A new album from singer and songwriter Jon Oliva is always an anticipated event for an old
Savatage fan like myself. This third solo album feels like a continuation of
Maniacal Renderings and improves on that one in several ways. If you are a newcomer to the world of Jon Oliva then I recommend you to check out the early works of
Savatage. "Hall of The Mountain King" and "Gutter Ballet" are good places to start. In "Jon Oliva's Pain" the line-up is intact since last album, except Matt Laporte is now handling all guitars with Ralph Santolla guesting on "Adding the Cost" and "You Never Know".
Once again Jon has rummaged around the shoebox that was discovered a few years ago and brought forth music that he created back in time with his brother Criss (R.I.P.).
Savatage nostalgics will surely rejoice.
Global Warning is a varied album and even if they don't always work, a few head-scratching experiments give the album an unpredictable edge. Adding distortion effects to Jon Oliva's voice still feels like blasphemy in my ears and the song
Master, while interesting, fails in the long run due to a monotone drive and those vocals.
Jon Oliva's voice shows signs of age in some of the more aggressive passages while he nails others with a force that impresses and surprises even me. This is especially true for
Before I Hang where the chorus holds an intensity that I had not imagined still possible. He delivers a performance here that reminds of his early
Savatage days. Hard, relentless and immensely powerful. Color me wide smiled.
Opening the album is a trilogy of songs that feel intertwined. The title track opens the album with a well put together instrumental passage added a bit of unfortunate vocal effect work.
Look at the world feels like a nice intermission and has some good detail in the bass and rythm section.
Adding the cost is a mixed experience. The intense verse sections build a fantastic momentum but the sterile chorus throws it out the window. The two parts of this song don't work together so well. The guitar solo and especially the last verse makes up for this but it is a shame that the chorus lets the song down.
For its few shortcomings, when the album shines it shines with such a bright light that they are forgotten. On several occasions a song comes along that possesses a special feeling, that I cannot describe any other way than being magical.
Firefly is one such song. It has incredible depth and overflows with heartfelt emotion. Jon's voice is fraught with feeling and the way his voice rises in tune with the music in the chorus is truly stirring. Music, lyrics and atmosphere unite in a perfect way for this song and deliver a chilling, unforgettable experience. The lyrics take their origin in war but several parallels can be drawn to other situations, making the song work on several levels. Song of the year so far.
Master: As soon as I heard the distorted vocals I thought "Oh fuck.... Game over..."
With two lives left to go and a Zeppelin'ish guitar sound
The Ride successfully captures a specific, almost hesitant feeling that works very well. A good rythm and a splendid relaxed atmosphere is the gist of the song. The short section that begins 2:40 is one of those moments I look forward to with each listen. The chorus is not 100% successful, but nitpicking aside
The Ride is a different and enjoyable little journey.
With
O to G and
Walk upon the water the album reaches another high. A touching requiem by voice and piano sets the stage for
Walk upon the water, the perfect vehicle for the current Jon Oliva to unfold. The song has a fantastic atmosphere, brought by emotional singing and incredible intensity.
The bridge section is an absolutely wonderful passage with the one starting with
"All I can say, trying to find my way. It's gonna be allright, It's gonna be allright..." really hitting the mark.
Open your eyes is another highlight where Jon Oliva shines in all his emotional glory and brings back memories of the splendour that a song like
When the crowds are gone once created.
Someone is another great song with emotional vocals and meaningful lyrics. The chorus brings the song an aggressive edge and this time it works perfectly.
Souls ends the album on a fitting acoustic note. It is another proof to myself that I can listen to Jon Oliva sing for eternity and still be amazed at the emotion and spellbinding effect his voice has. There is that magic feeling again.
Throughout the album there are many hints and cool references to older
Savatage material. One complete song in particular is a passageway back somewhere in time when that band was still telling
Stories.
Firefly also has some pointers back to older
Savatage songs. Others appear in the heavy
You never know and
Before I Hang where the opening section is based on a leftover Streets track called
Larry Elbow (
Enjoy the demo here and discover the instrumental passage that was later used in
Follow Me off the "Edge of Thorns" album).
There is a serious amount of music to get into here. On first listen I found several songs instantly captivating but it takes many listens before the album peaks and several songs only flourish on repeated listens. The band is creative and their energy is evident. Global Warning shows great promise for the future...
Written by
Steen Friday, May 9, 2008
Show all reviews by SteenRatingsSteen: 7.5/10Members: 9/10 - Average of 1 ratings.
Member ratings
 | ChippyMinton
Rating: 9/10
Well in general I have to agree with Steen's review. Firefly is truly amazing, Before I Ha... · Read more · |
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