Jon Oliva has released his first solo album and it is a killer! It is one of those albums that doesn't grab you right away but slowly creeps up on you and suddenly smacks you right in the face with it's diversity and emotion, much like Oliva's voice itself. Jon is using all the former musicians of
Circle II Circle and they do a very good job, bringing the music alive. The sound has a lot of crunch and the production could not be much better. Jon sings more varied than he did on
Doctor Butcher or the newest
Savatage album and this is a big plus for the songs.
If you have read any of my earlier
Savatage reviews you will know that I hold Jon Oliva's vocal abilities in the highest regard. He has this unique ability to sound completely sincere and convincing no matter if he is raving like a mad lunatic or he is singing about his innermost feelings. He is a singer who gives everything and one of the few who can make his voice bleed. Ok, so he has lost a little deepness since the Streets days, but the emotion is still there all the time. I'm happy to say that he hasn't lost his touch.
If you know older
Savatage you will be right at home in
The dark. If you haven't heard Jon Oliva sing before it will probably take a little while to get used to the raw emotion of his voice. One thing is sure, it sets a distinct atmosphere right from the start.
The dark is a very successful marriage of newer and older
Savatage added that essential extra half a bottle of Jon Oliva genius, which makes it stand on its own. This can be said for the entire album. When
The dark picked up speed and went into a bombastic rythm with Jon singing on top, I was all smiles. I had a feeling this was going to be good.
Through the album there are several nods to older
Savatage songs.
Gimme some hell is a cool and grooving song, starting out with a strong "Of rage and war" feel to it. The coolness mostly lies in the lyrics which incorporate almost nothing but
Savatage song and album titles. The actual music leaves me wanting something more. The piano is also used in pretty much every song with great effect. Take a song like
Guardian of forever which switches between atmospheres many times. Unfortunately the song is not completely successful. The slow piano parts are very beautiful and build up to a climax that I feel is never completely fulfilling. I guess I miss some more speed or heaviness to contradict the slower parts. In all honesty this is an outstanding song, but just not total perfection. Something essential is missing.
Simpler songs like
Slipping away,
All the time and
Nowhere to run are lifted by a cool drive and Jon's varied singing.
Slipping away is one example of Jon singing his heart out in the chorus and this song also has a nice groove to it due to some excellent drums. I love the way the verse lines in
All the time give a sense of building towards something ominous and scary.
Nowhere to run reminds me of the concert at Progpower and with such a nice bouncing guitar riff I find it impossible not to jump around during the chorus.
With a title like
The Non Sensible Ravings Of The Lunatic Mind a song sure has a lot to live up to. It could sound like a leftover from Poets and Madmen, but I'm not sure. Leftover is definitely not a fitting word anyway. In fact this is one of my absolute favorites of the album. Some parts of this song gives me chills every time. There is just something about Jon's voice when he sings
"Moving faster towards disaster, lets his life go...". If you are a
Vicious Rumors fan you will smile at the end when you realize that one of the Six stepsisters is apparantly still alive. A cool and twisted song.
Father, Son, Holy Ghost is another highlight where Jon sings extremely emotional.
Walk alone again switches between slow piano and heavy guitar parts and is very well arranged, building towards a fulfilling climax.
Pain is maybe the song that resembles
Doctor Butcher the most. A very heavy and hard hitting song that oozes with anguish.
Last but not least the album ends on a beautiful note with
Fly away. As one of my friends remarked, a song with that title can't be bad. I won't even start describing this song, I'll just say that here Jon does what he does best, which is reach out and touch the listener.
Tage Mahal is a very varied and complex album that opens up slowly and shows it has plenty of detail hiding beneath the surface. All musicians do a very good job. A tight unit for sure. I especially like Matt Laporte on guitar who punches out many good and heavy riffs while soloing with great skill.
Another important aspect of the album I wish I could get more into is the lyrics. The real album is still on order and the promo doesn't have lyrics but what I have picked up seems very personal and deals with everything from being out of control through being lost, scared, redeemed, confused, angry, searching for meaning and dealing with loss. Like I said, very personal.
This album is not just for
Savatage fans. If you like challenging, heavy and emotional music then check out Jon Oliva's Pain. There is something for everybody. Now I say - Gimme a package tour with Pain, Chris Caffery,
Circle II Circle and special guests,
Savatage! Oh yes, I believe.
Favorite songs: The Non Sensible Ravings Of The Lunatic Mind, Father, Son, Holy Ghost, Fly away, The Dark, All the time, Slipping away
Written by
Steen Thursday, November 4, 2004
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