This is the third album from this very interesting band. Paul O'Neil, who has been writing songs for
Savatage for many years, has this time made a non-Christmas album. It is worth noticing that all
Savatage members at the time are featured on this release.
The album combines elements of Classic, Symphonic and Rock music with a relaxed Metal approach into this well written concept story, and this symbiosis creates a very fascinating style.
The story is about Beethoven's last night on earth and the drama he endures. The devil tries to trick him into a contract, but he gets help from
Fate and other characters. The lyrics are very personal, ethical and passionate. The concept is, as always by O'Neill, extremely poetical and well written.
Through the whole album, classical music from Beethoven and Mozart are incorporated into the songs. This is a very logical thing to do, and it functions very well.
Below I will comment on some of my favourite songs to give an overall picture of the album's quality.
Mephistopheles starts with a great atmospheric keyboard and some intense vocals from Jon Oliva. The change from very slow parts into harder ones, together with solid rhythm gives the song a cool profile. The chorus elements are enchanting, and apply well with the melody of the song. The song is a great example of a laid back style that suddenly becomes intense.
After The Fall is another great song. The chorus is extremely powerful and Patti Russo has a great voice, and she displays a lot of variation in her singing. In the middle of the song a quiet piano starts a new melody and this slowly builds together with a raw guitar riff and some melodic leads.
This change in the songs is something that is consisting through the album, and it really gives the tracks many interesting twists and turns.
In
This Is Who You Are the passionate singing creates a great feeling. The dramatic vocal parts and the genius keyboard help make a great atmosphere.
Misery is a dark and evil song. Jon Oliva simply rules as the devil. The creepy feeling and dramatic raw parts makes this a very gloomy song. The intense feel is a big plus.
There are a few fantastic songs on the album and overall the quality is very good with a couple of more basic tracks.
My critique is mainly with the more laid back tracks that seem to take up too much of the record.
I like them all, but more aggressive and harder elements could have balanced the record in a better way. A song like
What Good This Deafness has a bit strange rhythm and the vocals are a bit overdone. Some of the instrumental and chorus parts are a bit stretched out like in
The Dreams Of Candlelight.
The production is of very high quality, clear but with a high degree of depth. There is a cool balance between the hard and direct stuff, and the more symphonic aspects.
All the musicians perform very well. The rhythm section is tight and offers a very solid sound.
The different singers have their own style and overall they do a great job. The rhythm guitar creates much basic power in the songs, but I would have liked it to have been even more involved. That also goes for the leads, which are very melodic when they appear, but could have been used in a more creating way. The bass functions more as a basic background with the drums, but that works well in this kind of music. The drums are well played and have a central role through the album, giving the songs a hard edge.
The keyboard/piano parts are simply amazing. The piano parts are very melodic and create some cool melodies. The keyboard functions very well in making atmospheric passages.
A very original and symphonic release, perfect for those times when a more relaxed musical approach seems to fit your mind.
Written by
Tommy Sunday, February 16, 2003
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