Necrophilia Is Better Than Hard for Love
Only just one
year after releasing of the glorious Ep “The Dungeons Are Calling”, Savatage
created next album under the banner of Atlantic records. Because of this the
band had a bigger budget, a new producer (Max Norman), thus it seemed that
members had a new power to compose new heavy metal hymns. Of course the main
question appears suddenly in my head: did Oliva brothers and the rest of the
band manage to record another masterpiece of metal music?
Yes, that’s
true that production is clearer and cleaner, but I do not really know if it is
an advantage. The main aspect: the music is… average. Yes, I have to write such
a critical sentence, but “Power of the Night” is a disappointment as far as I
am concerned. I can’t rate it just like two previous efforts of the band
despite of a new label, producer and bigger experience. Savatage doesn’t
propose change of style, this is still heavy metal, however, this music is
played without impulsiveness and brilliant ideas. These two factors mean the
album is the equivalent word for ‘good’ metal album. In the case of such band
as Savatage only ‘good’. Merely two songs have a spirit from the beginning of
the way, this is really sad because I always expect only the best offering from
this band. Savatage simply failed in those days.
I wrote
about two songs which are classics for me, the songs I can just put in the
content of the predecessors. The first
one is the title track and the opener as well. But there is one thing which is
done with half a heart. This is a short, one minute keyboard intro. Why the
hell the band didn’t place any Criss guitar intro here for example? Mercifully
the first bad feeling disappears and excellent riffs storm my mind. Vocals of
Jon are perfect, I can see here enormous evolution just like guitar performance
of his brother. Power of the night? Power of the Brothers he, he… The solo
leads (4!) and this special kind of ‘ornaments’ (in fact a short expressive eruption
of Criss guitar lead) cause these sounds are one of the best heavy metal song. The
next is the last one on the album and this is… ballad “In the Dream”. Yes, it
sounds incredibly especially I can tell you it is a heartbreaker song played
with passion and touch of genius. This tale is conducted by perfect guitar
performance, beautiful solo and melodic chorus. Yes, I mentioned about it, but
as you probably know, the remainder is rather mediocre for a band. The second
track called “Unusual” is played in a different way a bit with very strange
patch of keys (completely needless I think), the third “Warriors” is faster,
but with no life inside (dead warriors???). Next “Necrophilia” is much better
with interesting riffings and outstanding solos (yes, yes again…). But the real
time of awakening comes with “Washed Out” which is in fact heavy metal
firecracker in the vein of mighty “Rage” (from “Sirens”). Number six and I have
to face another unfavourable impression, song called “Hard for Love” is a hard
rock in a really bad meaning. It is like a feckless copy of AC/DC… The next
tracks “Fountain of Youth” and “Skull Session” (despite of fine beginning)
strike with averageness. “Stuck on You”, the ninth proposition is very similar
to “Hard for Love” so any comment is redundant here…
Being a
huge fan of Savatage music, I can objectively indicate good and bad things
concerning the music. This album and the next offering (it’s like a ‘worse is
yet to come’ he, he…) are the only albums with low marks. Besides Savatage
recorded masterpieces (with Criss on guitar) and very good metal albums. And with
“Hall of the Mountain King” album we can talk about a new member on the board: Paul
O’Neill. And this is a marvelous story…
70/100
-Tlacaxipehualiztli
(previously written for Encyclopaedia Metallum, on March, 2011, now modified a bit)
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