Performer Notes

Savatage: Zachary Stevens (vocals); Criss Oliva (guitar); Johnny Lee Middleton (bass); Steve Wacholz (drums).
Additional personnel: Jon Oliva (piano, keyboards).
Personnel: Zachary Stevens (vocals); Criss Oliva (guitar); Jon Oliva (piano, keyboards); Steve "Doc" Wacholz (drums).
Liner Note Author: Clay Marshall.
Photographer: Danny Clinch.
With the departure of Jon Oliva as lead vocalist (but not as keyboardist or writer) for Savatage, the band found a replacement in the former singer of Wicked Witch, Zachary Stevens. While Stevens did not have the emotional range that Oliva showed on Gutter Ballet and Streets, he had a less bombastic delivery that fit well with the new material that Paul O' Neill and the Oliva brothers and were writing. After moving towards progressive metal on the previous two albums, Edge of Thorns was a leaner, more understated guitar-driven record. The majority of the album consists of stripped-down metal anthems, recorded with less flashy guitar work and production than on previous records. The band continued to try out new sounds, however, using an electric sitar on "Degrees of Sanity" and recording their first acoustic ballad with "Sleep," which closes the album. Edge of Thorns also includes two short solo piano instrumentals adding a note of emotional depth most metal bands never explore. Among the highlights are the pounding "He Carves His Stone" and "Conversation Piece," with its lyrics about self-mutilation. The title track remains one of the band's finest moments, with a haunting piano phrase, a fierce guitar riff, and a strong lead vocal by Stevens. A true one-off in the Savatage canon, the tragic death of Criss Oliva following the release of Edge of Thorns ended up leading the band back to progressive metal. ~ Geoff Orens

Fishpond works with suppliers all over the world to bring you a huge selection of products, really great prices, and delivery included on over 25 million products that we sell. We do our best every day to make Fishpond an awesome place for customers to shop and get what they want — all at the best prices online.

About Fishpond

You can earn a 8% commission by selling Edge Of Thorns [Digipak] on your website. It's easy to get started - we will give you example code. After you're set-up, your website can earn you money while you work, play or even sleep! You should start right now!

Are you the Author or Publisher of a book? Or the manufacturer of one of the millions of products that we sell. You can improve sales and grow your revenue by submitting additional information on this title. The better the information we have about a product, the more we will sell!

Submit Information