Savatage - Tribute To A Fallen Brother
Interviewed by Keith McDonald
Savatage
was formed by Jon and Criss Oliva in 1981. They quickly became one of
the premier metal outfits to come from a decade known for creating
legendary hard rock and heavy metal bands. They released City Beneath
The Surface in 1983 and have continuously released albums that some
may call masterpieces. They have sold millions of albums worldwide and
gathered a loyal following of fans around the world. But their success
did not come without heartache. Lead guitarist Criss Oliva will killed
in a car crash leaving the band without a huge piece of the puzzle.
Instead of calling it quits they felt the best way to honor Criss would
be by continuing the music. They have just released Ghost In The
Ruins (A Tribute to Criss Oliva), a collection of live recordings to
honor his memory. I had the chance to speak with Jon Oliva who let me in
on the new release.
About
releasing the tribute Jon explains "it’s a collection of live
stuff that Paul (O’Neill) and I put together featuring my brother. I
think it’s the best representation of him live we could come up with.
We did it a few years ago and just got it released here in
America". It was previously available as an import because it
"was released in Japan two years ago and in Europe. We never put it
out in America until now" because we "just renegotiated our
record deals and things got tied up" adding that it "kinda got
shelved until we figured out what we were gonna do. Now that we got
everything, business-wise, straightened out we went ahead and put it
out". It is not an entire live show but bits and pieces from live
shows from 1987 through 1990. "We just wanted to get the best stuff
of him. We went through 200 tapes of live shows" and that "we
narrowed it down to the stuff that sounded good". Also material
"that we could work with that we felt was Chris at his best".
Jon sums it up by saying that he’s "very happy with it and (it)
sounds great".
Savatage has found a new home at the independent label
Nuclear Blast America. Landing there was quite simple for the band.
"Actually Paul put that together. We’d been with Atlantic with
Savatage for a long time". Jon also notes that "we have Trans
Siberian Orchestra with Atlantic that is doing very well in
America". TSO is a different style of music that features members
of Savatage. "It’s very confusing having two projects with one
label. One of them is going to suffer. Since Savatage wasn’t doing
anything with Atlantic here in the states we decided to move Savatage
off that and go with a younger, smaller label" that will give
"more personal attention. We’re still at Atlantic with TSO and
now at Nuclear Blast with Savatage". The TSO project has been a
huge success for the band, but also takes up a big portion of their
time. "It’s definitely a full-time gig" Jon notes. "The
TSO stuff is mainly Paul’s brainchild. He puts the stories together
and we put music to them. We use a lot of different vocalists"
adding that it’s "not one set singer". Jon goes on to say
that TSO is "really not a set band" either. There’s a
"revolving door of who we can get to use to fit the song. That’s
the concept behind TSO, kinda like a whole bunch of musicians doing
stuff Paul and I and Bob Kinkle had written. The new album just came out
and is called Beethoven’s Last Night and it deals with Beethoven’s
last night on earth" and with "his making a deal with the
devil. It’s interesting" but that "you’d have to read the
stories in the CD" and then it’ll "all make sense to
you". Even with it’s complexity it has sold very well. Whether
this is a surprise to Jon he explains that it’s "not a
surprise" but that "he’s very happy. It’s made life a
little easier for some of us, giving us a little bit of a cushion. I
always thought Paul and I were doing quality music". Besides
selling a few albums it’s also "opened doors for us getting
airplay and attention on TV shows" that Savatage would not receive.
Savatage has recently lost guitarist Al Pitrelli who has
joined Megadeth. Jon commented on the departure. "It’s sad to see
Al go. Al’s always been a journeyman guitar player, playing with a lot
of people over the years" notably Alice Cooper, Asia and Widowmaker.
"I always knew Al was not going to be around forever" adding
that "I was surprised he stayed around that long. Things in life
change and (Megadeth) was a better move for him and we support Al"
while Jon "hopes everything works out for him". As for a new
guitarist Jon will not rush into anything. "We’re going to look
for somebody" but that they’re "not running around
frantically looking. Our eyes are open and we’re gonna try to get
someone in there before we hit the road". Hitting the road is a big
part of getting Savatage’s music to the people. "We’re doing
dates in August in America and then it’s Europe for three months. Then
we’re back in the states with TSO doing Christmas stuff, then back
with Savatage in January. We’re gonna be busy".
Most bands don’t last for more than fives years while
Savatage’s career has lasted almost twenty. Jon isn’t quite sure has
it has lasted this long. "I don’t know….knock on wood. I think
maybe we’ve done what we’ve do. We have never strayed off or gone
the image way even when the big hairspray (80’s) was in. We kinda
found our own little niche and that’s where we stayed". They’ve
gained in popularity in some places. "Our success in Europe has
been growing the past three years, it’s just amazing. We’re playing
sold-out shows that are sold out two months in advance. In Brazil we
played a 40,000 seat soccer stadium". Jon would like to attribute
the longevity of Savatage to their music. "I hope it’s the
quality of the music. We work very hard" adding that "we spend
countless hours" working on their albums. "We try to improve
the ideas". The band is not your run-of-the-mill commercial band.
"There’s a lot more going on" musically. "We’re a
musician’s band" while with newer bands, the "quality of
music that’s coming out is kind of scary. There is some great stuff
but the majority is garbage. Noisy, out of tune guitars and people who
can’t sing. I miss some of the classic bands" referring to artist
like Queen and The Who. "Our music is very intricate and we spend a
lot of time getting everything right". Influenced by "the
Beatles who got me hooked on music. As I got older I heard my first
Black Sabbath album". Jon mixed the two bands to form the sound you
hear with Savatage. "I saw how you could mix the two. They both put
no limitations in the studio" adding that "Queen also became a
big influence".
As for Savatage’s future Jon notes that "we’re
gonna keep doing records as long as people want us to. We’re looking
forward to touring this year. We haven’t been on the road for a year
or so" as they’re "all itchy. I’m sure the road will be
exciting. We’re just gonna see what happens and how the cards fall. We
have three years worth of work between Savatage and TSO. Hopefully
everything will work out"" I'm sure they will.