Customer Reviews

Hall of the Mountain King

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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!

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.

At the time I got HOTMK (1988)Savatage was not my favorite band they weren't even close, but after HOTMK they started to climb the ladder of my taste. This Cd summs great heavy metal, a superb guitar work the insane voice of John Oliva and the mix of classical elements that make this album unique. You can cranck it and headbang to it or you can sit and enjoy the classical parts. 24 Hours Ago: Good opening for this record 8 Beyond the doors of the dark: Starts slow and becomes one of the heaviest tunes 9 Legions: All great heavy metal from start to end. Must be great to hear live 9 Strange wings: commercial attempt 7 Prelude to Madness: Superb Instrumental mixing classical elements 9 Hall of the mountain king: Has it all guitars, screams, classical arrangements 9.5 The price you pay: Hold on to your hat on this one (or it will blow it) 9.5 White Witch: great music great lyrics about cocaine 9 Last Dawn: Short and moody Instrumental 8 Devastation: About the end of the world makes you wanna jump 10

In all this is a great album for any one into Heavy Metal or Power Metal

This is considered Savatage's 'breakthrough' LP. I have no doubt that this reached a larger audience, but not because of any weekness in the songs. When I first heard this (back when there were no CD's and just LP's and tapes!) I was floored. Jon Oliva's vocals defintely stand out in a big way on this effort. His brother, Criss Oliva also put his own feel in the guitars. This album has a certain sound to it that no other Savatage album has. It sends chills up your spine and has you singing along to classics like, Beyond The Doors of The Dark, White Witch, Legions, Devastation, and the centerpiece of the LP: Hall of The Mountain King, whose intro is from classical music, that being from the composer Grieg, and his Peer Gynt Suite. This album delivers a solid 150% of energy and soaring melody. I doubt there is ANY Savatage fan who doesn't love this one. If you like any of the releases with Jon OLiva on vocals, and don't have this yet: GET IT!! And play it loud!

I got this on tape in 1987 and is one of the couple of dozen metal releases from my high school years that made the cut when I switched over to CDs as an adult. Pump up the base on the stereo and blast the title track. Your neighbors will think there is a thunderstorm rolling in from the horizon! Great musicians.

Of the three Savatage cds I continue to listen to again and again; 1. Hall of the mountain king 2. Gutter ballet and 3. Edge of thorns; this one is the most rocking, guitar playing and heaviest singing of the 3.

It is this cd that really showed why John Oliva is one of the greatest underrated singers and the late Chris Oliva was truly one greatest underrated guitar players of all time

If you have been disappointed with certain cd's in this vain where the guitar players are all licks and technique and no feeling/lyricism to them; listen to this (and other Savatage cds)and you won't be disappointed

Savatage's HALL OF THE MOUNTAIN KING was their return to power after the disapointing and frightningly hair metal-esqe FIGHT FOR THE ROCK.This was my introduction to Savatage and i feel it still remains the best after digging into their past albums and more recent ones with Zak Stevens. This is basically the bridge between the old crunchy basment metal Savatge (Sirens, Dungeons are Calling) and the epic rock oprea Savatag (Gutter Ballet, Streets, Edge of Thorns). HOTMK is one of those albums where you can hear elements of a bands transistion into a differant direction musically, although not completely. This is still heavy, crunchy Savatage, with Jon's menacing growls and pirceing shrieks (and AH's), but you can still hear elements of future Savatage as well with tracks like PRELUDE TO MADNESS, this album was masterful in terms of melody mixed with metal. I stole my freind's cassette copy (borrowed and never gave back) in 8th grade and never looked back.

What puts this above most other metal albums? simple, it's the SONGWRITTING! Every single song on this thing burns! My favorite tracks were the title track, 24 HOURS AGO, BEYOND THE DOORS OF THE DARK, PRICE YOU PAY and DEVASTATION, although all are really superb.Its also interesting to know that while pretty much every other popular metal band at the time(MetallicA, Slayer, Anthrax, TestAmenT)was making thrash, these guys were producing what would later be called "Symphonic Metal".I think it might be time for me to retire my old cassette version of HOTMK and upgrade to disc. I saw all of the other reviews and i'm surprised and delighted that there were others who liked this band/album as well because in my neck of the woods all of the kids are into the so called "metalcore" bands like Chimira, Lamb of God, Killswitch Engage and countless other f**king retarded crap that pollutes the airwaves.

Savatages new stuff is also great, check out titles like WAKE OF MAGELEAN, DEAD WINTER DEAD and HANDFUL OF RAIN as well as any of the TSO stuff.I really wish people who are fans of the "new age" of Savatge not insult their old works, i mean you just come of as ignorant and snobbish.

Savatage is a band that's gone through many ch-ch-ch-changes throughout their career. In fact, you can look an every album they have done and there will be something different than the previous album(well, not too different between Dead Winter Dead and Wake of Magellan), be it a change of lineup or experimentation with the music.
Hall of the Mountain King is a very important album in Savatage's career-It put them back in the game and it is where producer/songwriter Paul O'Neill came into the picture. Before this album Savatage's career was taking a nosedive. Pressure from their managers forced an album of soft AOR songs in the attempt to get mainstream radio play(Fight For The Rock). That album didn't make the big splash it was supposed to and also alienated Savatage from the strong metal following they had built. Then O'Neill comes to the rescue and helps make Savatage a force to be reckoned with once again in the metal scene.
The results are outstanding. HOTMK is a straight up rocker with a slight progressive tinge. One song, "Strange Wings", seems like it was done for mainstream radio, but it was never released as a single, and it's just too damn catchy not to like. "Prelude To Madness" is the kernel of what we'd see later in Savatage's career, and even moreso in the Trans Siberian Orchestra-A guitar rendering of classical music(in this case it's Grieg's Hall Of The Mountain King of course). The title track alone is worth purchasing the album, and has got to be one of the best heavy metal songs of all time.
Mix this stuff together and Savatage raised themselves from the dead, won respect in the metal community and put themselves back on the map. Many people feel this is Savatage's best album, but that's for you to decide considering if you ask the average Savatage fan what their favorite album is, you tend to get a broad range of answers. This album is rated rather highly in general though.
Should you get it? If you're a connoisseur of 80s or classic metal(and what healthy red blooded American isn't?), then this should most definitely be somewhere in your collection-Even if you don't listen to it!!!!!

After 1986's lackluster attempt at commercialism with Fight for the Rock, Savatage came to the point of break-up, and had it not been for the arrival of producer Paul O'Neill, we might have never heard from them again -- at least in this capacity. Paul O'Neill reinstated the band, bringing in new elements that would heighten them to a new level, and also contribute to the songwriting. Interestingly, the three tracks he co-wrote with the Oliva brothers also proved to be among the band's all-time finest heavy metal staples. The first song, "24 Hours Ago", backed by Middleton's unbreakable bass drive, boasts a majestic riff and awesome tapping from Criss Oliva -- and the presence of O'Neill shows.

However, it was with the amazing instrumental "Prelude to Madness", inspired by Romantic era musician Edvard Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite (1874-1875), that Savatage started displaying signs of evolving into the unique heavy metal band on which their successive albums would further expand. Bringing in classical music arrangements, interpreted by Criss Oliva's sharp guitar playing, the song is originally called "Hall of the Mountain King" from which the title of this album was inspired. In the long run, this would culminate in vocalist Jon Oliva being called the Mountain King and become an indispensable song played in pretty much every concert (along with pieces like "Believe" from Streets). Introducing Oliva's trademark evil laughter, irresistible riffery, and fantastic guitar theme along with Wacholz' furious drumming, "Hall of the Mountain King" ranks among heavy metal's most representative anthems of all times.

"Legions" is comprised of a strong bass intro, stratosphere vocals, and some of Criss' finest playing. It was with this album he started opting to create threads of mini "guitar choruses", which he would perfect on the following three albums. And when supported by Steve Wacholz' drum parts, it felt like Savatage songs had one vocal and one guitar chorus, which resulted in them being all the more powerful. I love the solo on this song. Had "Strange Wings" been featured on their previous album, it could have garnered them more critical acclaim than all songs on there combined. It is easily the most melodically engaging track on this CD, decorated yet with another awesome guitar theme, some beautiful Van Halen-style tapping harmony, and a killer vocal support by Ray Gillen (spelt Gillian in the booklet) of Badlands and Black Sabbath fame. As strange as it may seem, O'Neill was actually planning to use the classical-themed guitar music, which later spawned the Trans-Siberian Orchestra project, with Gillen-era Sabbath, but the project never took off the ground because of Gillen's untimely death.

Unlike many other Savatage albums, Hall of the Mountain King also features two tracks penned by the Oliva brothers on their own. "Beyond the Doors of the Dark", the lost song from this record, is sort of a foreshadowing of Jon Oliva's interest in theatrical vocals a la 70's Alice Cooper and one of the first Tage tunes to utilise a keyboard in its intro. Complete with his scorching screams and Criss' remarkable soloing, this is one of the darkest and most mesmerizing Savatage tunes of their 80's era. Similarly, Criss Oliva appears on the short instrumental, "Last Dawn", a piece he wrote for his wife (may both rest in peace!).

Hall of the Mountain King was basically the band's greatest achievement upon its release, and is still regarded their best record by their old-school fan base. While it is important to note its historical significance for Savatage, the Oliva brothers, along with Paul O'Neill, would go on putting out other amazing discs, each considerably better than this one.