Legendary multi
million selling US Progressive Metal band Savatage have inked a deal
with Edel's earMUSIC label to unite, remaster and re-release their entire
14 album back catalogue, from their 1983 debut 'Sirens', right through
to 2001's 'Poets And Madmen'.
The first fruit of this renewed relationship is the
release of 'Still The Orchestra Plays Greatest Hits Volume 1 & 2',
a double CD anthology featuring a host of re-mastered classics, plus
new acoustic versions of 3 songs recorded by main man Jon Oliva in July
2009. Available on March 22nd, distributed by Absolute via Universal,
the limited edition of the anthology will also feature the full 1994
'Japan Live' show, released for the first time on DVD. The CD track
listing is:-
VOL 1: |
VOL 2: |
1. Power Of The Night |
1. Handful Of Rain |
2. Hall Of The Mountain King |
2. Chance |
3. 24 Hours Ago |
3. One Child |
4. Legions |
4. I Am |
5. Gutter Ballet |
5. Anymore |
6. Summers Rain |
6. Hourglass 7. The Wake Of Magellan |
7. When The Crowds Are Gone |
7. The Wake Of Magellan |
8. Ghost In The Ruins |
8. Morphine Child |
9. If I Go Away |
9. Anymore [New Acoustic Version] |
10. NYC Don't Mean Nothing |
10. Not What You See [New Acoustic Version] |
11. Edge Of Thorns |
11. Out On The Streets [New Acoustic Version] |
12. All That I Bleed |
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“Still The Orchestra Plays” will be followed by the re-release
of the full Savatage 14 album back catalogue, remastered and expanded
with bonus tracks, newly recorded audio commentary and extra material
currently being assembled by the band.
Savatage were formed in Florida in 1983 and soon established
themselves at the cutting edge of the hard rock world, with their distinctive
hi-energy fusion of savage metal power riffs, haunting orchestration
and a distinctive melodic sense. Initially more inspired by the likes
of Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, their 1987
album, 'Hall Of The Mountain King' signified a more progressive, multi-layered
approach and became one of the most critically lauded Metal albums of
the year. 1989's “Gutter Ballet“ was similarly cheered as “Metal record
of the year“. Savatage continued to evolve with the releases of further
Symphonic Rock concept albums like “Streets”, (1991) and “Edge Of Thorns”
(1993), but then tragedy struck when guitarist Cris Oliva was hit and
killed by a drunk driver in 1993. Savatage continued with various line-ups
and released the albums “Handful of Rain”(1994), “Dead Winter Dead”
(1995), “The Wake Of Magellan” (1997) (which co-incidentally formed
the sound of their incredibly successful side project, Trans Siberian
Orchestra) and finally “Poets and Madmen” in 2001.
Now, nine years on, following the release of milestone
compilation ''Still The Orchestra Plays Greatest Hits Volume 1 & 2',
the band's entire catalogue will be lovingly dusted down, spruced up
and expanded with never-before-released bonus material. Jon Oliva comments:
“I'm so excited to give the fans the proper representation of all these
albums. For them to own them as they were meant to be heard and seen
makes me very happy”. |