Hall of the Mountain King

Savatage

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Original Release Date: 1987
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Atlantic / Wea
• ASIN: B000002ILK
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #10,755 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Swedish release of strictly limited edition LP picture disc (1000 copies) of the progressive heavy metal band's classic 1989 album features 11 tracks. Vinyl Maniacs. 2004. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Madness Reigns, July 2, 2006

By	Justin Gaines "Corporate Rocker" (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

If Savatage felt that they had something to prove after the lackluster 1986 album Fight for the Rock, they certainly achieved that goal with 1987's triumphant Hall of the Mountain King.

With Hall of the Mountain King, Savatage unleashes a power metal assault that picks up right where Power of the Night left off, allowing fans to forget about the corporate rock experiment that was Fight for the Rock. Hall of the Mountain King is pure metal from start to finish, and is as powerful an album as Savatage has released. Standout tracks? Try all of them. Seriously, if you like the early Savatage sound, Hall of the Mountain King is the best of that era.

Hall of the Mountain King is also noteworthy because it marks the first Savatage album with producer Paul O'Neill at the helm. Beginning with follow-up album Gutter Ballet, the O'Neill/Oliva team would go on to totally redevelop Savatage's sound, and would pave the way for the smash hit Trans-Siberian Orchestra. You get a little preview of what is to come in the instrumental track Prelude to Madness.

NOTE: While the standard version of Hall of the Mountain King is a bargain, you may want to spend a few more dollars on the German import reissue by SPV. It hasn't been remastered, but the 2002 SPV reissue does have a few extras that make it a better buy. It features 2 additional tracks - live versions of Hall of the Mountain King and Devastation, but the real bonus is that the liner notes have been expanded to include several pages of very detailed information about the band during this particular stage of their career. When added to the chapters from the other SPV Savatage reissues, you'll get the real story behind one of the best (and most underrated) metal bands of all time.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nicely Confused, March 12, 2006

By	Zilva (Sydney - Australia) - See all my reviews

Bought this on spec for Hall of the Mountain King after Accept's guitarist Wolf Hoffman did a version of it (which I think is better because it's purer, but Savatage's extension is brilliant none-the-less). First listening was: ho-hum, second listening was: this ain't half bad, third listening: jammed in the CD player! This is a great metal CD - the vocals are wierd, but addictive and what a sensational range; the guitars (and vocals) remind me a bit of Accept (albeit a more learned version, more sophisticated maybe?) and a bit of a whole lot of other metal that I can't quite put my finger on, maybe even some thrash creeping in? This is seriously good metal, good riffs, power and grind. Turn it up LOUD!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thank God For Savatage, January 2, 2006

By	VampireHunterP - See all my reviews

Savatge were the band that started out as metal (like this album), became more progressive (like Gutter Ballet), and then eventually evolved into the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. This album is a metal must-have. Jon Oliva is such a strong vocalist. The song "Hall Of The Mountain King" is one of the greatest metal songs ever. Fans of 80s New Wave Of British Heavy Metal will enjoy.