Savatage - Poets & Madmen
Nuclear Blast - 2001
By Rodrigo
Without a doubt Poets & Madmen was one of the most anticipated albums of 2001 for me. After I finally discovered Savatage about 2 years ago and subsequently bought their entire catalog, I became one of the many eagerly awaiting Savatages next release. Well the release date finally arrived but not without some changes in the Savatage camp. Gone are guitarist Al Pirtelli, who left to join Megadeth and vocalist Zak Stevens, who left to spend more time with his family. Suddenly Savatage became a 4-piece band consisting of guitarist Chris Caffery, drummer Jeff Plate, bassist Johnny Lee Middleton and vocalist Jon Oliva. The loss that I thought would hurt Savatage the most was Zaks. I really enjoy all his albums and actually my favorite Savatage album is the first one he appeared on and the last one with Criss Oliva (R.I.P.), Edge of Thorns.
So after these line-up changes I was a little skeptical but very excited about what this version of Savatage would sound like. Well, after countless listens I have to say that Poets & Madmen does not disappoint. The style is very similar to the last 2 Savatage albums, Dead Winter Dead and The Wake of Magellan, but it also more guitar driven reminiscent of the earlier Savatage albums. Savatage has combined the best of both worlds to make an impressive album. Chriss performance in Poets & Madmen is truly phenomenal. He has so many moments to really showcase what he can do with a guitar. Throughout the album there are countless memorable riffs and fantastic leads and solos. One of the best guitar riffs that I have ever heard is the one found in "Morphine Child". I will just simply say that this riff simply ROCKS! This is Savatages longest song to date and definitely a song that has become one of my favorites of their storied career. When I think of this song I usually divide it into 3 parts. The first is the slower tempo section with an equal mix of soft and heavy parts. The second section features the verses sung by a lot of people at the same time giving it a majestic feeling to the song. The third and final section is the counterpoint vocals (found in other songs like "Chance") and the song is finished off by some more great guitar jamming. This is without a candidate for one of my favorite songs of 2001.
Poets & Madmen also marks the return of Jon Oliva as being the lead vocalist and his performance is just vintage Jon. The first few times I heard the album I was pretending as if Zak were singing and how he would do it but in the end it is such a great joy to hear Jon belt it out. He can sing softly and emotionally and then aggressively with no problems. In "Stay with me Awhile" Jon shows his softer side and this song is accompanied by some beautiful piano melodies. But in songs like "I Seek Power", "Drive" and "Awaken" Jon shows he can still be powerful and harsh. These 3 songs are some of the shortest of the album and they are all fast, heavy and totally guitar driven. Some other great songs include "Commissar" and "There in the Silence". The latter features a synth type sound in the beginning that is very cool and features plenty of awesome guitar solos. "Commissar" starts off with a moody and dark piano melody but at about 2 minutes the song picks up the pace. Finally, the part (from 3:28 to the very end of the song) is just pure instrumental that is very impressive.
Before the actual US release I got the limited edition version from SPV that features the song "Back to a Reason", which is not featured on the Nuclear Blast version, this song is so cool that I wonder why its not in the US version. This limited edition also features a live version of "Jesus Saves" with Zak singing it and a poster and a sticker. But the US release also has its own bonus track, the song "Shotgun Innocence" which features guitar work by the late Criss Oliva. Whatever version you end up getting of Poets & Madmen I can assure you that it will not disappoint. This is definitely one of the best releases of the year.
Nuclear Blast - 2001
By Rodrigo
Without a doubt Poets & Madmen was one of the most anticipated albums of 2001 for me. After I finally discovered Savatage about 2 years ago and subsequently bought their entire catalog, I became one of the many eagerly awaiting Savatages next release. Well the release date finally arrived but not without some changes in the Savatage camp. Gone are guitarist Al Pirtelli, who left to join Megadeth and vocalist Zak Stevens, who left to spend more time with his family. Suddenly Savatage became a 4-piece band consisting of guitarist Chris Caffery, drummer Jeff Plate, bassist Johnny Lee Middleton and vocalist Jon Oliva. The loss that I thought would hurt Savatage the most was Zaks. I really enjoy all his albums and actually my favorite Savatage album is the first one he appeared on and the last one with Criss Oliva (R.I.P.), Edge of Thorns.
So after these line-up changes I was a little skeptical but very excited about what this version of Savatage would sound like. Well, after countless listens I have to say that Poets & Madmen does not disappoint. The style is very similar to the last 2 Savatage albums, Dead Winter Dead and The Wake of Magellan, but it also more guitar driven reminiscent of the earlier Savatage albums. Savatage has combined the best of both worlds to make an impressive album. Chriss performance in Poets & Madmen is truly phenomenal. He has so many moments to really showcase what he can do with a guitar. Throughout the album there are countless memorable riffs and fantastic leads and solos. One of the best guitar riffs that I have ever heard is the one found in "Morphine Child". I will just simply say that this riff simply ROCKS! This is Savatages longest song to date and definitely a song that has become one of my favorites of their storied career. When I think of this song I usually divide it into 3 parts. The first is the slower tempo section with an equal mix of soft and heavy parts. The second section features the verses sung by a lot of people at the same time giving it a majestic feeling to the song. The third and final section is the counterpoint vocals (found in other songs like "Chance") and the song is finished off by some more great guitar jamming. This is without a candidate for one of my favorite songs of 2001.
Poets & Madmen also marks the return of Jon Oliva as being the lead vocalist and his performance is just vintage Jon. The first few times I heard the album I was pretending as if Zak were singing and how he would do it but in the end it is such a great joy to hear Jon belt it out. He can sing softly and emotionally and then aggressively with no problems. In "Stay with me Awhile" Jon shows his softer side and this song is accompanied by some beautiful piano melodies. But in songs like "I Seek Power", "Drive" and "Awaken" Jon shows he can still be powerful and harsh. These 3 songs are some of the shortest of the album and they are all fast, heavy and totally guitar driven. Some other great songs include "Commissar" and "There in the Silence". The latter features a synth type sound in the beginning that is very cool and features plenty of awesome guitar solos. "Commissar" starts off with a moody and dark piano melody but at about 2 minutes the song picks up the pace. Finally, the part (from 3:28 to the very end of the song) is just pure instrumental that is very impressive.
Before the actual US release I got the limited edition version from SPV that features the song "Back to a Reason", which is not featured on the Nuclear Blast version, this song is so cool that I wonder why its not in the US version. This limited edition also features a live version of "Jesus Saves" with Zak singing it and a poster and a sticker. But the US release also has its own bonus track, the song "Shotgun Innocence" which features guitar work by the late Criss Oliva. Whatever version you end up getting of Poets & Madmen I can assure you that it will not disappoint. This is definitely one of the best releases of the year.
