Handful of Rain

Might be the lesser known of the Savatage albums and is almost a Zak album with some Jon keys, or maybe it's a Paul album with Zak singing but man, I love it. Skolnick is a great fill in here and does great work and I love the vocal harmonies on Chance.
And I never taunt cobras.

Chance is great; almost Queen-like.

It's actually a Jon Oliva album with Skolnick's leads and Zak's vocals. Jon does everything else.

IMO, that was the last really good album they did...

I bought the album because Skolnick was on it, but overall it was disappointing...

Really Spec? All I see is he did some keys and co-produced. Did he do more?

Quote :

IMO, that was the last really good album they did...

You know, you're rarely wrong, but man, epic fail.

Yeah he played the bass, drums, keys, wrote the thing, etc......

Quote :

Due to the shake-up in the band following Criss's death, the line-ups were somewhat unclear at the time. Drummer Steve Wacholz left the band and did not play on the album, but he is pictured in the album to maintain a more "classic" Savatage line-up. Bassist Middleton was apparently still too much in shock about Criss to go into the studio, but he did do the tour for the album. Jeff Plate did not play the drums on the album, but was pictured as part of the band line-up in one edition of the album. Plate would become a fully-fledged member of the band by the time of their next release, Dead Winter Dead in 1995.^[1]
Credited Line-Up

• Zak Stevens - vocals
  
• Alex Skolnick - guitar
  
• Johnny Lee Middleton - bass
  
• Steve Wacholz - drums
  

Actual Line-Up

• Zachary Stevens - vocals
  
• Alex Skolnick - lead guitar
  
• Jon Oliva - majority of rhythm guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, drums

TheNazgul wrote:

Quote :

IMO, that was the last really good album they did...

You know, you're rarely wrong, but man, epic fail.

From that point, IMO, they got a little too bombastic...HoR was more "to the point", which I prefer in general anyway. All the albums after this blurred the line between 'Tage & TSO to me. And, IMO, they really reined in Zakk Stevens...he cut loose on HoR and EoT...but after that he sounded like they were trying to make him a Boradway singer...kept him between the lines...

Zakk was great on Edge of Thorns but after that they lost their metal edge and like S said a little too broadway.

Yeah, I like a little broadway I guess. What do you think of Poets? It had a more old school feel at points.

I was going to go to their concert for the Poets tour but it was cancelled because of 911.

TheNazgul wrote:

Yeah, I like a little broadway I guess. What do you think of Poets? It had a more old school feel at points.

I remember that one being good, I just haven't heard it in a long time...

At the time 'Handful of Rain' was released I was very disappointed, I am not sure what I was expecting. Over the years I have grown to like this album alot and especially under the circumstances this CD was created

I always loved it. Alone You Breathe is alone worth the price of the CD.

HoR is my fave Savatage album! 10/10

Troublezone wrote:

I was going to go to their concert for the Poets tour but it was cancelled because of 911.

I was fortunate to see them earlier that year on tour. Damond is a good vocalist in his own right. I wonder what he's doing now?

Handful Of Rain is pretty good. The title track,Alone You Breathe and Chance are probably the best songs on it.

"Taunting Cobras" kicks ass!

S wrote:

"Taunting Cobras" kicks ass!

Thats the one song i like on it.

I love HANDFUL OF RAIN. I won't rehash the details here cuz I 'splained it in my entry about this album in the Savatage discography thread, but "Alone You Breathe" holds particularly special meaning for me to this very day.

Me like, me like it alot

I liked it enough when it came out, but overall it didn't blow me away. Lots of more subdued songs, like "Stare Into The Sun" and "Watching You Fall." Obviously there are some brilliant songs—"Chance" and "Handful of Rain" and "Alone You Breathe"—but I always skipped about half the songs on the album.

That was then, though. It's aged well, I think. Or I've matured—that's probably it. "Watching You Fall" is still my least favorite, but even that song I dig. It's a much better album than it's know for being, but it's subtler.

HoR is a fantastic album. One of my favorites of the Zakk Stevens era.

TheNazgul wrote:

Yeah, I like a little broadway I guess. What do you think of Poets? It had a more old school feel at points.

You and me both brother. Granted bombasitc broadway like bands don't dominate my library but I enjoy them mainly because my voice fits it perfectly. As far as Poets & Madmen, there isn't much difference between that and JOP IMO. HoR is a great album and I know all the songs by heart. Top favorites are Handful Of Rain, Chance, Stare Into The Sun, Castles Burning, Watching You Fall, and Alone You Breathe (which is one of the best most beautiful ballads ever).