Author Topic: The Savatage Discography - Result and cause...  (Read 36970 times)

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Offline The Dark Master

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Re: The Savatage Discography - They heard the sirens sing...
« Reply #35 on: August 16, 2015, 08:15:54 PM »
So I guess it's safe to assume we are done talking about Sirens?  Cause I'm planing on posting the write up for Dungeons tomorrow.

Offline jjrock88

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Re: The Savatage Discography - They heard the sirens sing...
« Reply #36 on: August 16, 2015, 08:19:28 PM »
DM, will you bring up the songs "fighting for your love" and "crying for your love".  Obviously they are simular and recorded around the same time.  But I enjoy Fighting more.

Offline The Dark Master

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Re: The Savatage Discography - They heard the sirens sing...
« Reply #37 on: August 16, 2015, 08:35:59 PM »
I'm mostly going to discuss "Fighting/Crying for Your Love" when I get to Fight For the Rock .  However, I do plan on discussing some of the unreleased songs a bit for TDAC (since it could have used a few more tracks), as well as for FFTR (mostly as replacements to improve the record) and Streets (to attempt to map out how the complete double album would had looked).

Offline jjrock88

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Re: The Savatage Discography - They heard the sirens sing...
« Reply #38 on: August 16, 2015, 08:40:37 PM »
sounds good

Offline wolfking

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Re: The Savatage Discography - They heard the sirens sing...
« Reply #39 on: August 16, 2015, 08:44:44 PM »
Looking forward to this new installment.
Everyone else, except Wolfking is wrong.

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Re: The Savatage Discography - They heard the sirens sing...
« Reply #40 on: August 17, 2015, 08:51:12 AM »
Listening to Dungeons now in anticipation of DM's post.  :metal
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Offline The Dark Master

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Re: The Savatage Discography - I survive on evil and blood...
« Reply #41 on: August 17, 2015, 11:05:48 AM »
   Part 2 – I Survive on Evil and Blood...



Released    March 22, 1984 (U.S.)
July 1985 (UK)
Recorded    January 1983 at Morrisound Studios, Tampa Florida, USA
Genre    Heavy metal, speed metal, power metal
Length    24:54
Label    Combat (US)
Music for Nations (UK)
Producer    Danny Johnson

Side one    
No.    Title    Writer(s)    Length    
1.    "The Dungeons Are Calling"      Jon Oliva, Criss Oliva, Keith Collins    4:55
2.    "By the Grace of the Witch"      J. Oliva, C. Oliva    3:16
3.    "Visions"      J. Oliva, C. Oliva    3:05
Side two    
No.    Title    Writer(s)    Length    
4.    "Midas Knight"      J. Oliva, C. Oliva, Collins    4:24
5.    "City Beneath the Surface"      J. Oliva, C. Oliva    5:49
6.    "The Whip"  J. Oliva  3:31

Line-up

    Jon Oliva - lead vocals
    Criss Oliva - guitars, backing vocals
    Keith Collins - bass guitar, backing vocals
    Steve Wacholz - drums, percussion

Production

    Danny Johnson - producer
    Jim Morris - engineer
    Mike Fuller - mastering
    Eddy Schreyer - re-mastering

   The extended play, or EP, or mini-album, has become something of a lost art form.  To be fair, it's not really a necessary format for music anymore.  When your average CD has a maximum playtime of 80 minutes, to say nothing of the effectively limitless nature of digital distribution, very few artists have the issue of not being able to fit all of the material they have readily available at the time into a single release.  This was not the case in the early and mid 80's.  Back when vinyl reigned, there was an effective limit of 22 minutes per side of a record, meaning most albums of the time were restricted to under 45 minutes max.  By the end of the decade, with improvements in technology, the standard playtime had been extended to 26 minutes per side of vinyl, and by the early 90's, as vinyl finally gave way to the compact disc, albums were featuring sides in excess of 30 minutes or more.

   One rather curious side effect these limitations of the vinyl format had on the history of music was that many young bands, brimming with creative ideas, often found themselves with well over 45 minutes of songs available for their debut releases, though not quite enough for a full second album.  And so many bands from the era often released mini-albums, or EPs, to complement their debut records.  A good number of these mini albums by 80's heavy metal and hard rock bands are considered among the finest releases by their respective artists, capturing perfectly their youth, aggression and ambition in one tight, compact 20-ish minute package.  Ratt, Queensryche, Helloween, and many others of all stripes of metal from the time period released EPs that would go on to become gems in their discographies.  And so too, did Savatage...

   As noted before, Savatage had about an hour of material, a total of 15 songs, ready when they got around to recording their first record, Sirens.  Given the limitations of vinyl, the band was incapable of including all the tracks on their first album.  However, with all the songs being considered good enough for a proper release, PAR records permitted the band to record all the material, with 9 of tracks making the cut for Sirens, while the remaining 6 were released a year later as a mini-album, titled The Dungeons are Calling.  Of the six songs to make the EP, two had appeared previously on the band's independent release, City Beneath the Surface, two years earlier, back when Savatage was still called Avatar.  Both the title track and “The Whip” from that record reappeared on The Dungeons are Calling, while the remaining song, “Sirens”, became the title cut for their 1983 debut. 

   The implication that much of the material on The Dungeons are Calling in fact predates many of the songs on Sirens is all the more incredible when one considers how much more solid and refined the songwriting is on the former, and it does beg the question of why the band would have waited to place these songs on their second release when they were available at the time of their first.  Perhaps this decision was prompted by the knowledge that, as an EP, The Dungeons are Calling would be significantly shorter then it's predecessor, so Savatage felt that it needed the strongest songwriting they could muster at the time so their mini-album would not be overshadowed by the meatier Sirens, or the next full-length record that would surely follow.  To be fair, it is surely easier to come up with 25 minutes of great music then 35 or more, but even considering that, the quality of the tracks on this vicious little EP seems all out of proportion for it's small size, to say nothing of comparisons to the band's other early releases.

   As is appropriate given the title, The Dungeons are Calling is probably the heaviest thing ever released under the name Savatage.  From rapid fire numbers such as the title track and “The Whip”, to slower, chugging tracks like “By the Grace of the Witch” to even the upbeat, jaunty “Midas Knight,” this album is lean and mean and out for the kill.  The Olivas and co. would never sound quite this aggressive again, and this is about as close to flirting with extreme metal as the band would ever get.  There are some tracks on here, such as “Visions”, that come very close to the thrash metal that was exploding in the underground at the time.  Jon Oliva is in his element here, both vocally and lyrically, his doom and death word craft delivered exquisitely by his high pitched shrieks and gritty snarls.  With all the edgy and pseudo-Satanic imagery woven here by our soon-to-be Mountain King, this is very much the kind of metal from which parents sought to protect the tender ears of their children in 1984, and Jon dabbles in that scenery with sinister glee.

   As is entirely appropriate for such lyricism, the music on The Dungeons are Calling is hard and fast, bonecrushing in it's sheer heaviness, and uncompromising in it's all consuming darkness.  Criss Oliva shreds as if he's the personal lead guitarist for the Unholy One Himself, his solos tearing up every track on the album, yet he does not neglect his more mellow side.  Of course,  given the tone of the record, such quiet moments are heavy laden with a cruel atmosphere, as in the introduction to the title track, or the intro/outro to “Midas Knight”.  Keith Collins' bass thumps along with an inexorable evil, and Steve Wacholz certainly lives up to his “Dr. Killdrums” moniker, each blast of his drums hammering the music into your very soul.

   While every track on this album is a killer, special attention should be drawn to what is undoubtedly one of the brightest (or darkest) musical gems in the career of early Savatage, “City Beneath the Surface”.  From a spacy, synthesizer intro followed by a dark, dredgy riff that would be the envy of any self-respecting doom metal band, the song then explodes into a fast-paced hell-ride for nearly 6 minutes.  The band is in top form on this track, with Jon's siren wail screaming blood and hellfire into your ears while Criss segways from masterful riffery to some of the most wild soloing of his career, all while Wacholz and Collins providing a thunderous bed of beats for this monster of a song.  One of the greatest, and in many ways, most ambitious, compositions from Savatage's metal side, “City Beneath the Surface” stands out as an exemplar of just how brutal and unapologetically metal the mighty 'Tage were in their long ago youth.

   To be sure, The Dungeons are Calling is one of the strongest moments in the band's early discography, before they began their collaboration with Paul O'Neill three years and three albums later.  True, this album may seem limited, less grand, and, dare I say, “small” compared to the grandiose musical landscapes the band would later explore, and might even put off fans who were introduced to Savatage by such more mature records with it's raw aggression.   Even so, it still cannot be understated that, for what it is, The Dungeons are Calling is one of the standout examples of it's genre.  Even as someone who makes no bones about being more a fan of later Savatage then the older stuff, I cannot help but feel that the band captured something special here, and a wicked smile crosses my face every time I put this record on.  Certainly, I am not alone, for generations of metalheads would later look back at this little EP as inspiration for some of the heaviest forms of metal ever made.  Even when Savatage and it's Trans-Siberian Orchestra offshoot would experience much greater success with their symphonic Broadway metal rock operas, countless doom, death and black metal bands and their fans would still listen in awe with just how heavy Savatage once was, if only for a brief moment in time.  For many, the only complaint they could level at The Dungeons are Calling was that it was all too short...
« Last Edit: August 17, 2015, 11:31:25 AM by The Dark Master »

Online Podaar

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Re: The Savatage Discography - I survive on evil and blood...
« Reply #42 on: August 17, 2015, 11:53:32 AM »
"HI! Welcome to Hell
You are all here
For this is where you must dwell."

Love, love the way Jon delivers that line. So sinister.
"Religion poisons everything” — Christopher Hitchens

Online Podaar

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Re: The Savatage Discography - I survive on evil and blood...
« Reply #43 on: August 17, 2015, 01:03:52 PM »
I really dig the three demos at the end of the "silver addition" CD. "Metalhead" has some really incendiary soloing by Criss and overall "Before I Hang" is fantastic...especially after repeated listens. "Stranger in the Dark" is surprisingly soulful. All three deserved better production and a full release.

IMO.
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Offline The Dark Master

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Re: The Savatage Discography - I survive on evil and blood...
« Reply #44 on: August 17, 2015, 01:10:38 PM »
I really dig the three demos at the end of the "silver addition" CD. "Metalhead" has some really incendiary soloing by Criss and overall "Before I Hang" is fantastic...especially after repeated listens. "Stranger in the Dark" is surprisingly soulful. All three deserved better production and a full release.

IMO.

Yeah, I'll talk about bonus tracks a bit later (tonight, maybe) when I have the time, but all those tracks from the Silver Edition are excellent.  I usually save "Before I Hang" for my extended version of Streets, because one of the tracks that was cut from that album, "Beyond Broadway", was actually a lyrical re-write of "Before I Hang."  My personal choices to round out The Dungeons are Calling to full album length are "Metalhead", "Stranger in the Dark" and a slow, doomy song called "No More Saturday Nights" that was written back in the Avatar days, and later dusted off and demoed up around '85.

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Re: The Savatage Discography - I survive on evil and blood...
« Reply #45 on: August 17, 2015, 01:16:05 PM »
I guess I should have given my take on the songs from the EP but your write-up was so spot on that I didn't really have anything more to say.

 :tup
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Offline jjrock88

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Re: The Savatage Discography - I survive on evil and blood...
« Reply #46 on: August 17, 2015, 01:57:50 PM »
I was surprised at the heaviness of this album when I heard it the first time, when I was first getting into the band.

Great tunes!

Offline TAC

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Re: The Savatage Discography - I survive on evil and blood...
« Reply #47 on: August 17, 2015, 01:58:28 PM »
Going to listen to Dungeons in the morning. Not totally familiar with it.
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

Offline jjrock88

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Re: The Savatage Discography - I survive on evil and blood...
« Reply #48 on: August 17, 2015, 02:00:30 PM »
Going to listen to Dungeons in the morning. Not totally familiar with it.

It's heavier then Winger, be prepared.

Offline TAC

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Re: The Savatage Discography - I survive on evil and blood...
« Reply #49 on: August 17, 2015, 02:02:03 PM »
 :lol

I think I can handle it!
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

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Re: The Savatage Discography - I survive on evil and blood...
« Reply #50 on: August 17, 2015, 02:04:53 PM »
Yeah, I'll talk about bonus tracks a bit later (tonight, maybe) when I have the time, but all those tracks from the Silver Edition are excellent.  I usually save "Before I Hang" for my extended version of Streets, because one of the tracks that was cut from that album, "Beyond Broadway", was actually a lyrical re-write of "Before I Hang."  My personal choices to round out The Dungeons are Calling to full album length are "Metalhead", "Stranger in the Dark" and a slow, doomy song called "No More Saturday Nights" that was written back in the Avatar days, and later dusted off and demoed up around '85.

I just YT that song.  :omg:  :metal
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Offline wolfking

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Re: The Savatage Discography - I survive on evil and blood...
« Reply #51 on: August 17, 2015, 03:46:07 PM »
Another killer record.  I have the silver edition too with the bonus tracks, really good stuff.
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Offline bl5150

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Re: The Savatage Discography - I survive on evil and blood...
« Reply #52 on: August 21, 2015, 09:57:38 PM »
Yeah, I'll talk about bonus tracks a bit later (tonight, maybe) when I have the time, but all those tracks from the Silver Edition are excellent.  I usually save "Before I Hang" for my extended version of Streets, because one of the tracks that was cut from that album, "Beyond Broadway", was actually a lyrical re-write of "Before I Hang."  My personal choices to round out The Dungeons are Calling to full album length are "Metalhead", "Stranger in the Dark" and a slow, doomy song called "No More Saturday Nights" that was written back in the Avatar days, and later dusted off and demoed up around '85.

I just YT that song.  :omg:  :metal

There's a nice well produced version of that song on the "with bonus track" disc of JOP's Global Warning.
"I would just like to say that after all these years of heavy drinking, bright lights and late nights, I still don't need glasses. I drink right out of the bottle." - DLR

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Offline The Dark Master

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Re: The Savatage Discography - I survive on evil and blood...
« Reply #53 on: August 22, 2015, 12:04:20 AM »
Yeah, I'll talk about bonus tracks a bit later (tonight, maybe) when I have the time, but all those tracks from the Silver Edition are excellent.  I usually save "Before I Hang" for my extended version of Streets, because one of the tracks that was cut from that album, "Beyond Broadway", was actually a lyrical re-write of "Before I Hang."  My personal choices to round out The Dungeons are Calling to full album length are "Metalhead", "Stranger in the Dark" and a slow, doomy song called "No More Saturday Nights" that was written back in the Avatar days, and later dusted off and demoed up around '85.

I just YT that song.  :omg:  :metal

There's a nice well produced version of that song on the "with bonus track" disc of JOP's Global Warning.

The JOP version is rather different though.  It has the same pre-chorus and chorus as the original, but the whole rest of the song is entirely new.  The same is true of the JOP version of "Living on the Edge of Time".

Offline The Dark Master

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Re: The Savatage Discography - I survive on evil and blood...
« Reply #54 on: August 23, 2015, 03:28:47 PM »
So I guess we are done with Dungeons, too?  Because I'm planning on doing my write up for Power of the Night tomorrow.

Offline jjrock88

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Re: The Savatage Discography - I survive on evil and blood...
« Reply #55 on: August 23, 2015, 04:25:38 PM »
Power of the Night is kick ass!!!

Offline Deathless

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Re: The Savatage Discography - I survive on evil and blood...
« Reply #56 on: August 23, 2015, 04:47:52 PM »
Giving POTN a few spins before DM drops the knowledge...


Offline wolfking

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Re: The Savatage Discography - I survive on evil and blood...
« Reply #57 on: August 23, 2015, 05:10:56 PM »
POTN is a really killer record IMO.
Everyone else, except Wolfking is wrong.

Offline Cyclopssss

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Re: The Savatage Discography - I survive on evil and blood...
« Reply #58 on: August 24, 2015, 01:05:52 AM »
Power of the Night ruleth.
From the ocean comes the notion that the realise lies in rhythm. The rhythm of vision is dancer, and when you dance you´re always on the one. From the looking comes to see, wondrous realise real eyes....

Offline wolfking

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Re: The Savatage Discography - I survive on evil and blood...
« Reply #59 on: August 24, 2015, 05:42:16 AM »
The title track is just killer.
Everyone else, except Wolfking is wrong.

Offline bl5150

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Re: The Savatage Discography - I survive on evil and blood...
« Reply #60 on: August 24, 2015, 05:53:02 AM »
The title track is just killer.

I always loved the first three tracks , but found the rest a bit up and down.  Great album but I always thought HoTMK was a big step up.
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Offline wolfking

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Re: The Savatage Discography - I survive on evil and blood...
« Reply #61 on: August 24, 2015, 05:57:58 AM »
The title track is just killer.

I always loved the first three tracks , but found the rest a bit up and down.  Great album but I always thought HoTMK was a big step up.

No question.
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Re: The Savatage Discography - I survive on evil and blood...
« Reply #62 on: August 24, 2015, 06:58:14 AM »
So I guess we are done with Dungeons, too?  Because I'm planning on doing my write up for Power of the Night tomorrow.

Actually, I've been waiting for this:
Yeah, I'll talk about bonus tracks a bit later (tonight, maybe) when I have the time, but all those tracks from the Silver Edition are excellent.

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Offline jjrock88

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Re: The Savatage Discography - I survive on evil and blood...
« Reply #63 on: August 24, 2015, 07:41:05 AM »
Title track is top five for me from the band

Offline The Dark Master

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Re: The Savatage Discography - I survive on evil and blood...
« Reply #64 on: August 24, 2015, 08:39:13 AM »
So I guess we are done with Dungeons, too?  Because I'm planning on doing my write up for Power of the Night tomorrow.

Actually, I've been waiting for this:
Yeah, I'll talk about bonus tracks a bit later (tonight, maybe) when I have the time, but all those tracks from the Silver Edition are excellent.

Yeah, um, about that...

After debating with myself about when and where I should discuss lost tracks and the like, I ultimately decided that it would be best to talk about such demos when I get to the period in which they were written or recorded.  Those tracks from the Silver edition of Dungeons are actually from the Gutter Ballet era, so I will discuss them when that time comes.  I understand that some people may associate those tracks with Dungeons because of the Silver edition, but if I am going to talk about unused demos, I'd rather do it within the context of the album for which they were recorded.  It just makes more sense to me that way.

So, sorry about that, but you're going to have to wait a little while before I talk about the likes of "Metalhead", "Before I Hang", and "Stranger in the Dark".

Offline Kwyjibo

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Re: The Savatage Discography - I survive on evil and blood...
« Reply #65 on: August 24, 2015, 09:00:30 AM »
Back from the holidays and so following this thread  :metal :metal :metal

Now I'm going to read what all of you wrote and try to catch up before I write my own comments.
Must've been Kwyji sending all the wrong songs.   ;D

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Re: The Savatage Discography - I survive on evil and blood...
« Reply #66 on: August 24, 2015, 09:03:31 AM »
No worries, DM.

:hefdaddy to your methods.  :biggrin:
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Offline The Dark Master

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Re: The Savatage Discography - The legions growing stronger...
« Reply #67 on: August 24, 2015, 03:32:49 PM »
   Part 3 – The Legions Growing Stronger...




Released   20 May 1985
Recorded   Bearsville Studios, Bearsville, New York
Genre   Heavy metal, speed metal, power metal
Length   38:43
Label   Atlantic
Producer   Max Norman

Side one   
No.   Title                                  
1.   "Power of the Night"     Jon Oliva  (Lyrics)  Criss Oliva  (Music)  5:13
2.   "Unusual"                     J. Oliva, Keith Collins  (Lyrics)     C. Oliva, J. Oliva, Collins  (Music)   4:27
3.   "Warriors"                     J. Oliva, Collins     (Lyrics)     C. Oliva, J. Oliva, Collins  (Music)   4:03
4.   "Necrophilia"                     J. Oliva, Collins  (Lyrics)     C. Oliva  (Music) 3:36
5.   "Washed Out"             J. Oliva  (Lyrics)  C. Oliva, J. Oliva  (Music)2:13
Side two   
No.   Title                                
6.   "Hard for Love"             J. Oliva, Collins  (Lyrics)     J. Oliva, C. Oliva  (Music)  3:59
7.   "Fountain of Youth"     J. Oliva, Collins, Steve Wacholz  (Lyrics)     C. Oliva  (Music)  4:31
8.   "Skull Session"             J. Oliva  (Lyrics)  C. Oliva, J. Oliva    (Music)  3:21
9.   "Stuck on You"             J. Oliva  (Lyrics)  C. Oliva, Collins   (Music)  3:10
10.   "In the Dream"             J. Oliva  (Lyrics)  C. Oliva, J. Oliva  (Music)  4:15

Band members
Jon Oliva – lead vocals & keyboards
Criss Oliva – guitars
Keith Collins – bass guitar
Steve Wacholz – drums

Production
Max Norman - producer, engineer
Ken Lonas - assistant engineer

   When Quiet Riot covered “Cum On Feel the Noize” for their Metal Health album in 1983, it is doubtful anyone could have predicted the floodgates that would open for countless heavy metal bands to surge into the mainstream.  Quite Riot was not the first metal band to experience huge mainstream success in America; just a year before, Judas Priest released Screaming for Vengeance which would rack up multi-platinum sales thanks to the catchy lead single, “You Got Another Thing Comin'”.  But the success of Metal Health something different entirely.  By 1983, the American underground was teeming with young metal bands, and with many major record labels having their headquarters in California, they began turning their eyes to their own backyard to sign any metal act that seemed to have even the slightest chance of producing a hit record.  By the end of the decade, the metal explosion would be dominated by two distinct flavours; the hair metal scene of Los Angeles, which would rule the airwaves for much of the 80's, and the raw unbridled aggression of the thrash metal movement, which would serve as a counterpoint to the pop-laced singles of the hair bands.  Heavy metal acts that did not fall easily into these two distinct styles would find their music a tough sell to an increasingly sectarian fanbase.  This distinction was lost on the executives who ran the major labels.  For a while in the mid 80's, when the initial metal explosion was taking America by storm, the “metal” tag was all that mattered, and it seemed as if any band could get signed to a major record label by virtue of being metal alone.

   By 1985, Savatage was starting to appear promising for a record label looking to sign a young metal band with potential for even greater success in the future.  Their first two records, Sirens and The Dungeons Are Calling, were receiving a good deal of praise and recognition from the metal press around the world, and the band was rapidly building up a loyal fanbase in their home state of Florida.  The talents of their members, especially those of the Oliva brothers, were readily noticeable.  When the band scored a gig opening up for Atlantic signings Zebra, Atlantic A&R man Jason Flom, with some encouragement from Zebra bassist Randy Jackson, decided to check out the young Savatage and was suitably impressed.  After a second gig to reinforce his interest, Flom sent the band to the studio to record demos for a potential album.  His confidence in the band's prowess now solidified, Flom subsequently signed Savatage to Atlantic for a ten album deal, narrowly beating out rival offers from the likes of Elektra and Geffin, as well as more metal-centric labels such as Megaforce and Metal Blade.

   Their first offering to a major label would see a Savatage that had already progressed considerably from their relatively humble earlier records.  Make no mistake, Power of the Night is still a far cry from the symphonic and progressive landscapes the band would later craft; this is very much a classic heavy metal record in the vein of Sirens and Dungeons.  But there is something instantly apparent in the music of this third Savatage album that sets it apart from it's predecessors.  From the title track's lengthy and atmospheric intro to Criss' steady, indomitable guitar work and Jon's soaring vocals, there is something different about this new Savatage.  The band had matured considerably in the time since Dungeons, and while the album is every bit as much balls-to-the-wall metal as what Savatage had delivered before, there is a degree of patience and expertise in the songwriting that was simply absent before.  The tracks are much more varied, the music much more melodic then what Savatage had made in their earliest days.  Compared to the reckless abandon of Sirens, or the unrelenting heaviness of Dungeons, Power of the Night is a rich and diverse record, relatively multifaceted and complex, given that the band was at such an early stage of their careers.  Savatage may still have been quite young at the time, but they, and their songs, were starting to grow up, and aspire to be something more.

   This new-found maturity is most easily noticed in the general rhythms, arrangements and structures of the album's various tracks.  The track “Unusual”, one of two songs on the album about a man having a one night stand with a supernatural lover, has a steady, mid-paced groove that would have sounded very out of place on the earlier Savatage records.  Wacholz and Collins take a laid back approach to the song as Criss weaves his smooth but still ballsy riffs and licks, while Jon's madman rants and shrieks resound through out the record, now utilized with a bit more precision then before.  Attention must also be drawn to the increasing presence of keyboards in their music.  They provide a ghostly chill to “Unusual” while providing a grand prelude to the next song, “Warriors”.  This galloping track, based off the cult classic film of the same name, again displays a level of craftsmanship that was not yet realized on the first two albums.  Rather then eagerly hammer the listener with a wall of noise, Savatage dabbles in dynamics on this record to a whole new degree.  The chugg-a-long pace of “Warriors” is broken up by a dreamlike, synthesizer-laced interlude in the middle.  It is with relatively small, but significant, moments such as these that Power of the Night really shines.

   Jon returns to his undead paramours with the rocking and rather amusing “Necrophilia”, while the band engages is an all out metal assault on “Washed Out,” very nearly a more polished version of “Rage” from Sirens.  We even have Savatage's first flirtations with commerciality here by way of “Hard for Love”.  Allegedly, Atlantic would have been willing to record a video for this song, if only the band had changed the title to “Hot for Love,” an offer the band refused.  While I would normally praise any artists for refusing such censorship, I do have to question the wisdom of turning down the possibility of MTV airplay for such a minor adjustment to a song that is, while certainly fine musically, not exactly a lyrical masterpiece.  “Hard for Love” certainly had some genuine potential as a single, with it's hard-rocking radio friendly riffs and beats.  It leaves one to wonder what might have been if Savatage had taken the plunge into MTV back in 1985 rather then 1987, but such a discussion is, ultimately, academic.

   “Fountain of Youth” again changes up the pace of the album.  Criss Oliva's guitar work on this mid-paced rocker is particularly enchanting, his mastery of the strings throughout backed up by some well placed keyboards by Jon before giving way to a notably silky solo.  There is also some rather sweet melodic work in a mellower section about three and a half minutes in.  With it's mystical lyrics delivered by one of Jon's more varied performances, this track is, along with the title cut and “Warriors” one of the stand out songs on the album.  We then return to full tilt metal with the S&M flavoured (and very WASP-esque)“Skull Session”, followed by the slower but similarly themed “Stuck on You”, this latter track a veritable sibling of “Unusual.”  Despite some rather mediocre lyrics, there is something about the groove of “Stuck on You” that makes it an enjoyable listen, even if it overshadowed by many of the album's better tracks.  Savatage closes out their thrid record with their second ballad, “In the Dream.”  While the vocal melodies of this track seem a bit less refined compared to the earlier “Out on the Streets”, the music is notably more well developed, with Jon's piano dabblings giving us the first foretaste of the band's future.  The chorus is somewhat weak, but the listener is more then compensated by a kick ass solo section and a haunting outro that still manages to leave one wanting more.

   It is worth noting that this was the final album with bassist Keith Collins, who had been with the Oliva brothers and Doc since the later Avatar days.  Not much is known about why he left the band, but the timing does seem quite strange, considering that this was not only the first Savatage album for a major record label, but that Collins himself contributed rather significantly to the songwriting on Power of the Night.  Whatever the reason, the band would shrug off their first (although by no means last) member change, briefly performing as a three-piece with Jon pulling triple duty on vocals, guitar and keys, before hiring one Johnny Lee Middleton as their new full-time bassist.  Middleton would remain with the band ever since, a constant fixture throughout their ever rotating series of linups for the remainder of their careers.  He continues to perform with Trans-Siberian Orchestra even today.

   All in all, Power of the Night was a significant step up from Savatage's first works, and was eagerly lapped up by both their fans and the press.  Yet Atlantic found the performance of the album disappointing.  It failed to even chart in the top 200, and, without a video, was completely ignored by MTV, which had already become the primary medium by which many music fans at the time discovered new bands.  Even radio seemed cold and indifferent to Savatage.  In hindsight, it should be obvious that Atlantic's expectations that the band could produce a hit record was overtly optimistic.  Savatage's brand of metal didn't exactly sit well with the slick and glammed-up hair bands that were ruling America's metal scene at the time.  “Hard for Love” notwithstanding, there was little on Power of the Night to appeal to an audience that was introduced to metal via the likes of Ratt, Motley Crue and Def Leppard.  At the same time, though, the very presence of tracks like “Hard for Love” and “In the Dream” made the band too mainstream friendly for the tastes of the increasingly “heavier-then-thou” thrash metal crowd.  At an early juncture in their careers, Savatage found themselves caught between two sides of a heavy metal civil war that would dominate the genre into the early 90's.  Despite the strength of their material, the band still had a long way to go before discovering how they fit into the world.  But before they could figure it out on their own, the powers that be at Atlantic would attempt to steer them in a direction that would result in a disastrous fourth album, and nearly bring about the end of the band in the process...
« Last Edit: August 24, 2015, 04:04:24 PM by The Dark Master »

Offline Lowdz

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Re: The Savatage Discography - The legions growing stronger...
« Reply #68 on: August 24, 2015, 03:48:22 PM »
I really regret not going further back in the catalogue as these first couple of recordings have been awesome. Damn you Fight For The Rock, you mislead me to believe pre O'Neil Savatage was shit.

I would have bee all over this back in the 80s.

Just a shame the production isn't as powerful as the band.

Offline jjrock88

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Re: The Savatage Discography - The legions growing stronger...
« Reply #69 on: August 24, 2015, 03:49:24 PM »
Great album and better than the album before it, and the album that comes after it.