Jon Oliva's Pain return with their fourth album in 6 years. It's very impressive that the main man is still going strong after more than 30 years on the music scene. Judging the album solely by Jon Oliva's voice it is clear that he has aged but hasn't lost his heart. Jon Oliva is backed by excellent musicians and though the music is built around his unique voice there is also plenty of instrumental sections to enjoy. Keyboard and guitar especially stand out, delivering atmosphere and impressive detail respectively.
The first three songs open the album in a great way. Heavy, precise and hard hitting they leave the listener gasping for breath.
Lies has an attention grabbing instrumental opening section. It's a great feeling when a screaming Jon enters the sound and effortlessly hits the same stride as the galloping sound.
The title track is a personal favorite and holds a special tension throughout. Other favorites are
Winter Haven which takes its time and grows from a tranquil, relaxed state into a heavy potent monster and the ballad
Now which ends the album on a poignant note. Here Jon does what he does best; he reaches out and touches the listener. A really fantastic song to end the album.
The main problem with Festival is that it lacks memorable songs. There's a multitude of great moments but the songs themselves don't stand out as much as I had hoped.
The Evil within has several spellbinding melody- and vocal lines but the song lacks the magic glue that ties everything together.
Afterglow is varied and even incorporates a freaky lounge section which works surprisingly well but again the song doesn't leave a big lasting impression.
There is plenty to enjoy here and for Jon Oliva /
Savatage fans this is a sure buy but the album fails to reach my favorite JOP albums, 'Tage Mahal and Global Warning. Newcomers to Jon Oliva's Pain: Remember to check out the
Savatage back catalogue!
Written by
Steen Monday, March 29, 2010
Show all reviews by SteenRatingsSteen: 6.5/10Members: No members have rated this album yet.
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