Tage Mahal [Import]

Jon Oliva, Jon Oliva's Pain | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 1, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Steamhammer Europe
• ASIN: B00042YL2C
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #44,603 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

A list of the most significant US American metal musicians is bound to include Jon Oliva. Together with his band, Savatage, he has composed and produced countless anthems for eternity. His charismatic voice, concise piano, aura, friendly personality and imposing appearance – his fans love and admire Oliva for a whole number of unusual characteristics. He is now ready to present Tage Mahal, the debut release by his new band, Pain, which will – in case we had you worried for a minute – exist alongside Savatage: "I wanted a band with musicians who live in the immediate vicinity," Oliva explains. "With Savatage, it sometimes requires an amazing organizational effort to realize a new project. Things are much easier with my new band, Pain. It consists of musicians that I’ve known for ages and that I can get together with at any time to play live, try out new ideas or record songs." Pain consists of guitarist Matt Laporte, keyboardist John Zahner (whom Oliva knows from! the preproduction of the Savatage recording, Sirens) drummer Chris Kinder and bassist Kevin Rothney. All four musicians also played on Watching In Silence, the debut by ex-Sav vocalist Zachary Stevens’ band, Circle II Circle. Oliva also invited his long-standing Savatage ally, Steve ‘Dr. Killdrums’ Wacholz to play the drums on two tracks in the studio (‘No Escape’ and ‘Nowhere To Run’) and added a glowing wind section to the rocking sound in strategic places. "There are fixed rules that we have to stick to when it comes to Savatage’s sound. Pain gives me complete artistic freedom, I can do anything I feel like doing and, as in the case of the wind section, experiment with unusual orchestrations."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolute MUST for old-school Savatage fans, December 6, 2004

By 

Ryan Seek "trans-siberian_outcast" (Maricopa, AZ United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Tage Mahal (Audio CD)

For those of you who long for the old Savatage -- back when Jon Oliva was the primary vocalist and his late brother Criss shredded solos that brought you to tears -- your wait is over.

No, they didn't revive Criss from the grave. But Jon has assembled a five-star band here, and they serve as an awesome backdrop to Mr. Oliva's talented songwriting and vocal style. I never had anything against the change in direction that Savatage went with in the mid-90s. To me, the albums Dead Winter Dead and Wake of Magellan are just as much classics as Streets and Gutter Ballet. Many of my friends don't share this point of view.

I had one friend tell me, "those newer Savatage albums make me think too much." To which I responded, "What's wrong with thinking?" But I see the point of view from people who really just want to rock out and enjoy the music without all the bombast of orchestras and choirs and complicated storylines. If this describes you, then let me assure you that Jon Oliva's Pain harkens back to the days of old.

The songs on 'Tage Mahal are much more straight-forward metal and hard rock tunes, although there is still a touch of progressive bombast about it (which is a Jon Oliva trademark even from the early days). When listening to this album, I am reminded of many different phases of Savatage's old catalogue. The production and style of most of the songs reminds me of their latest release, Poets and Madmen. But this album will also carry you back to the days of Streets and Gutter Ballet (and in some cases, even as far back as Sirens and Power of the Night). Just to really touch on the nostalgia, Mr. Oliva even dusted off Savatage's original drummer, Steve "Dr. Killdrums" Wacholz, to record the songs No Escape and Nowhere to Run.

There are a ton of other little surprises on this album, if you are intimately familiar with the old Savatage. One song, People Say - Gimme Some Hell, is lyricly-composed of numerous song titles of old Savatage tunes. A hardcore Savaholic might also notice that the some of the verses and melodies of the song Nowhere to Run are taken directly from the rare Savatage song Target (which appears as a bonus track on the Silver Edition re-release of Sirens). There are other hidden surprises here as well, for the well-initiated Savaholics out there. But I won't give them all away here! You buy it, listen to it, and find them yourself. It's good fun, like an easter-egg hunt!

Since Savatage appears to have taken a back-burner to their mega-popular Trans-Siberian Orchestra project, long-time Savafans are treated here to Jon Oliva's Pain; every bit a Savatage record from beginning to end. Highly recommended for fans of Savatage, both new and old.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Mountain King Has Returned To His Legions, February 8, 2005

By 

Ken Pierce "Editor, PiercingMetal.com" (Brooklyn,, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Tage Mahal (Audio CD)

Hear Ye! Hear Ye! The "Mountain King" has returned to the Legions of Metal with a solid piece of music for all to enjoy. Yes, Jon Oliva the original voice power behind the influential power metal band Savatage is back with the debut CD from his new band "Jon Oliva's Pain". Entitled "Tage Mahal" the piece starts with Jon solo on the keyboard before the band kicks in. When they do it simply rocks. Given Jon's past history with Savatage, the CD holds a very similar feel to it. As a matter of fact I instantly was reminded of the Savatage epic "Streets-A Rock Opera" when I started playing it. This CD was one of my favorites in the back catalog, and is a worthwhile companion piece of music to it.

The group is made up from former members of Zack Stevens band "Circle II Circle". While I am not sure of the real reasons for this being the case, I am more than happy to report that they sound fantastic under Jon's direction. The lineup is built up of Jon of course on vocals with Matt LaPorte (guitar), John Zahner (keyboards), Kevin Rothney (bass) and Christopher Kinder (drums). I admit a little surprise in noticing that Jon was not credited on the album for playing keyboards. Everytime I witnessed Savatage in action, Jon played, and did it quite well.

My high rating was the result of repeated listens and a difficulty in picking out one or two very favorite tracks. My copy had no lyrics page as it was an advance and I would have enjoyed to see the content of the tunes. I am guessing it can be researched via the homepage which I have provided below. The fans of of Jon as a performer and writer will enjoy this CD. There is just so much of the Savatage vibe going on in this and this sound has been missing in Metal for a couple of years now. My research has also found out that some of the tracks were supposed to be Savatage songs but were used for this piece instead. If this is misinformation, the bottom line is no matter what is written there will always be a feel of Tage in it, because that has made up Jon for over 2 decades. It is not easily lost, and I prefer it that way.

I have seen statements from Oliva, stating that there are plans to release some additional music, as well as a live DVD. It is my hope that when the live shows happen that there will be some Savatage music in there. Whether Savatage is set to return sometime is anybodys best guess. This year also saw the release of Chris Caffery's debut CD "Faces". That review can be read elsewhere on this site. Given these projects that everyone is involved it, it makes you wonder. Since this was one of the major players that helped to define the term Power Metal, I hope something comes from the camp sooner rather than later. Until then, enjoy these killer CDs from the members.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Long-awaited solo album from Jon Oliva, December 4, 2004

By 

Murat Batmaz (Istanbul, Turkey) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Tage Mahal (Audio CD)

Savatage fans have been waiting for a solo album from Jon Oliva since 1994 if not longer. Jon always said he wanted to do a solo album where he would play each instrument himself but never seemed to find the time for it. Eventually, with Savatage being on hold and producer Paul O'Neill focusing on TSO, Jon Oliva hooked up with former Circle II Circle members and re-recorded the already written songs to make this more of a band effort. Personally I really expected to hear Jon play every instrument, including the guitar solos, but since the music on this album is excellent in its own way I am quite pleased with it.

Accompanying Jon Oliva on the instrumentation are Matt LaPorte on guitars, Kevin Rothney on bass, Christopher Kinder on drums and John Zahner on keyboards. Zahner had also toured with Savatage back in 1992 on the Streets tour so he definitely shares and understands Jon's vision. The guys also do a lot of back vocals to bring more depth to the harmonies, which is a welcome change. Jon's inital plan was to name this project Jon Oliva's Tage Mahal but because of legal reasons they had to change to Pain. The reason they picked the name Tage Mahal is cause Criss Oliva (RIP), founding member and guitarist of Savatage, was planning to release a solo album and title it Tage Mahal before his untimely death. However since there already exists another band with this name I would have prefered it to be called merely Jon Oliva. I don't think the other members would mind since they must all be proud of playing for Jon. Anyway, it's the music that matters the most, so it's no big deal.

This album is the first chapter of the trilogy (which means we shouldn't expect another Savatage album any time soon) and it mainly catalogs Jon's major influences. Bands like the Beatles, Black Sabbath, Queen and Deep Purple all hold an important place in the evolution of Jon's music and with this release he openly pays homage to most of these great bands as well as revisits the old days of Savatage. The songs were all written by Jon Oliva himself with the exception of "The Nonsensible Ravings of the Lunatic Mind" and "Outside the Door" co-written by Chris Caffery. While the former is highly reminiscent of the band's songs on the last Sava album Poets and Madmen, the latter is a nice laid-back track with a bluesy guitar feel to it. Former Savatage drummer Steve Wacholz also graces two songs, namely "No Escape" (with a Criss Oliva-like tapping solo) and "Nowhere to Run". This was Wacholz first recording in the last 10 years and it's great to have him back!

Jon picked a perfect song to kick things off. "The Dark" is one of the most powerful songs on the record featuring a guitar solo that brings Criss Oliva's playing to mind and Jon Oliva going back to his late-80's days with face-ripping vocals. I bet everyone thinks that "People Say Gimme Some Hell" is the album's most Savatage-inspired track as it makes various references to older Sava tunes both lyrically and musically. This is a very unusual song though; it even has some saxophone and trumpet work on it with groovy bass work by Rothney. The vocal melody at 2:08 always gives me goosebumps; as the song carries on, Jon shifts his vocal stylings too and it's simply amazing. The longest song "Guardian of Forever" begins with a soft piano intro that we would hear on Sava's masterpiece Streets. The arrangement, however, is more in the league of Poets and Madmen. One thing that is extremely cool is the guitar work and solos in some particular compositions. I always knew Jon even composed most of the guitar solos on piano before the guitarists (Pitrelli, Skolnick) came in and improvised over those melodies. The solo in "Guardian..." is almost identical to Al Pitrelli's work on the DWD/TWOM albums. Similarly the guitar work on "Walk Alone" could sit well on HOR as it seems like it was taken out of Alex Skolnick's book. This is audible proof that Jon Oliva has always been the main songwriter of Savatage, and yes, that includes most guitar solos. Then, any Sava fan knows that some of the Criss-era solos were penned by Jon on piano too.

"Slipping Away" is one of the songs we would never hear on a Sava album because it kicks in with naked Beatles vocal harmonies sung by the rest of the guys and it's incredibly awesome. I have to give props to drummer Christopher Kinder here for his killer tone; I keep listening to this song on headphones and his work is phenomenal. I'm not just talking about the crazy run-out drum solo but his entire feel in this track. Great, great dynamics. "Nowhere to Run" conveys thoughtful lyrical messages and seems like it was built on some Streets outtakes. The melodies here are definitely Streets, not to mention the chorus in "Pain". I could swear this is an altered version of Sava's "Agony and Ecstasy". "Father, Son & Holy Ghost" features vocal melodies we'd normally hear on John Lennon's last couple of solo albums. Jon's interpretation of the harmonies however is mind blowing! "Fly Away" is the perfect album closer starting with acoustic guitars and slowly and carefully developing into a visceral Heavy Metal anthem that puts a smile on my face. Another favourite tune on this CD for me is "Walk Alone". I know this is one of the first songs Jon wrote for his album. It's a rather simple track but the song encompasses passionate vocals side by side with lush piano and rock-solid guitar riffs during the chorus. Fantastic indeed! Truth be told, there is nothing new on this album. Whichever song you listen to, you will compare it to one of Jon's (or Savatage's) previous works but it's more in your face -- without the Paul O'Neill touch that is.