Artist: Jon Oliva's Pain
Label: SPV
Release Date: 2/1/05
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Title: 'Tage Mahal Artist: Jon Oliva's Pain Label: SPV Release Date: 2/1/05 |
Judgment Committee Reviews | Rating |
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Abyss's Review:
Death and Hel are big Savatage fans, so I gotta review this despite the fact that I'm running out of things to say about all these progressive bands. Progressive metal is a definite niche market, with most people out there thinking it's either brilliant or pretty gay, when in fact they're both right. It's usually pretty brilliant, and usually pretty gay.And if I like 'Tage Mahal more than the average progressive/metal crossover album out there it is because it's a little more brilliant than most, and a little less gay than many. It is Mr. Oliva's other project, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, that really opened my mind to this record. This is largely because it is much easier to be tolerant of a Christmas story's hokiness than your average metal record, so I was largely vaccinated against some of the more flamboyant aspects to this record.
"One word review: Impressive." It is quite easy to make comparisons between this record and both TSO and Savatage. And while I guess this is to be expected, I'm always confused by progressive acts' inability to separate themselves from their main body of work when they choose to do solo albums. They almost always have a solid vein of their original band flowing through. One would think that with the talent these guys have, not to mention the supposed wide spectrum of musical styles, they would be more successful with coming up with unique sounds.
But that's neither here nor there. The simple fact is this record is very compelling in many ways. Mr. Oliva's voice is a conundrum in and of itself, as I find myself constantly questioning if it's really cool and unique, or one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard. There are times it sounds like he's auditioning to be the new throat for Cinderella, which should be a job that no one should ever strive for. Of course, other times his voice can sound very introspective, as well as emotional and angry. Again, I'm not sure what I think of it, but there's something to be said for the fact that I'm thinking this much about it.
And the same can be said of the music. While the structure of this album is as predictable as any in the genre, its actual sound isn't. The guitar tones are warm and interesting, the keyboards are effective and slightly isolated and the whole thing is atypical and musically adventurous. Even the songs that I don't really like are showing me something . . . there's simply nothing obvious on this album. And while there are only a handful of songs that actually move me, with the exception of some crappy balladeering there's always something of value emanating from my speakers. One word review: Impressive.
Death's Review:
The Mountain King is back! The band name is boring and the album title a seeming silly reference to Mr. Oliva's past as the Savatage main-man (actually, this is a tribute to Criss - he apparently was once planning on releasing a solo album with this name), but to the ears of this old Savatage fan, this is the best Savatage material I've heard since Streets. Mind you, I was a huge fan of the drama and emotion behind albums like Hall of the Mountain King, Gutter Ballet, and Streets, and have always been a fan of the old-school metal of stuff like Sirens and The Dungeons Are Calling. For a while, I would have referred to Savatage as one of my all time favorite fans. But of course, Jon Oliva left (then later returned), and Criss Oliva was killed in a car accident, and everything changed. The focus became more toward Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and the emotional, epic yet definitely heavy traditional metal I'd grown to love faded into the background. I liked Oliva and Savatage-guitarist Chris Caffery's Doctor Butcher, kinda, but now comes Jon Oliva's Pain, and this is clearly the stuff I'd been waiting over a decade to hear.
Anyway, the release of the first Jon Oliva's Pain album will soon be upon us, and the old school Savatage fans should definitely be coming out of the woodwork for this one. In another strange twist in the Savatage family tree, all four members of Oliva's new band once played in Circle II Circle, the band of former Savatage singer Zach Stevens, who replaced Oliva as Savatage vocalist after Streets (only to himself leave in recent years as Oliva has become more and more involved with the band again). Opener "The Dark" sets the stage, with a bluesy, moody vibe, which lets you know what you're dealing with without giving away the full picture. Track two, "Gimme Some Hell," continues a long tradition of Savatage's self-referential lyrics by creating a whole song built up with references to classic Savatage tracks while showcasing the power of Oliva's unique gruff "metal" voice. However, it is not until we get to track three, the seven-and-a-half minute "Guardian of Forever," that we get the full impact of the quality of this release. A quiet, piano-based introduction segues into a heavier, more dramatic slow and doomy riff. It takes a couple of minutes to arrive back at the more quiet, Beatle-esque style lyric, but Jon sounds fantastic, dramatic, vulnerable yet in control. The vocal builds to a dramatic finish a la Savatage classics like "Believe." There is also some great solo playing on display from guitarist Matt Laporte. The next track "Slipping Away," has more of an upbeat feel yet is built around an ultimate minor chord "twist" and a lyric about how all we have is just slipping away. There is some great guitar playing on this track too, coupled with some progressive drumbeats. I like the dark ballad that comes next, "Walk Alone," a whole lot, especially the Savatage-esque heavier vocal which comes in at the 3:00 mark. "How do you walk alone child?" Killer stuff. Even some high pitched Savatage screams thrown in for good measure. Now this is the stuff that made me a Jon Oliva fan. The guitar playing even invokes a bit of the spirit of brother Criss.
"This is clearly the stuff I'd been waiting over a decade to hear." "The Non-Sensible Ravings of a Lunatic Mind" is very cool too, and interesting, employing heavy vocals and round-type vocals. Definitely great stuff (cool insane laughter too!). Great slow, emotional solo on either side of the 4:00 mark, and cool Deep Purple or Pink Floyd style keyboards too (from keyboardist John Zahner). I love the totally metal riffing on "No Escape," which sounds like old-school early Savatage, a la "Sirens." Cool Oliva high-pitched screams here too at the end - nobody else does that. "Father, Son and the Holy Ghost" seems like a lost Streets track. Just awesome, perhaps the best on the record. Oliva sounds great - raw and emotionally weathered, which totally fits the song. The keys really add a nice subtle background feel here too. The piano intro to "All the Time" reminds me of newer-era Savatage. Olive sounds cool once the heavier vocals kick in. Cool song. "Nowhere to Run" has a nice cinematic and dreamy feel to the verse, which build into a killer lyrically-"paranoid" metal anthem that sounds like Queensryche mixed with Hall of the Mountain King. "Pain" has a solid metal riff and a total Savatage feel with killer Oliva screams (". . . from the agony of the pain!!!!!") and some tight, chunky riffing, as does the next song, "Outside the Door," which is bluesy with screaming guitar leads and classic Jon Oliva vocals ("I believe tonight I'll be wasted, can't stop me when I'm out on the town") and a head-pounding chorus/bridge, with a great guitar solo too. The album closes with "Fly Away," a ballad in the tradition of epic and wistful Savatage album-closers. It sounds great.
In the end, I am really psyched about this album. At times a touch uneven, it is a huge step in the right direction for Oliva, a killer metal artist and a metal legend who has come back in large part to doing what he does best. I'd like to see the metalness of the production upped a notch, and the overall metal factor of the songwriting increased (there are a lot of mellow parts on this album), and Jon to team back up with Paul O'Neil with Doc Killdrums and Johnny Lee Middleton and Chris Caffery under the Savatage banner, but I'll take this, the best material I've heard from Oliva in quite a long time.
Hel's Review:
Favorite Track: “People Say – Gimme Some Hell”I believe that if you hand Jon Oliva a pen and paper, and set a microphone in front of him, he can do no wrong. I adore the Savatage releases from the years when he was the frontman, and I have always been a big fan of his songwriting, even when he isn’t the one doing the singing. So I was giddy when this album arrived. And I am not disappointed in the slightest. In fact, I'm absolutely thrilled.
"I’ve loved every minute of ’Tage Mahal, and can’t pry the disc out of my player." In many ways, it has much in common with Savatage. Jon obviously knows this, and per his usual self-reflexive songwriting, he has tossed in some things specifically for the 'Tage fans in the house. They need look no further than my favorite track “People Say – Gimme Some Hell” to discover why this record is making me grin from ear to ear. That track alone nailed this a five skull score.
But there is plenty more to this album, though if you do not appreciate Jon’s vocal style, you’re just not going to like this record at all. I’ve always loved the madman’s gritty voice, and am happy to have him back at it again. I don’t care that he doesn’t hit a lot of super-high notes anymore – that wasn’t the reason I liked his voice anyway. All in all, I’ve loved every minute of ’Tage Mahal, and can’t pry the disc out of my player. Somehow I must, I know, but I can’t - not just yet . . .
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