Customer Reviews

Dead Winter Dead

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Savatage is one of the best rock/metal bands out there, and this is one of their best albums. Unlike most sellout bands, Savatage isn't tremendously popular, and the main reason is because they don't do sellout work: Dead Winter Dead is an album about the Bosnia/Serbia situation from a few years back after the breakup of Yugoslavia, and it isn't terribly commercial because of that.

What it is, though, is some of the best lyric-writing and songwriting available, all rolled up into one fantastic "rock opera", complete with an accompanying poem (libretto, if you will) in the CD lyric notes. Very slick, and also a lot more than you get with most other Cd's nowadays.

The range on the album is pretty good: You get fast songs and "heavy metal" songs like "Starlight" and "Doesn't Matter Anyway", and then you drop right back into more emotional and heartfelt songs, like "This Isn't What We Meant", and "Not What You See". Combine that with an incredible instrumental of Carol of the Bells, a traditional Christmas carol, that they called "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24", and you get a varied and very enjoyable album.

To sum up Savatage, and this won't do them justice, imagine Metallica, but with piano and keyboard accompaniment, great melodies, awesome lyrics, and one of the most talented singers, with a tremendous range...do that and you might be able to imagine Dead Winter Dead.

If you can't do that, just buy the CD. It's under 10 bucks, so you can't go wrong!

If you like this, and "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo" especially, you might want to pick up Trans-Siberian Orchestra's albums; they're a pseudo-Savatage side-project, with similar style.

With this album, Savatage erases the memory of the good-but-unremarkable "Handful of Rain." Dead Winter Dead is an Excellent, thought-provoking, tear-jerking rock opera about the war in Sarajevo and the toll it takes on people's lives. Ultimately, DWD suggests, there is one force more powerful than fear and hate . . .

Musically, DWD maintains a fine balance between hard-rock and more melodic, symphonic work, sometimes in the same song. Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24) is a fine example -- crashing guitar and screeching violins combine for a memorable rendition of a familiar Christmas carol. The other instrumentals jump out as well -- the eerie Mozart and Madness, and the jubilant electric-guitar version of Beethoven's 9th (called "Memory" here).

There's not a bad song on this album -- Jon Oliva's gruff voice is not as solid as Zak Stevens', but fits the two tracks he sings. Every song contributes to the story, but stands alone as well. If you don't get goosebumps at some point on the first listen (Mine was during the polyharmony on "One Child"), check your pulse.

I only gave this four stars because, as good as it is, The Wake of Magellan is that much better.

Well I bought this album strictly on the recommendations of the prior reviewers on Amazon. Was it a good decision? A month after buying "Dead Winter Dead" I now own the following Savatage albums "Handful of Rain", "A Ghost in the Ruins", "Wake of Magellan" and "Edge of Thorns".

"Dead Winter Dead" is definitely the best Savatage album of the bunch listed above. Although I like them all. Contrary to a prior reviewer I really think "Handfull of Rain" is an Excellent Album. A must buy.

Well, on to the matter at hand. "Dead Winter Dead", although a concept album all the songs stand very well on their own. No need to follow the story to enjoy the album although the story is very poignant and adds an extra dimension.There is only one song I would consider weak in comparison to the rest of the album and that's "This Isn't What We Meant" but that's because all the other songs are first rate.

This is an album that spans the spectrum of the Heavy Metal/Hard Rock genre from the heavy and intense "I Am", one of the better song on the album , to the very melodic "Not What You See" also one of the albums highlights.The songs all build to an emotional resonance that peaks in the beutiful track called "Christmas Eve".The whole album is very symphonic sort of Heavy Metal meets Broadway.

The vocals of Zak Stevens, the lead singer, are sublime and contrast very well to Jon Oliva gruffer vocals. All the instrumental are first rate the synergy between the 2 guitarists is terrific. Too bad Pitrelli left for Megadeath.

If you are only into head banging and nothing else stay away. If you like diversity in your music then buy "Dead Winter Dead" it will become a main stay in your collection.

This was the first album of Savatage I ever heard. I was astonished. I had never heard such great music in my life. The theme of the album on itself inspires me, but the way they bring it is just fabulous! Allmost the entire album I had shivers running down my spine. They way they combine Hard Rock and classical music is unique. Many other groups tried it but thay are the first to succeed in it! Great greater, greatest!

I noticed that there are a few bitter people that would rather hear Jon Oliva sing on this one (as well as Edge of Thorns and Handful of Rain); whether it's because of a deep underlying pity for him because of the death of his brother Criss Oliva (still the orchestra plays...), or whether it's because they honestly have this deluted idea that Jon sings better than Zack Stevens; I don't know. The simple fact is that this album is amazing! Since the arrival of Zack as lead vocals, Savatage has gotten undeniably better. The keyboards, guitars, drums, and vocals are better. This album is truly touching, with highlights such as This Is The Time (1990), This Isn't What We Meant, Mozart And Madness, One Child, Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24), and Not What You See. It is a concept album with two stories; the one you hear in the music and the words, and the one you read in the jacket. To say this album is mediocre or okay is a grave understatment. This is the best album Savatage has ever done; heartfelt, meaningful, and exceptionally written. It will be very difficult for them to make one better. They came very close with the release of The Wake of Magellan, but it still fell slightly short.

A brilliant rock opera- Concept album about three lost souls in the Bosnian wars. The music is loud and powerful. Combines classical within the rock format. Mozart and Beethoven both have their music incorporated within it are content. Read the booklet in order to understand the story line and the poetry helps also. Zak's vocals have never sound better, and the two songs Jon sings are perfect for his voice. The album will make you question all you really hold dear and feel when the only one left who morn's is the gargoyle. This could be performed on stage and would blow Tommy out of the water. This album is poetry put to music buy at once!

This is my second CD from Savatage. Being into King Diamond and all his theatrical stuff I'm just frozen into one piece of shivering chair while listening to this -- and I'm sorry if I'm sounding excessively affected.;-) First of all, Al Pitrelli is a virtuoso guitarist with a singing lead tone no less than jawdropping. From his first notes on "Sarajevo" you know you're about to face something big here. Ok, Chris Oliva deserves all the respect of the world, but Al Pitrelli makes it really sing with his wide vibrato and beautiful soloing. What a classy shredder! Also, Zak Stevens' voice is no less than breathtaking. I still prefer Jon Oliva, but Zak's deeper tone and somewhat more dramatic phrasing fit perfectly to the melodious brutality of this rock opera. His well-controlled, powerful voice has been just another present to my ears. Hats off to him! I'm totally overwhelmed by the grandiosity of this super-band, so I dare to say that, if symphonic metal has a name, it is Savatage. Their arrangements are superbly done, smartly combining keyboards and piano with electric guitars and raging melodic singing lines. Like in my previous review I have to confess that I'm very new to their music, so my impressions are more emotional-oriented than cerebral in this case. I just can say that "Dead Winter Dead" has been love at the first sight (listening) to me, the same than "Gutter Ballet" (my only two albums from them, for now). "Dead Winter Dead" just sounds much more progressive and melodic than the other, but no less crashing and pretentious. In one sentence, Savatage is pompous rock musicianship at its best, and now I'm sure that I've found a hidden treasure that I want to explore to the ultimate consequences. Once more, five magnificent stars!

This is the fifth Savatage album I have purchased, and when I first heard it, I was blown away. This is, without a doubt, one of the best albums ever recorded. The mix of driving heavy metal, and relaxing classical music is incredible. Even with the passing of Criss Oliva, who was an incredible musician, I never thought Savatage would ever record another album as good as "Streets: A Rock Opera". But, with Dead Winter Dead, this Florida based band has definitely outdone themselves. I can't wait until April when the next album, "The Wake of Magellan" is released. Dead Winter Dead is going to be a hard album to beat, but if any band can do it, Savatage can. END

Dead Winter Dead is a heartfelt look at the war that tore apart Yugoslavia in the mid 90s. Commercially this cd really did not get the credit it deserved, but then in the state of music since 1990, it seems that the mainstream music industry no longer cares for structure, music composition, songwriting or talented arrangements. The industry just pushes the "MTV style music". In that I mean, what you see, not what you hear.

Savatage is all about quality in song writing and composition, along with some of the most amazing musicianship and vocals/lyrics you can find in the hard rock genre.
Dead Winter Dead follows in step with previous Savatage recordings except for one huge missing ingredient, Criss Oliva.

For those who find this concept cd an incredible piece of work, I would tend to agree, but I thing that it is not the best Concept cd. That distinction goes to another Savatage work of art, Streets: A Rock Opera. For those new to Savatage, I would suggest listening to their earlier music, and listen to how they have evolved. The first time i heard the band, I was at a record store, desperate to find something new, because i was very into the heavy metal scene in the 80s. Flipping through casettes in the Metal section at Harmony House (Yes we actually did go to STORES to by music at one time! lol), I ran across a cassette by some band called Savatage, the cover had a metal fist breaking through glass. The album was entitled Power of the Night. I flipped it over, read some of the names of the songs and said, What the heck, I will give them a shot.

Soon afterward, as I did everytime leaving a record store, I immediately opened the cassette and popped it into my car player keeping my mind completely open to anything I may hear. What I DID hear immediately captivated me and blew my mind. Since that day, I was a Savatage fan for life. I had never heard such amazing composition and quality of writing in the Heavy Metal scene before. It was like I was listening to a project from Mozart, Beethoven and Early Metallica all combined into one. Yet, to me, this was the essence of how metal music should be.

Dead Winter Dead is a fine fine CD and a great addition to your Savatage library, but I still recommend the following albums by them as my top 3

Streets: A Rock Opera
Gutter Ballet
Hall of the Mountain King

If you have just discovered Savatage, Trans Siberian Orchestra or even Jon Oliva's Pain, I highly recommend purchasing any of Savatage's work with Criss Oliva on guitar. His guitar work is legendary on the level of such axe masters as Randy Rhodes.

I hope this review was helpful :)

It's that time of year again-Time to go and buy some eggnog(most of it you'll end up throwing out), buy a tree, go into debt buying gifts and pulling out those copies of Silent Night, Deadly Night and the Trans Siberian Orchestra. And as much as I like TSO, I still tend to go for this, a much bleaker view of the holiday season.
The criminally underrated Savatage's second full concept album is really something special. It centers around war in Bosnia around Christmas. Not the most cheerful of holiday subjects, but it does have a positive ending and should maybe make you think about just how good you have it around Christmas regardless of how bad things may seem.
Guitarist Al Pitrelli is brought into the fold and can definitely hold his own. Musically it's the big, emotional, orchestral and Broadway-esque type of hard rock/metal we've all come to expect from these guys. Stevens is still one hell of a vocalist and pours it all out here while Savatage founder Oliva makes an appearance on two songs(two of the more uppity numbers).
I like listening to this album in the winter, it certainly has a wintery feel about it even without the Christmas Eve(Sarajevo 12/24) track. Speaking of which, as you may or may not already know, this track was of great importance, as it singlehandedly gave birth to the Trans Siberian Orchestra, which as we all know is now a household name, and a commercial giant. Funny how an experimental track off of a little known metal band's album could become something as big as it has. I didn't know about TSO right away and when this song started getting radio play and people started talking about TSO, at first I kept saying, "this is a Savatage song, what the hell are you talking about?"(the exact same track from Dead Winter Dead was used on TSO's debut album) So, many years later Savatage finally achieved commercial success, just maybe not the way they had always planned.
But Dead Winter Dead is not a holiday album exactly. Like most of producer/writer Paul O'Neill's stories and lyrics, it's a dramatic and emotional story of tragedy and redemption. Folks might consider this over the top approach as being a bit far out and corny even for a metal band, but hey, it's Broadway type stuff, and that goes with the territory. Some folks even call it pretentious and/or pompous, but personally I wouldn't say that. I always tend to think of a pretentious band as a band that puts good songs and songwriting as a secondary priority while making pseudo intellectual concepts and showing off their musical abilities their first. Savatage is hell bent on making catchy and memorable songs. Musically they don't go too overboard or flashy, but keep things fitting to the story being told. Most of the album is mid paced. Pretentious, no. But pompous, I'd agree with that more. Like a metal Meatloaf if you will.
But this is a great album, as are most of Savatage's. It's different, it's unique, and it makes you wonder how in the hell such a band has eluded commercial success for so many years. It's something you definitely have to be in the mood for, but what a good experience when the mood hits.