At midnight tonight...It would have been Criss Oliva's 45th

Birthday. IMO< people who left us what he left us live on in some weird way. He is gone but his music lives. Make sure you crank some 'Tage in his honor. And maybe watch this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOx5BTjUj6E

We miss you Criss.

Greatly missed indeed, shall bring a CD or two to work tomorrow in his memory.

R.I.P.

Happy would be birthday to Criss, I have been listening to Streets this entire week which in my opinion embodies criss more than any other.

Just put on Sirens when I saw this.

RIP, brother.

I remember my first Savatage experience like it was yesterday, I was a wee lad at 15 at a Goodwill store, searching for some cheap-as-free cd's. I saw a cd with the sillouette of a man with some crazy hair holding a guitar, all against a hellish orange cover. I bought it for a mere $2.00. I took it home and was BLOWN AWAY by the great music! Ah, Savatage. Even if I was too young too see him (Criss Oliva) in concert, you'll always have a special place in my book. Happy Birthday! *plays Amazing Grace on bagpipes*

i loved the 1st 2 Savatage albums & have liked all the others. i've never been an Oliva fan boy though. even still, R.I.P..

You don't have to be an OLIVIA fanboy to be an OLIVA fanboy.

Greatest guitarist ever IMO and he is still greatly missed. I shall put Edge Of Thorns on my playlist tonight in his memory.

R.I.P. Criss. Brought GUTTER BALLET with me today and it will definitely get some crank-age in tribute.

RIP Criss.

http://cgi.ebay.com/SAVATAGE-Sirens-83-PRIVATE-US-METAL-LP-BLUE-VINYL_W0QQitemZ110239213632QQihZ001QQcategoryZ306QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

and some other is going to have a feast in his memory. RIP.

I'll crank Streets at some point this evening, for sure. RIP Criss.

Check this link out guys....

http://www.chriscaffery.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=49734

SoldierUnderCommand wrote:

Check this link out guys....

I would but it sez you gotta log in first.

Raise the fist of the Metal Child!!!!

Okay Freddy, you should join there though.


This April 3rd, Christopher Michael Oliva would've turned 45.


As the founding guitarist for my favorite band, Criss was a class all his own. I never met him yet when his music in Savatage reached my ears, it was like no other music to me before or since. I wasn't even a fan of the band in his lifetime. Despite this, his death by a drunk driver before he was musically recognized moved me to tears. It was though I had followed the band from their early days. You want to talk about the power of music? Criss' otherworldly fret wizardry made me a fan in his spiritual form.

I wrote this poem on Criss' birthday back in '98. It was shortly before I was to see the band for the first time ever on five shows of the Magellan tour. I ended up giving it to Jon through SavaKat. Every year since I came up with these words, I have posted this poem somewhere online to remember an amazing talent taken away much too soon. All comments here and in my "Metal Warlord" MySpace blog (since it's public) are greatly appreciated.

To all who are lucky to have been touched by the chords Criss struck in us, these words are just as much for you as they are for him.

In Honor of Christopher Michael Oliva
April 3, 1998

Immortal in Song

Today is a day the Legions gather
To commemorate the birth of a legend.
A man who touched the hearts of many
In songs of now and then.

His music was a reflection
Of the passion that he breathed.
He taught us how to rage, to cry,
To join our hands, and to believe.

His fingers danced across
The strings he set ablaze.
A story came to life
In each note that he played.

He carved a world of mountain kings
And cities laid beneath.
We followed him through dungeons,
Gutters, thorns, and streets.

Yet through all the sonic wizardry,
Only a loyal few took notice
In a world where "gimmick equals success"
Prevails over emotional ingenius.

It’s in this dead world of corruption,
Filled with greed and dreams left forsaken,
That false prophets roam in triumph
And from us, heroes taken.

One early autumn night,
God embraced an angel early in the game.
The tears fell from all around
On an orchestra that wasn’t the same.

The nightmare still haunts us now,
Questions left unanswered.
A warrior so filled with life
With a fate so undeserved.

Still, the Legions they stand proud
For the spirit is immortal in song.
The legacy of Christopher Michael Oliva remains
Where the crowds are never gone.

Still Believing,
Peter
(c)1998

Thank you for taking the time to pay respects to a remarkable guitarist and man.

Rest in peace, Criss, and thank you for sharing your gift. Your fans will never forget your soul. Happy Birthday!
_________________

IMO that is one damn fine poem.

One of the great ones for sure. Thanks so much for the music Criss.

DallasBlack wrote:

IMO that is one damn fine poem.

They read it at his grave before the 10th anniversery memorial concert.

SoldierUnderCommand wrote:

You don't have to be an OLIVIA fanboy to be an OLIVA fanboy.

what are you, the typo police?

Only if the I is nowhere near the a. :kickbutt:

R.I.P.

He was a phenominal player and songwriter... played with emotion and was very technical as well. I always wondered why he never got much recognition.

RIP

SoldierUnderCommand wrote:

Only if the I is nowhere near the a. :kickbutt:

Except 1 letter away?

Cranking Ghost in the Ruins right now.