Which SAVATAGE Next -

It's been real stormy the last few days in New England -
Rain - wind - leaves - broken tree limbs - closed roads - nor easter thing
And I have been listening to Savatage in my car during all this -
Hall Of The Mountain King and Power Of The Night CD's
What is their 3rd best release - ?
Thanks as always

I'd say Gutter Ballet.  But then I have a soft spot for that album because it was my introduction to the band.

Sirens!

^^They're both right haha. But seriously I'd say Sirens. It's my overall favorite.

If you get Sirens you MUST get the even better The Dungeons Are Calling EP, from the same recording sessions.

Then get Gutter Ballet.

Get the Sirens/Dungeons two on one CD: http://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Are-Calling-Savatage/dp/B003ELZKZW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414118013&sr=8-1&keywords=savatage+sirens

If you can't get that, get either Sirens or Dungeons. I actually prefer Dungeons. After that pick up Gutter Ballet.

Definitely Sirens.

I'd say Gutter Ballet is their best overall, and it certainly fits the mood better.

sirens for sure.

After Hall of the Mountain King my favourites are Gutter Ballet, Edge of Thorns, and Handful of Rain. The last of those albums is a really fantastic, underrated experience in their catalogue.

Witchfinder wrote:

Get the Sirens/Dungeons two on one CD: http://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Are-Calling-Savatage/dp/B003ELZKZW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414118013&sr=8-1&keywords=savatage+sirens

If you can't get that, get either Sirens or Dungeons.  I actually prefer Dungeons.  After that pick up Gutter Ballet.  

I would go with this. Gutter Ballet was where their sound started to change, so it's probably a good idea to finish up with the albums prior to that (apart from Fight For The Rock) before moving onto the later ones.

Just bought Sirens / Dungeons - guess it was the same recording studio in 1983-84 ?
Did someone from Savatage die before their time ?
Not bad - over 60 minutes of tunes - will keep `Gutters` in mind in the future -
Was 'Madmen and Poets' any good - I once heard it at a record store, playing over the speakers -

edge of storms is my fave. Jon Olivas Pain(GLOBAL WARNING, TAH MAHAL) albums are as good as SAVATAGE albums, and doctor butcher-doctor butcher is another great album that could rival savatage albums

To me there is not a bad Savatage album but I suggest Streets and Gutter Ballet for the Jon stuff and Edge Of Thorns for the Zak stuff.

And yes, guitarist and brother of Jon, Criss was killed by a drunk driver. From wikipedia:

Quote :

On October 17, 1993, at around 3 a.m., Criss and his wife Dawn were driving north on Highway 301 on his way to the Fourth Annual Livestock Festival held in Zephyrhills, Florida, just north of Tampa. An oncoming car operated by a drunk driver crossed the median and struck Criss' 1982 Mazda RX-7 head-on, killing him instantly. The drunk driver, who had seven prior drunk driving (DUI) convictions, survived with minor injuries and was later found guilty of DUI manslaughter, DUI serious injury and vehicular homicide, serving 18 months in prison of a five-year sentence."

I believe Criss' wife, who was badly injured, died in 2005, I believe from her injuries. Jon still apparently has a hard time with it from what I've heard.

Criss' death has always been the hardest for me to shrug off as he was one of the most innovative guitarists in metal and had incredible performance charisma. That was a f*cking huge "way-too-soon" moment.

I don't know what's their third best release, but the Wake of Magellan is their best! And possibly the best music album ever to be released.

tohostudios wrote:

I'd say Gutter Ballet.  But then I have a soft spot for that album because it was my introduction to the band.

Same here

corplhicks wrote:

Criss' death has always been the hardest for me to shrug off as he was one of the most innovative guitarists in metal and had incredible performance charisma. That was a f*cking huge "way-too-soon" moment.

Here here! He remains my favorite guitarists of all time. Nobody in heavy metal could make the guitar sing like he did. After reading the wikipedia entry, I think it's utter bullshit his killer got away with a slap on the wrist. 18 months of a five year sentence?! After seven DUIs?! No wonder Jon still has a hard time with it, no justice was ever served.

DallasBlack wrote:

corplhicks wrote:

Criss' death has always been the hardest for me to shrug off as he was one of the most innovative guitarists in metal and had incredible performance charisma. That was a f*cking huge "way-too-soon" moment.

Here here! He remains my favorite guitarists of all time. Nobody in heavy metal could make the guitar sing like he did. After reading the wikipedia entry, I think it's utter bullshit his killer got away with a slap on the wrist. 18 months of a five year sentence?! After seven DUIs?! No wonder Jon still has a hard time with it, no justice was ever served.

Wow, that just makes me angry. For the past few years it seems every drunk driver who's killed a person gets thirty to life. 18 months?! Were times just different back then? I at least hope the f*cker lives with a guilty conscience these days. Seven DUIs, Christ...

They most certainly do not get 30 to life.

Temple of Blood wrote:

They most certainly do not get 30 to life.

We've had about one DUI-related death a month here in the central valley. They have almost always gotten 30 to life. Good judicial system, I guess. Witchfinder may know more about it.

corplhicks wrote:

Criss' death has always been the hardest for me to shrug off as he was one of the most innovative guitarists in metal and had incredible performance charisma. That was a f*cking huge "way-too-soon" moment.

Vicious Rumors dedicated the song "Thunder and Rain" to Chriss on their World of Mouth album in 1994. From what I've read they were friends with 'tage. And then Carl Albert - the singer - dies in a car accident in 1995. That was just wrong. An amazing guitarist and one of the most charismatic voices in metal. What were the chances? Life sucks sometimes.

corplhicks wrote:

Temple of Blood wrote:

They most certainly do not get 30 to life.

We've had about one DUI-related death a month here in the central valley. They have almost always gotten 30 to life. Good judicial system, I guess. Witchfinder may know more about it.

I don't really do any DUI related work, but I when I was in law school I clerked at a criminal law firm. The person in the Criss Oliva case was only charged with manslaughter which is a much lesser charge than murder. Also, that 5 year sentence was probably the max for manslaughter at the time in Florida where Criss was killed. Chances are the law has changed since then for death caused by DUI. It was cases like the Oliva case that has led to much lengthier prison sentences for death caused by DUI. A quick check of Florida law shows that this is indeed the case in Florida and a manslaughter DUI can lead to life in prison.

dungeons are calling is also one of my favourite albums ever.

raw and heavy. highly recommended.