Description
2010 remastered with one bonus track and liner notes by Jon Oliva.
Sirens and The Dungeons Are Calling were recorded in one session. The songs were supposed to form our debut lp. It came out too long for vinyl so it was cut in two. For the first time now, the material is being released as one album, exactly as it was conceived Sirens – 1983 In their early years, Savatage was one of the premier metal acts in America and their debut album, Sirens, helped catapult them to a major-label record deal. Lead singer Jon Oliva shrieks and moans over thumping, prominent bass by Keith Collins, excellent drumming from Steve Wacholz, and fine raw metal guitar from Criss Oliva. The first three songs show the band at their tightest. The title track opens with bells and wind chimes before the group kicks into an intense song about the mythical Sirens. Savatage was always different from the rest of the pack and instead of reveling in gruesome or satanic lyrics, they often seemed more interested in storytelling. As such on Holocaust and I Believe, the tone is more cautionary in tone than exploitative. Such is not the case with Scream Murder, which is more typical of the genre. Elsewhere, the band slows down the pace with On The Run on which Jon Oliva does his best Robert Plant impression over a churning rhythm section. It closes on a fine note with Out Nn The Streets, which with its romantic, yearning lyrics and emotional delivery pointed the way to Savatage’s future. The Dungeon Are Calling – 1984 A much heavier effort than the preceding Sirens (although recorded at the same sessions), The Dungeons Are Calling was a less diverse, if more cohesive statement. The title track opens the album with haunting vocals and eerie guitar, soon erupting into one of the group’s most intense anthems. By the Grace of the Witch, the following song, is another fist-pumping number with an unshakable rhythm. It was in the lyrics, however, that the greatest difference was heard between The Dungeons Are Calling and Sirens. Here, almost all the songs are firmly entrenched in dark fantasy tales of hell, witches, and knights. The Whip, the one exception, is an almost throwaway S&M number that does not show the band at their best. Although these topics might seem quite dated to many modern listeners, with the thundering guitar and rhythm section on such tracks as Midas Knight and City Beneath the Surface, it’s easy just to get lost in the blinding music.
Track list:
1. Sirens
2. Holocaust
3. I Believe
4. Rage
5. On The Run
6. Twisted Little Sister
7. Living For The Night
8. Scream Murder
9. Out On The Streets
10. The Dungeons Are Calling
11. By The Grace Of The Witch
12. Visions
13. Midas Night
14. City Beneath The Surface
15. The Whip
16. In The Dream-acoustic 2010 version