). Very interesting sound, especially in the verses (where it resembles Priest's "Blood Red Skies"). When the vocalist sings melodic parts, he imitates Jon Oliva very well, but when the song is supposed to rock, he just sounds like an 80s glam whiner in vein of NightRanger and Great White. Keyboards everywhere, and overall, it's just kinda lame. B- (should have been a C+, but extra points for cool guitar sound in slow parts).
Icycore "Gutter Ballet." Somewhat of a less obscure Italian band. The intro is right on target, I could have mistaken it for Savatage itself. The heavy part is slightly more orchestral and less guitar-fronted, but then again, they don't have Criss Oliva. The vocalist sounds a lot closer to Stevens (and sometimes to Rhapsody's Fabio Leone) than to Oliva, making the whole thing sound closer to 90s 'Tage concerts than to the studio original. In the lead break, the solo guitar is again less upfront. I would have said it's as good as an original, but in the third verse Oliva's heroics simply cannot be topped. A very solid performance. A-
Eddy Antonini "Sleep." Yet another Italian act. The vocalist sounds kinda similar to the one from Icycore... wait, it's the same guy. He only has more accent and sounds more like Leone than on the previous track. This song is piano-oriented, as opposed to the acoustic guitar-oriented original, but the mellow atmosphere of the original is kept intact, only approached from the different angle. A very pretty version of a very pretty song. A-
Division "Power Of The Night." An American band, whose version of "Desert Plains" I have on one of the Judas Priest tributes. This song is one of my favorite Savatage pieces, so I was a bit worried. Well, basically, it's faster than the original, very energetic, but the sound is different, and it's just not as groovy. The vocalist is more solemn and less thrashy. The licks are smaller in number and more disjointed, which is surprising: it seems like Criss alone in 1985 was capable of more than many guitar duos today. Still, it's listenable. Oh yeah, and the intro is no longer a minute long, which is a good. B-
Cage "The Dungeons Are Calling." Nothing special. They got rid of that annoying slow intro. Aside from that, it's kept pretty close to the original. The vocalist sounds deeper than Oliva, but not as sharp. B-
Cipher "Chance." An obscure American band. Talk about a waste of talent. Lead singer, George Eliassen, is nothing short of awesome. He is almost as good as Zach Stevens was. The power, the range, the tone, and the passion in his voice are outstanding. However, there's the rest of the band. SOMEBODY, SHOOT THESE FUCKING HOWLING HYENAS ON THE BACKGROUND!! The goddamn background voices COMPLETELY ruin the atmosphere. The production is also pretty lousy, and the guitars seem to be out of tune with the lead singer's voice. And the arrangements... oh my god! Did they really have to turn this classic into goddamn hardcore? Considering this is only one of my top ten favorite songs of all time, this is a real torture. A+ for the lead singer, D for the rest of the band, C on average.
Mesmerize "Sirens." An obscure Italian band. Very close to the original, but the vocalist is weak. Neat vocal harmonies in the intro and lame ones at the end. B-
Dofka "Hall Of The Mountain King." An obscure American band, lead by Jim Dofka (all guitars and drums). The vocalist, Scott Edgell, is pretty cool. He sings in a strange growly voice that is clean, but borders on death vocals, but it's different from, say, Chris Boltendahl of Grave Digger, and yet it is closely related to Oliva's voice. It's hard to describe, but he suits the song very well. The production and the sound are really good and tastefully performed. A-
Portrait "Edge Of Thorns." This band is NEITHER American NOR Italian! It hails from Brazil. It's still obscure to me, though. Great production, great piano work, and the bass is more prominent, which adds another dimension to this already complex tune. The vocalist, Marcello Moss, is good, he sings with conviction, but he kinda lacks Stevens' range (and for some strange reason he makes me think of Jackyl's Jesse Dupree). The first part of the lead break is nailed precisely by Gilberto Bressan Jr, but he kinda strays away in the second half. B+
Civilian "Prelude And Resurrection Of The Mountain King." I don't know if this bizarre performance by an obscure act from Illinois has been inspired by Savatage or Grieg's original, but it's equally distant from both. It's an instrumental, full of very strange sounds and melodies, played in different keys. Basically, it sounds like several people got seriously drunk in the studio after listening to this melody for several hours in a row and all went to their instruments to record their impressions. Another thing it makes me think of is that Finnish orchestra on Iron Maiden tribute that "covered" "The Trooper." Very weird, but they get points for being "alternative." B-
Cyrcle IX "Believe." An obscure band from New Jersey. Very good, although the vocals sometimes sound out of key with music. Still, passion in the singer's voice is commendable. His range is lower than Oliva's, but he does an excellent job sounding operatic. At the end, however, he goes way out of his limits, and resembles crow's croaking. The sound could have been heavier, but it's still very good. B+
Opposite Earth "Of Rage And War." An odd choice for a cover. Great production from these guys from Florida. Steven Vincent's voice is the closest to Oliva on this album, only it is even more melodic and more pleasant. Granted, I'm not a big fan of this song, but they certainly did as good of a job as it could be done. B
Wraith "24 Hours Ago." An even odder choice. And this band is also from Florida. Again, I'm hardly a fan of the original, and again they do a good job. The vocalist sounds like he's 17, but he's alright. B-
So, several surprisingly good performances make this album worth having in any Sava fan's collection, especially if you can lay your hands on the Italian version.
POETS AND MADMEN (2001)
RATING: ****
BEST SONGS: "Comissar," "Morphine Child," "Surrender" (special notice of the bonus track, "Shotgun Innocence," featuring Zach Stevens and Criss Oliva)
The band is a quartet at this point: Jon Oliva (vocals, keyboards, arrangements), Chris Caffery (guitars), Johnny Lee Middleton (bass), Jeff Plate (drums). And there's, of course, Paul O'Neil, who now writes ALL lyrics. FOr the first time since 1991 Oliva handles all vocals. Well, it wouldn't be a stretch to say that his pipes are have all but completely given in (and Jon would be the first to admit it). With some intense studio work and miracles of production, he and O'Neil were able to make his voice sound listenable, and he actually sounds powerful at times but the range is now half of what it used to be. This is why they hired Damond Jiniya. Now the songs. The sound is noteably heavier than before: I guess Oliva's threat to separate 'Tage from Trans-Siberian Orchestra held some water: this is the heaviest sound from 'Tage since Hall Of The Mountain King! This album better give Chris Caffery more respect than before. To say that he shines is insufficient. His solos truly kick major ass, and they're easily the best the band delivered since Criss passed away. Unfortunately, without Stevens, much of the magic is gone (just like Nocturnal Rites are not the same without Zackrisson and Skyclad cannot be the same without Walkyier). First two-and-a-half songs all share a very dark atmosphere. "Stay With Me" is a nice opener. "There In The Darkness" is OK, and "Comissar" is an instant Sava classic. The first half is full of dark chants, and in the second half it just breaks loose and kicks ass. "I Seek Power" would have been great, had Jon indeed had some power to show, not just "evilness" (though evilness still makes this song a worthy listen). "Drive" is a very simple musically old school rocker, but they overdo on production, slightly breaking the mood. "Morphine Child" has the trademark multivocal acapella chants that current 'Tage albums are unthinkable without. Even though it's still great, but it's not quite on par with "Chance" (man, that sounded fresh in 1994!), "One Child," "The Wake Of Magellan," or even "The Hourglass." You know why? Because there's no Stevens! Still, it's one of year's best tunes. I'm not going to go into the story cuz (a) the songtexts have VERY little (and I mean VERY little) to do with the story and (b) the story isn't that great in the first place. Savatage, with its excellent songwriting and lame storytelling, is turning into the opposite of King Diamond, who has awesome stories, but the songwriting is poor. Semi-acoustic "The Rumor" is the weakest song I've heard from Oliva & Co. since weaker Gutter Ballet material (like "Mentally Yours," etc.), it is simply irritating. "Surrender" (awesome ending), "Awaken" (oh, cool, there's Johnny's bass!), and "Back To Reason" all rock. So, basically, the majority of this album is really good, and the songwriting is as strong as ever. However, it's just not as sharp and tasty as its predecessors (though very dark and heavy). The power of Savatage, in my mind, laid with its melody, power, and Stevens voice. Though still melodic, P&M is not quite on the same high level, and Zach can only be found on the bonus track, "Shotgun Innocence," which just makes certain fans like myself through hands in the air and scream "WHY??" That goes for both Zach and Criss. Still, a solid album and a must for every 'Tage fan.
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