Savatage

It was in 1979 in Florida that Brother Jon and Brother Criss Oliva, respectively singer/clavierist and guitarist, founded the Heavy Metal Avatar band, soon joined by drummer Steve "Doc" Wacholz. After some demos and appearances on compilations, they changed their name in 1983 to Savatage with the release of the first album, Sirens . The EP The Dungeons Are Calling followed, after which the band signed with Atlantic Records for Power Of The Night (1985). Under the pressure of the label, Savatage recorded in 1986 Fight For The Rock , a more commercial target disc that did not satisfy the band or the critics. It is also at this time that bassist Johnny Lee Middleton, who will remain a permanent member, arrives. The success came in 1987 with Hall Of The Mountain King , probably the band's most famous album and whose sound began to depart from the traditional Heavy Metal of the beginnings thanks to the influence of their new producer, Paul O'Neill. But it is mainly from Gutter Ballet (1989) that Savatage adopts a more progressive style. Two years later, the Floridians saw great and developed their own Opera Rock. Originally conceived as a double-album, Streets was amputated by the label of some of its tracks to hold on a single record, as well as its narrative interludes. These interludes will be present on the 2013 reissue (titled Streets: A Rock Opera - Narrated Version); as for the unreleased titles, they would have been lost but some of their riffs would have been reused for the next album. In 1992, Jon Oliva chose to move away from the band and focused on other projects (Doctor Butcher, which will release a single album in 1994, as well as a musical that will not finally see the light), although he continued to compose for Savatage. He was replaced by Zak Stevens, and it was in this configuration that Edge Of Thorns came out in 1993. In October of the same year, guitarist and founding member Criss Oliva was killed in a road accident. His brother chose to pursue the adventure in order to keep his music alive. Handful Of Rain (1994) is recorded with Alex Skolnick (The Testament), but shortly thereafter. Subsequently, the band will move on to two guitarists with the arrival of Chris Cafferty (who had played briefly with Savatage in the Gutter Ballet period, and with Jon Oliva in Doctor Butcher) then Al Pitrelli (ex-Alice Cooper). Another change, Jeff Plate became the new drummer to replace Steve Wacholz. A second Opera Rock was set up: Dead Winter Dead was born in 1995. Apart from The Wake Of Magellan in 1997, the second half of the 1990s saw the band focus mainly on the Trans-Siberian Orchestra project of producer Paul O'Neill, for which members were accompanied by an orchestra and various guests to the song, and which will meet with greater commercial success. While Al Pitrelli left in 2000 for Megadeth and Zak Stevens retired temporarily for family reasons, Savatage recorded Poets And Madmen (2001) with a reduced line-up, which saw Jon Oliva resounding in the studio. The band rotates relatively little, with session musicians, before entering indefinite hiatus. Trans-Siberian Orchestra nevertheless continues to turn and record records. In parallel, Jon Oliva founded his own band, Jon Oliva's Pain , with which he released four albums between 2004 and 2010, then a solo album in 2013 under the name Oliva , while singer Zak Stevens founded Circle II Circle (Power Prog). Savatage was reformed in 2015 at a single concert at the Wacken Open Air, with the line-up of the late 1990s, without any other plans for the future. However, at the end of 2020 / beginning of 2021, Jon Oliva and the other members confirm that they are working on new compositions, without a release yet.
.