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Posted: Dec 11 2008 01:07 pm

Savatage is one of my all-time favorite bands. Any other fans out there on the forums?

Posted: Dec 11 2008 01:43 pm

HELL YEAH!!! I love Savatage and Trans-Siberian Orchestra!!!
I was so down when Criss Oliva died, though I still love the band with Al Pitrelli and would love for them to have a comeback. My favorite song is still Hall of the Mountain King. My favorite albums in order are...
Hall of the Mountain King
Edge of Thorns
Dead Winter Dead
Sirens
Gutter Ballet
Power of the Night

I thought that me and my brother were the only real fans I knew of that loved Savatage.

Posted: Dec 11 2008 02:19 pm

I see you listed most of the early to mid era Savatage albums, except for The Dungeons Are Calling and Streets. No love for those?

I like pretty much all their stuff. I first got into Savatage around 2001. Comcast provides free music channels through the cable box, and I was listening pretty heavily to their Arena Rock and Metal stations at the time. Poets and Madmen had just come out, and they happened to play "Drive" off it. I loved it, so I went on Kazaa looking for more Savatage. I didn't find much, just some stuff off P&M, most of The Wake of Magellan and the title track from The Dungeons Are Calling. I loved it all, so I went on AllMusic and researched them. Gutter Ballet and Hall of the Mountain King were their highest rated albums and critical favorites, so I went down to Newbury Comics and bought them, loved those too. Over time, I've accumulated all their stuff, and I just really, really love them. There are a lot of cool arrangments in their songs, especially longer ones like "Chance" and "Morphine Child".

Posted: Dec 11 2008 02:32 pm

I got into them because my brother is 13 years older then I am, so he was in High School in the 80's and living in an age of metal. His favorite albums are Edge of Thorns, Dungeons are Calling, Sirens, and Hall of the Mountain King. Have you listened to Jon Oliva's new band at all, Pain. I have not but heard it is fairly close to sounding like Savatage, minus Criss Oliva's blistering guitar. It is a band that never gets the recognition it deserves, and like with the G4 Guitat Concerts, even when Criss was still alive, he was never invited. Not to down the guy I love his music, but if Yngwie Malmsteen is invited, and he apparently doesn't get along with anyone, that why they didn't invite Criss is beyond me. As well, I was surprised I have never seen Guitar World or any Guitar Magazine ever talk about him or Savatage.

Posted: Dec 11 2008 02:40 pm

Yes, I have. I have Maniacal Renderings, and if you like Savatage, you'll definitely like Jon Oliva's Pain.

Oliva has said a Savatage reunion is unlikely because the other guys are having too much success with TSO, but JOP is more or less what Savatage would be doing if they were still together.

Posted: Dec 11 2008 09:58 pm

I've always wanted to start listening to these guys, but I never really got around to it. I've heard from a few people that they're really good, and sound sort of like Black Sabbath.

Posted: Dec 12 2008 12:22 pm

Their earlier stuff has a Sabbath feel to it, but they also have a bit of Priest in them as well. If anything I think though you can tell they are influenced by many groups, they are their own animal when it comes to the sound. I think you would really enjoy them.

Posted: Dec 12 2008 12:26 pm

They also have a tinge of Pink Floyd and Queen, and starting with 1987's Hall of the Mountain King, their albums became increasingly thematic, with 1991's Streets being their first full-fledged concept album.

Joined: Sep 17 2007 Location: The Opium Trail Posts: 3475

I don't particularly care about them, but I know someone from another board who is fanatical about them.

Joined: Apr 01 2008 Posts: 67

I've been meaning to get into them for a while. What's a good album to start with?

Posted: Dec 12 2008 06:51 pm

Probably either Hall of the Mountain King, Gutter Ballet, or Streets.