Customer Reviews

Wake of Magellan

5 star:		(46)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

How do you explain Savatage's sound to someone who hasn't heard them? I find this difficult to do without getting into a ten minute description. Basically, they're considered a metal band, but that's too generic of a label for these guys, coz they go so much further. I sometimes hear them refered to as a power metal band, but that doesn't quite seem fitting either. They never really get very fast or wild. I hear "progressive metal" used alot, and I guess that's getting warmer. They're not all over the place like Dream Theater or anything, but they certainly aren't afraid to try things. I gave them a silly label called Drama Metal. The sound is like a metal Broadway play. It's Welcome To My Nightmare-ish without the humor. In fact, these guys are 100% humorless. They're probably a million laughs in person, but the music really goes for emotion-and achieves it! Moreso than any other band in the genre. They sing with such a passion. Sure, it sounds a bit over the top and over exaggerated at times, but this is a musical equivalent of a play here. And in plays, the acting has to be overdone to reach the people further back in the theater. Savatage obviously uses this same method in their music as though they are actually performing a Broadway musical on your stereo system. Their alter ego-The Trans Siberian Orchestra also does this, actually takes it a bit further. The best way to describe them in a few words? Metal guitars, piano, very emotional and poetic lyrics, operatic vocals(not the high pitched kind used in power metal). The Wake Of Magellan is a fantastic album to start with. Though not my personal favorite, it embodies all that is Savatage. Get it now. If you don't like this album, then Savatage isn't for you.

It's hard to imagine that Savatage could get any better than their 1995 album Dead Winter Dead, but when they released the Wake of Magellan in 1998 the band did just that.

Like Dead Winter Dead, the Wake of Magellan is a concept album, this time focusing on three seemingly unrelated stories. O'Neill and Oliva weave the three together, while the band makes the story come alive. This is easily Savatage's most epic and progressive album to date, as emphasized by everything from the powerful instrumental tracks to the intricate vocal layering. The Wake of Magellan is an album that recalls the very best of Iron Maiden, Rush, and Queen. This is also the Savatage album most likely to draw parallels with O'Neill and Oliva's highly successful Trans-Siberian Orchestra project.

Founding member Jon Oliva once again contributes vocals to this album. His voice is perfect on those tracks where a little extra aggression is required, and serves as a nice counterpoint to regular (but never ordinary) vocalist Zak Stevens. Sadly, this album is the last Savatage release to feature Stevens on vocals. He has since launched a solo project called Circle II Circle, which should definitely appeal to Savatage fans.

While the album was extremely strong from start to finish, there are some standout songs that rank among Savatage's best, including the title track, the Storm, the Hourglass, and Blackjack Guillotine. The beautiful instrumental tracks are just as impressive. There really isn't a weak moment on the whole album, which remains my all-time favorite Savatage release.

The only difficulty lies in choosing which version to get. The domestic version features three acoustic bonus tracks, but the similarly-priced SPV import might be the better option. It has not been remastered, but the 2002 SPV reissue does have a few extras that make it worthwhile. It features 2 additional tracks - This Is Where You Should Be and an acoustic version of Desiree. 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.

Unfortunately, the SPV reissue does not contain the three acoustic bonus tracks from the regular version, so I have two copies of the Wake of Magellan on my shelf.

Coming from someone with a love for geek-rock (They Might Be Giants, Semisonic, Refreshments), that's saying something. Savatage is like nothing I've ever heard before. It's not exactly metal and it's not exactly prog-rock, somewhere between the two with a little Beethoven mixed in.

Great concept, excellent songs. The vocal arrangements on this are stunning, especially when they get 8-10 overdubs harmonizing at the same time. Musically, the band is unbelievable -- shifting time signatures from 5/4 to 4/4, overlaying 5/4 and 6/8, piling on guitar solos and piano riffs until you have a solid wall of sound. Even the delicate moments on the album are intricate and well put together.

Individual songs will appeal to different people: "Complaint in the System" is modern rock, "Blackjack Guillotine" old school metal, "Anymore" sounds like an unreleased track from Tommy or Rent, and the title track -- well, it's all over the place, and it rocks.

Great CD, something for just about anybody (except your weird cousin Earl with his Britney Spears CDs). Give it a listen, and thou shalt be rocked.

My screen name says enough. I am the biggest Savatage fan. Everything from I can recite the lyrics to every song from "Sirens" to "The Hourglass". Enough about me.... This album, is the most unbelievable piece of genius I have ever heard. I am a music major and have have studying music and theory or music since I was 5. The emotion-stirring lyics, spellbounding music, and legendary performers make this album a must to any Savatage fan...actually to any fan who wants to take a journey into the imagination and let the power of music take them there. Music is so much more than just noise...it is emotions that allow the listner to draw their own pictures. Jon's growling vocals on "Paragons of Innocence" maes for the perfect enraged setting. Zakk has a wonderful voice and I think that he is the greatest asset the band has. After seeing Al Pitrelli play live, I can honestly say he the most underrated guitarist ever to exist. The entire band gives an absoltuely phenomenal performance. This is an album that you will not regret buying. The album opens with the calming sound of the ocean's waves and a mystic-sounding piano..then BANG!! the guitars, drums, and strings jump in. Wqait, it has only begun....all of the songs are geniously told parts of the terror of the journay of Magellen and the storms he envcounters. "The Storm" opens with a calm sounding rain-shower. A peaceful and simple piano line enters and then...the storm begins. One of Al's best solos is now displayed. The album concluded with the 8:00 "Hourglass" Just read the lyrics, that is enough....the song is incredible. The album also includes 2 bonus tracks. Jon singing "Alone You Breathe" & "Somewhere In Time" with just a piano and "Sleep" and the guitar solo of Al on "Stay" A completely divine piece of musical art is only way to describe this album.

I started out as a fan of Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and when I heard that they originated as a hard-rock/metal band called "Savatage," curiosity got the best of me, and I bought this album. What can I say? Paul O'Neil continues to impress me. Much like the TSO albums, "Wake Of Magellan" is a concept album that tells a story, and to really get the full value of each song, you need to listen to the whole album, but it's well worth your time. The music ranges from ballads to head-banging metal to theatrical (sometimes it reaches all of these extremes in a single song), and yet it somehow all gels together seamlessly. If you're a TSO fan, as I am, and you're trying to decide whether or not to risk buying a Savatage album, let me just say that you can definitely hear TSO's roots in this album. Think of it as TSO on steroids, with distortion, but with no less talent. Yes it's heavier and grittier, and whether or not you like that is a matter of personal taste, but this is an undeniably a great album. And Zak Stevens on vocals is terrific. The one thing I didn't particularly like on the TSO albums is that sometimes the vocalists don't have the greatest voices (Jody Ashworth's overly operatic delivery as "Beethoven" on "Beethoven's Last Night" is probably the only downside to that TSO album), but Zak Stevens' voice fits the music perfectly here.

Wake of Magellan is a good album, let's get that bit out of the way right now.

However, it could have been a great album - an outstanding album with a little bit more vision and simplicity on the side of Savatage.

First off, the good stuff - it's a great concept. Great story, well told in the excellent cd cover booklet. The poetry that links each of the songs together is brilliantly written. The lyrics of the songs themselves are also fantastic and this alone makes the album worthwhile.

However, musically this is not Savatage's brightest hour. So many of the songs on Wake just BEGS for a big finish, something special...and it never comes. Instead Savatage falls back onto the layered vocals technique twice within the space 4 songs or use bland, over-familiar sounding metal tunes to stray from a perfectly powerful melody. If this is not a total lack of imagination and innovation I don't know what is. Yes, they do the layering exceptionally well, but it's something to be used sparingly.

The final song, The Hourglass, was just screaming for a huge dramatic finish and instead we got another shot of layered vocals. It just ain't good enough for a band with this musical ability.

The same goes for most of the songs. They all start off brilliantly and then it seems like Savatage just lose the plot a little and fade into a shapeless mess towards the end. It's not BAD, but I just want to scream when I make up simple riffs and twists in my own mind that would have made the songs so much more powerful and epic. It seems at times like Savatage tries to do TOO MUCH with a song and ends up butchering it instead of just finishing it with style and coherency.

The only two tracks that really make it through almost perfect are the two instrumentals, Underture and The Storm (probably Savatage's best instrumental yet). These are insanely powerful and very well done indeed.

Having said that, there are some brilliant moments on most songs as well - which makes the frustration even bigger at that big, engaging solo or powerful melodic finish that never comes.

There's still nothing wrong with the band's ability to play their instruments and make music - they create fantastic walls of sound and they clearly know what they're doing.

I'll listen to Wake plenty more times since it has its highs and they're stunning (and the lyrics are really superb) - it's just a pity those highs are inevitably followed by some perplexing and disappointing lows.

Savatage would have done better to just keep it simple - keep pushing with the winning melodies and solos instead of throwing them away halfway through each song and going off on a completely different note. I'm all for varying pace and melodies in a song - but just vary a good melody for another good melody instead of a formless, staccato operatic sequence or a standard, uninspiring metal riff.

Wake of Magellan could have been phenomenal using the exact same songs on it now - but with more imaginitive and more sensible execution and finish.

Instead, it's turned out to be simply good. How frustrating is that...

This is Savatage's first album since the release of their successful TSO album "Christmas Eve and Other Stories." TSO's influence is instantly obvious in that there is more of an orchestral influence on their sound. Jon Oliva decided that he would "join" the band again, after serving as a producer, vocalist, and keyboardist for about 4-5 years. Here's how the songs rate:

1+2. The Ocean/Welcome 8/10- "The Ocean" is a short instrumental that gives an excellent visualization of a ship sailing in the Ocean. "Welcome" serves basically a short introduction.
3. Turns to Me 10/10- The first full song on the album starts off quiet, but picks up quickly with powerful riff from Chris Caffery with Oliva's keyboards. Al Pitrell has excellent leads and a fantastic extended solo at the end.
4. Morning Sun 10/10- Starts out with an acoustic guitar during the verses and has a powerful chorus. Pitrelli has a short solo before it moves into the interlude. Pitrelli's solo is incredible! He also has a second, more melodic solo at the end of the song. This song, along with "Turns to Me" are two of Savatage's best songs.
5. Another Way 9/10- Features Jon Oliva's vocals, which sound much better here than they did on "Dead Winter Dead." Also Pitrelli provides a moving melodic solo at the end.
6. Blackjack Guillotine 10/10- At first I thought they had borrowed this riff from a section of "Starlight" off of "DWD," but then I listened again and realized it was slightly different. Pitrelli has a weird, almost psychodelic solo at the end.
7. Paragons of Innocence 6/10- Once again has Oliva on vocals, but isn't anywhere near as good as "Another Way." Oliva's vocals are more rap-like than ever, which is bad.
8. Complaint in the System 4/10- This is the closest to filler that Savatage comes to on this album.
9. Underture 7/10- Basically goes over themes presented in other songs on the disc. I'm not sure why they made this a #9 song because it would have sounded much better either starting out the album, or at the very end.
10. The Wake of Magellan 10/10- This is probably the perfect song for anyone who wants to know about post-1991 Savatage. Includes everything that is great about Savatage. Excellent guitar solo, perfect vocals by Zak Stevens, and also has the best usage of layered vocals in the band's career.
11. Anymore 6/10- Sounds similar to the ballads that the band usually uses to close out an album. Could have been better, I'll explain later.
12. The Storm 10/10- An instrumental that is almost as good as their famous "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo" song. The highlight here is the blazing guitar leads of Al Pitrelli.
13. Hourglass 8/10- Finally, Savatage does an album closer that isn't lame and does not sound like it came from a Disney movie. A good song that once again could have been much better.

It is easy to see why Al Pitrelli was chosen to join Megadeth after this album. Every guitar solo that he has is amazing! He puts to rest any doubts about his virtuosity that remained from DWD. Yet, for some reason, he seems to disappear from the recordings after track six. He reappears a couple of times, but he does not appear in any song where I did not comment on his guitar playing. I feel that "Anymore" and "Hourglass" could have been some of the greatest songs ever written by Savatage, had Pitrelli been more involved (I'm talking about playing, not writing). He has the greatest guitar sound I have ever heard (except for maybe Slash). Anyway, the bonus tracks are only worthwhile to fans of acoustic music. I wish Savatage would still put out albums, because songs like "Turns To Me," "Morning Sun," and "Hourglass" are unlike anything they have put out before. This is an amazing album despite its few weaknesses and should please any fans of hard rock/metal and the TSO as well as the loyal fans of Savatage.

Like so many of us, I only heard of Savatage because I'm addicted to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Most of the Savatage guys (maybe it was all of them) are involved in TSO. See savatage.com: Sarejevo 12/24 originally appeared on a Savatage album, "Dead Winter Dead." The "Wake of Magellan" is at least as cool a story as "Christmas Eve and Other Stories," and the music is splendid.

TSO fans like myself: based on my experience with "Wake of Magellan," know that Savatage leans more towards metal rock than the TSO projects. "Wake of Magellan" might seem a little bit less artsy than TSO if you don't like the metal rock sound as much, especially if you love the way TSO can combine two different Christmas carols on electric guitar and sound like the angels must have sounded on the first Christmas. Anyways, "Wake of Magellan" is a lovely rock opera.

Incredible album! My first Savatage album!!! I loved it from the very first hearings. A complete rock opera with the unbelievable Zak Stevens giving his best. 13 diamonds of music, full of power and emotions. All these coming through a great concept album. There are also 2 songs that Jon Oliva does the lead vocals(Paragons of innocence, Another Way), something that happened also in the Dead Winter Dead album. Both of them are great. This is the last album for the guitarist Al Pitrelli and the lead singer Zak Stevens. ZAK WAS THE BEST SAVATAGE SINGER EVER. HE WILL BE A SAVATAGE MEMBER TO OUR HEARTS.. GOOD LUCK ZAK

I'd never heard of Savatage until Amazon recommended them to me after I reviewed "Beethoven's Last Night" by TSO. I'm almost ashamed to confess I'd already ordered the CD Wake of Magellan, and started listening to it in earnest before I realized these were the same guys as TSO! :) So yes, you'll notice I'm writing this in March of 2006, and I'm a very new newcomer to the group.

I liken the sound to Metalica's S&M (their live concert with the I think San Diego Symphony? Sorry, I don't remember which symphony; it was conducted by Michael Kamen) with really rich progressive rock sounds, and "rock opera" type musical themes --

Also, I wasn't overly impressed with the album the first listen. I was disappointed that the story concept seemed so disjointed compared to the TSO Beethoven's Last Night which was just a really solid, cohesive, fantasy/philosophical searching type CD. HOWEVER, if you're inclined to not care for this album, make it a rule for yourself to listen to it at least 3 times before you make a final decision. I think you'll find it captures you.

Also, to all other loyal Savatage fans out there. I feel I must also make explanation that I like THIS album the best of all Savatage albums (though Poets and Madmen is growing on me!) precisely because I am NOT all that interested in the more 80's type glam metal sounds. I like lower tones, grinding electric guitar (I can do without the screeching riffs, usually), and I will always prefer deeper vocals (again, no screeching, please!). So, if you're looking for particularly Stryper type sounds, you probably won't find them as much on this album.

But the lyrical content is amazing -- If you'll notice my "name" is "Philotheosopher" -- *shrug* I guess I am giving away why this album so appeals to me in that point. ;)

One more bonus -- this CD is over 70 minutes long, and I have to say, it's worth owning JUST for the 3 bonus acoustic tracks at the end which are absolutely mesmerizing! To end up with 16 solid tracks and over 70 minutes of music for what, a handful of dollars? Definitely worth the try! :)