#dr. killdrums

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[mikeladano]

Top Ten SAVATAGE Tracks Ranked - A Collaboration with the 80sMetalMan

SAVATAGE!  This Florida metal band reigned from 1979 to 2002, and is now back ready to unleash a new album called Curtain Call!  They never received the recognition they deserved over the course of 12 mostly excellent albums.  Let’s fix that here and now! This list is part of a collaborative effort with 80sMetalMan!  You can check his list here. 10. “Handful of Rain” from Handful of Rain…

[metalsongoftheday]

Wednesday, October 19: Savatage, “Washed Out”

R.I.P. Criss Oliva (1963-1993)

Power of the Night was Savatage’s major label debut, and as such balanced traditional ‘80s metal anthems like the mighty title track with the emerging hair metal of the hilariously ludicrous “Hard for Love”.  But there was also “Washed Out” to remind everyone this was the same band that ripped through The Dungeons Are Calling: Jon Oliva’s vocals were commanding without resorting to cheap histrionics, Criss Oliva pulled out a straightforward charging riff and Steve “Doc” Wacholz pummeled his kit in classic Killdrums fashion, with all aided by a dry and precise Max Norman production that, in retrospect, sounded like a dry run for his work on Countdown to Extinction. The track was a brisk and fun headbanger that, while not entirely purposeful, reasserted Savatage’s metal bonafides during their uncertain early years on Atlantic.

[metalsongoftheday]

Wednesday, September 2: Savatage, “By the Grace of the Witch”

The Dungeons are Calling was recorded the same day as Sirens, and its tracks were meant to ultimately fit onto Savatage’s debut album.  However, vinyl limitations in the early ‘80s resulted in that session being split into one full-length and an EP.  And that turned out to be a blessing, as tracks like “By the Grace of the Witch” felt darker and grimier than the more anthemic and diverse tunes on Sirens, lending credence to Jon Oliva’s claim that the songs on The Dungeons are Calling constituted a loose song cycle about addiction.  From Criss Oliva’s ominous riff to Steve Wacholz’s persistent backbeat, “By the Grace of the Witch” transcended Savatage’s indie origins (and Dan Richardson’s low-budget production actually made the tune sound more dangerous) and made a more stirring case for the band as upstarts than most of Sirens.  In the ensuing years, the Olivas would both enhance and undermine their cause, but this was an early victory.

[metalsongoftheday]

Friday, March 6: Savatage, “Power of the Night” [ENCORE]

The Today’s Metal Tune tumblr launched March 3, 2014.  To celebrate 6 years of metal, this week we are revisiting some favorites from our early days, finishing the week with an underground anthem.  A huge THANK YOU to everyone who’s followed, liked, reblogged and commented over the years, there is still a lot more metal to come...

Savatage’s shift from riff-oriented semi-power metal to concept-driven bombast served them well in the long run, but Power of the Night’s awesome title track makes one wish they’d stuck to writing kick-ass bangers just a little longer.  Of course the song was cheesy- anthems about “children of the metal movement” culminating in Jon Oliva howling “raise the fist of the metal child!!!” weren’t designed to hold up under scrutiny- but Criss Oliva wrote a killer central riff and Steve “Dr. Killdrums” Wacholz brought a percussive fury that was only slightly hampered by Max Norman’s strangely anemic production.  And Jon’s melodrama, though completely unnecessary, made sense in a 1985 sort of way: after all, the metal youth were coming to rock out at night and that was serious stuff back in the day.  “Power of the Night” should’ve been a bigger hit, though it was likely for the best since its commercial underperformance forced Savatage to find other ways to differentiate itself and set them up for future success.

[metalsongoftheday]

Tuesday, April 25: Crimson Glory, “Astronomica”

Astronomica was the comeback that wasn’t quite: Crimson Glory’s first album in 8 years was reasonably well-received, but the band subsequently went on multiple hiatuses and essentially only existed for the occasional festival appearance.  It’s strange- sure, songs like “Astronomica” were woefully out of fashion in 1999, but if the goal was to reactivate the band and reestablish them in the metal community, then the tune was an excellent calling card: the addition of killer ex-Savatage sticksman Steve Wacholz on drums made the musicianship arguably stronger than ever, and even if new singer Wade Black didn’t quite have Midnight’s distinctive presence, his vocals packed a mean punch, growling and howling with fury and fire.  This was a more aggressive sound not only for Crimson Glory, but for progressive metal in general, and really prophesized what was to come for the subgenre.  “Astronomica” had the best of both worlds: it was purely metal in the classic tradition, but added new textures and amped up the intensity.  The song boded well for Crimson Glory’s future, if only they’d committed to having one.