Customer Reviews

Doctor Butcher

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

 

 

I was blown away when I first heard this CD. It just never lets up! Pure thrash from beginning to end. No stupid "rock ballads" here, just heavy, crunching riffs played with speed. Doctor Butcher is mostly the work of two members of Savatage. If you've heard Savatage's earlier work, this has some of that sound but is a bit faster. While not as fast as Slayer, the riffs are much more precise and well defined here. If you are a fan of old Metallica, Savatage, Slayer, Mercyful Fate, and even Pantera you should definitely listen to this.

BOOYAH! This is metal at it's best. Jon Oliva's voice with heavy freakin' metal. Every song on this album is phenomenal. it should be in every heavy metal fan's library.

Much heavier than Savatage, Doctor Butcher just doesn't let up. Song after song is a finely crafted metal masterpiece!

Doctor Butcher "The Demos" is one of the best demo recordings I have ever heard, being surpassed only by Armored Saints demo release. Although the production may be a notch below the full length cd , the finished product is still more than satisfying.
Most of the songs on this recording that were not included on the full length cd would have easily fit in nicely on that project as well. The sound on this cd Is very much in the same vain as early Savatage as well as Doctor Butcher's full length production. The only reason this work did'nt recieve 5 stars was because the very talented former drummer of Darklin Reach, John Osborne, had not yet joined the band and is only featured on the bonus live cuts on this cd. I would highly recommend this cd to any true metal fans who want to hear some rare pieces by a superbly talented musical force.

If you are a savatage fan this is a must own!! Jon Olivia voice sounds like a metal god from hall of the mountain king!!Hes really into this not like the last few lame releases from savatage.The next time you hear jons voice with this much energy is when his 1st solo cd gets released! This really jams!!

Doctor Butcher was the side project of Savatage members Jon Oliva and Chris Caffery. If you split the essential elements of Savatage's unique sound into two separate entities, the progressive, theatrical, epic elements would all go into Trans-Siberian Orchestra, while the old school straightforward (angry) heavy metal elements would go into Doctor Butcher. This is about as close to the Sirens/Dungeons Are Calling-era Savatage sound as you are going to get.

I discovered Savatage late in the game (circa Dead Winter Dead), so my preference is for their later, rock opera-type albums. Still, there's no denying that Oliva and Caffery can "bring the metal" quite well, which is what this collection is all about. Jon Oliva's screaming vocals keep pace with Caffery's guitar riffs, and the duo channel some serious anger into these straightforward metal tracks.

Doctor Butcher isn't for everyone, and probably isn't even a must-have for all Savatage fans, but if you prefer the earlier Savatage albums or the Chris Caffery solo material, you'll definitely want to check this one out.

Edition Notes: The 2005 2-disc Doctor Butcher collection from Black Lotus is the total Doctor Butcher experience. You get the self-titled 1994 album plus the demos that were released in 1996, all digitally remastered, in a nice digipack package with plenty of liner notes and photos.

Edition Notes 2: Locomotive reissued the Doctor Butcher self-titled album in 2008, but their reissue doesn't have the bonus material or deluxe packaging. If you're planning on buying the album, the still-available and still-affordable Black Lotus 2-disc set remains the best choice.