Solo-efforts from The Mountain King (front man in Savatage, also with Doctor Butcher and TSO.)
'TAGE MAHAL (2004) STEAMHAMMER/SPV
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Line-up: Jon Oliva - Keys, Guitars, Vocals Matt LaPorte - Guitars John Zahner - Keys, vocals Kevin Rothney - Bass, vocals Christopher Kinder - Drums Guest: Steve "Doc" Wacholz - Drums on 7, 10 |
There aren't many releases that excite me more then whenever there is a new Savatage related CD out. And when the Mountain King himself, Jon Oliva, decides to release a solo-effort, I'm all over it, like a fly on a cows turd! Some rumors would have it that this would be a return to the sound of the classic Savatage. Others said that this would be an album showcasing the man's influences, with songs reminding you of The Beatles, Queen, Led Zeppelin etc. I guess they all were right and wrong at the same time. This is an album of Jon Oliva music! It sounds like a blend of the newer and older Savatage. Mix in some elements of his influences, especially Queen, and you got ''Tage Mahal'. The first song that caught my attention was of course "People Say - Gimme Some Hell". Most of the lyrics for this particular track are made up of Savatage song-titles! And when I got over the weird vocal effect in the verses, this songs sounded like classic Savatage to me. And it doesn't hurt that Jon has put in some samples of original songs toward the end. Add to that samples of some of Criss' unfinished guitar-work, and you really feel that the legacy is well taken care off. But the album consists of so any other killer songs, it is unfair to dwell on one single track. From the beginning to end, this is an awesome album. I have to admit that it took some getting use to though. At first all of the songs had faults in my ears. Some had a killer verse but boring chorus, while yet others were the exact opposite. All of them had at least some great moments though. And sitting here writing today, listening to the album for the umpteenth time, I'm loving every second of it! Jon has delivered some of his best vocals ever, and the goose bumps are showing up every now and then on my skin. So if you check out "The Dark", "People Say...", "Walk Alone", "The Nonsensible..." and the awesome "Fly Away" too, I'll bet you'll agree.
Killer tracks: I'm happy to say: All of them!
STRAIGHT-JACKET MEMOIRS (2006) AFM
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Photo by Håkon Grav (www.photograve.net) |
As always, I'm eager to hear the latest from The Mountain King. So buying this EP was a necessity. And what a blast this is. Jon and band are starting to sound very much like the Savatage we all love. Bombastic, powerful, and always with some extra cards up their sleeves. "Time To Die" gives me chills, and everything feels right in the world again. I can't wait for the full-length!
MANIACAL RENDERINGS (2006) AFM (Limited
Edition)
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Line-up: Jon Oliva
- Vocals, Piano, Guitar
* = bonus track on digi pack |
OK, so let's face it; Savatage have changed their name to Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and the closest thing we'll come to the "old" band is Jon Oliva's Pain. But even though the band-members are completely different, there is no denying that the main man is still the same; Jon Oliva! As he himself has stated that he wrote, and even played, so much of Savatage's music anyway, so why should this be any different? The music is certainly not!! 'Maniacal Renderings' is the album Savatage would have recorded in 2006. Just listen to "Through The Eyes Of The King" (yes, this is sort of the twin song to "The Hall Of The Mountain King"), "Maniacal Renderings" (check out the crazy piano solo!!) and "The Answer" (no one writes ballads like Jon!). This is 100% the real thing, and what we've all been waiting for for ages. Jon's voice is back, and he sings better then he's done since 'Streets'. And it is so good to hear that crazy man deliver aggression, empathy and weird twists like no other singer will ever be capable of. I have to admit that I was not as pleased on the first listens. But I figured out that I had to get past the band name and members to fully enjoy the CD. I am one happy fan now! Long live The Mountain King! One thing bugs me though, and that is no fault of the band; the record company have decided to release 2 different limited editions of this album, and both have an exclusive track!! Talk about rip-off. No wonder why people download! Still, this is the album of the year, as far as I am concerned!
Killer tracks: Through The Eyes Of The King, Maniacal Renderings, The Evil Beside You, Time To Die, The Answer... Heck, they are all masterpieces!
GLOBAL WARNING (2008) AFM (Limited Edition)
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Line-up: Jon Oliva
- Vocals, Piano, Keyboards, Organ, Electric
and Acoustic Guitars
* - bonus track |
Our favorite mountain king is back again! And this time he is worried about the environment? 'Global Warning' is not a concept album, but many of these songs share with us Jon's view on the state of the planet we call Earth. But for the most, this is yet another lesson in emotional metal! And who is a better teacher than Jon? To tell the truth, it actually took me some spins for this album to open up to me. It seems this is the case for me with more and more albums these days. But when it finally opened up, I discovered yet another masterpiece! 6 of the songs are co-written by Criss Oliva, which means that many of the song-ideas are picked from previously unreleased, or unrecorded, Savatage gems, found in a box full of old tapes, by Jon's wife. "Look At The Word", "Before I Hang" and "Stories" could all very well have fitted on anything done by the Oliva brother in the past. The latter might be one of the best songs they have ever written! And as on any Oliva release, we also get some highly emotional ballads. "Firefly" is the most noticeable of them here. "Global Warning" as a whole is a very diverse album, and one might even call it experimental. "Master" is one of the most experimental tunes. And while it reminds me a little of "Complaint In The System" from 'Wake Of Magellan', I'm not sure I'll ever like this one. It's also quite easy to hear some of Jon's biggest influences on his album. The opening title track has a lot of Queen in it, while "The Ride" is a Led Zeppelin meets The Beatles composition. "O to G" is a short ballad, written in memory of Greg Marchak, the bands engineer who died a few weeks prior to the recording of this album. I am enjoying the heck out of this CD, and it won't leave me CD-player at all! It even made me go back and re-listen to the bands earlier albums, and appreciate the debut even more also. "Global Warning" will easily be my number 1 pick for the top 20 list for 2008. My limited edition digi-pack comes with a bonus track. It's called "No More Saturday Nights", and is yet another old Savatage penned song that never saw the light of day 'til now. The Japanese version of this album comes with yet another bonus song, entitled "I See".
Killer tracks: All, except "Master"
Jon Oliva guest appearances:
- 'Xiled To Infinity And One'Rough Silk - 'Symphony Of Life'
Circle II Circle - 'Watching In Silence' (as writer)
Chris Caffery - 'W.A.R.P.E.D.'
Chris Caffery - 'Pins And
Needles' (as writer)
V/A - 'Metallic Assault - A Tribute To Metallica'
Shane French guest appearances:
Jorn - 'Starfire'
Related artists:
Savatage, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Doctor Butcher, CircleIICircle, Millenium
