Description

Double album on black vinyls

This was Savatage’s first official live album, also known as Final Bell, and it is meant to be a fitting tribute to the great late guitarist Criss Oliva. Recorded at different venues during the Gutter Ballet tour, this record shows Savatage at one of their peaks during the Jon Oliva era. The disc starts with the cool “City Beneath the Surface” and right from the start you know that this isn’t just another live album. From there the band pounds out great song after great song like “24 Hours Ago”, “Sirens”, “Hounds” and “Hall of the Mountain King”, making for an extremely good set. The production is dead on, capturing what being at a Savatage show is like. In Ghost in the Ruins, Savatage is on fire!!! Every song here is a massive improvement over the studio counterpart and considering the quality of the songs, it is an amazing feat to say the least. The band members prove that they are extremely skilled musicians, the album has a raw sound, no overdubs and it doesn’t feel overproduced. From the great stage presence of Jon Oliva, to the thick bass of John Lee Middleton to the precise drumming of Steve Wacholz, the band is unbelievable. Which leads me to the star of the show, Criss Oliva. I’ve always been a fan of his style but here the man is amazing, there is no other way to say it. He takes over at every moment that he can, and his beautiful leads will make your jaw drop. Any Savatage fan, any metal fan, any guitar fan should have this album, as it really can’t get any better than this. It is a damn tragedy that the genius that was Criss Oliva was taken from the metal world so early. At least we have this album so we can remember how great of a musician this guy was.

Track Listing:
1. City Beneath The Surface-live Ritz New York 1990
2. 24 Hours Ago-live Spectrum Philadelphia 1988
3. Legions-live Spectrum Philadelphia 1988
4. Strange Wings-live Spectrum Philadelphia 1988
5. Gutter Ballet-live Lost Angeles Palace 1990
6. When The Crowds Are Gone-live Hollywood Palace 1990
7. Of Rage And War-live Lamour 1990
8. The Dungeons Are Calling-live Nassau Long Island 1988
9. Sirens-live Nassau Long Island 1988
10. Hounds-live Lamour 1990
11. Criss Intro-live Agora Cleveland 1987
12. Hall Of The Mountain King-live Lamour 1990
13. Post Script-sound check Hollywood Palace 1990