Customer Reviews

Ghost in the Ruins - A Tribute to Criss Oliva

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

 

 

Excellent vibe and feel on this Savatage CD, and the mix is THICK for being live, it's just like being there. The actual track listing is:1. City Beneath The Surface2. 24 Hours Ago3. Legions4. Strange Wings5. Gutter BalletTemptation/Revelation6. When The Crowds Are Gone7. Of Rage And War8. The Dungeons Are Calling9. Sirens10. Hounds11. Criss Intro/Solo12. Hall Of The Mountain King13. Post Script (An acoustic guitar piece from soundcheck at the Hollywood Palace 1990)This CD is a must have for any Savatage fan, and truly a brillant tribute and performance by Criss Oliva ~R.I.P.

This is THE BEST LIVE CD I have ever listened to. From start to finish, every second sends chills down your spin. All the classics of Savatage are collected on this gem. Of course, not all favourites are here. Otherwise you would need a box set :)

If you're like me, then you'll end up having a sore throat (try yelling like Jon Oliva and you'll know what I mean) and have a sore neck from heavy head banging.

The CD is ends with an acoustic track. A fitting tribute to one of my favourite guitarists, Criss Oliva.

This CD is must for all metal fans.

R.I.P

[....] This is a good overview, mostly of the "pre-progressive" era of Savatage, although there is some Gutter Ballet material as well. But this is definitely harder edged, more '80's metal Savatage.

The announced purpose of this album is to commemorate Criss Oliva's life and performance with the band. And he is, indeed, something special to listen to on this album. Excellent guitar.

This really isn't "Essential" by any means. If you're a Savatage fan of the progressive era (like me), I'd suggest getting the '90's and '00's output first and then check this out to see if you like the earlier material as well.

BTW, do check out Savatage live. They're terrific!

This album is a very fitting tribute to a man that is perhaps the most underrated guitarist of all time. The sound is wonderful for a live album capturing all the energy and excitment of the Savatage concert experience. A must have for any Savatage fan, or Anyone just looking to hear music from the best band that has been, or probably ever will be assembled again.

Savatage has put out one of the best live records I have ever heard. It hightlights the glory days of Savatage when Jon and Chris Oliva were the frontmen of this great band. My favorite songs on the recording are Dungeons are Calling and Sirens. They absolutely blew me away and are much better than the album versions. Every song is a jem and I could never get tired of this record. Turn your stereo up and prepare to rocked!

"Ghosts of the Ruins" is great. It is the best live album I've heard since "Kiss Alive." If you like bands that perform a song live exactly as they did on the album you'll love "Ghosts of the Ruins." Finally, this album demonstrates what a great guitarist Chris Oliva was -- we lost a great one in '93.

I had never heard of savatage prior to arriving at amazon.com I cant thank amazon enough for having this website and the hundreds of other reviews that I have read. this was my first Savatage cd, simply put this cd is awesome, i went back and read other reviews on the other savatage cd's and now I own 7 more cd from Savatage and when i get some more money plan on purchasing more. Savatage is now one of my favorite bands alongside the likes of Iced Earth, Armored Saint, Virgin Steele and many many more... If you have never listend to savatage before there is no better place to start your collection then with this Cd, and then you will branch out and get the other cd's from savatage and learn to experience musical bliss from the unbelievable band.

to be honest i missed the boat ,when Cris was still here, but a friend of mind kept saying how great of a guitar player he was, well when i checked out this cd, my friend was right, this cd cranks , and is chock full of great guitar work , my recommendation whether your a old fan or a new jack like me, get it , it smokes .

Well assembled thirteen track live CD from the band's touring heyday, 1987-90. I should know 'cause I saw them play on several occasions during that time frame. Recorded in New York, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and a few other cities. Tracks that make this disc a keeper are the total *ss-kicking "24 Hours Ago", "Legions" {featuring some ripping guitar}, "Of Rage And War", one of my personal Savatage favorites - the awesome "The Dungeons Are Calling" and the old Headbanger's Ball classic "Hall Of The Mountain King". 'Ghost' features the original line-up: Jon Oliva-vocals, Criss Oliva & Chris Cafferty-guitars, Johnny Lee Middleton-bass and Steve Wacholz-drums. Definitely recommended.

Burning brighter than a magnesium flare this live set is a great advertisement for the energising values of metal played loudly and proudly. It is also a great taster for this band in terms of a kind of `best of' release of the Jon Oliva years. It is also a very worthwhile album for Savatage fans who already own all these tunes and so are uncertain as to whether they should shell out their cash for live renditions of some old time Sava-faves. In addition for long standing fans of the band it also is an interesting exercise to juxtapose this release with the Live in Japan album from the '94 tour which had Zach Stevens on lead throat.

In terms of specific reasons for purchasing this release I'd have to point out the following points. Firstly we are dealing pretty much exclusively with pre Streets material. This was a time when Savatages full metal racket was barely touched with the more ornate and orchestral arrangements of later years so the listener is treated to a full bore metal roar pretty much from start to finish. Even the more introspective numbers included here such as Gutter Ballet and When the Crowds are Gone are actually dragged kicking and screaming into utterly metallic territory due to the urgency brought to the table by the live environment and the visceral performance of Jon Oliva at the helm.

In terms of production this release is quite solid, somewhat like the Guns `n' Roses live era offering of several years later, this album does not feel like it was recorded in various places around the traps of North America. It all gels quite well which shows the talent of production of Paul O'Neill and Jon Oliva. The band are fully up in the mix and the ethic really seems to have been `everything louder than everything else' which is totally appropriate in this case.

Pretty much all the songs here fire with a healthy dose of Hall of the Mountain King classics and a few choice earlier cuts such as (of course) Sirens. Strange Wings is perhaps overlong and Of Rage and War was always an oddly timed piece riding a difficult vocal hook but it all feels like it belongs, an inexplicable X factor present with the band at the time much of this was recorded - that being mainly in the 1988 to 1990 timezone.

If pretty much straight ahead metal played live by a band on top form is of interest to you, well here it is!