Group

Savatage

From: Tarpon Springs, United States
Since: 1979–present
Rating: ★ 4.5 (4 votes)
Releases: 33

heavy metal
power metal
progressive metal

About

Savatage () is an American heavy metal band founded by brothers Jon and Criss Oliva in 1979 in Tarpon Springs, Florida. The band was first called Avatar, but, shortly before the release of their debut album Sirens (1983), they changed their name to Savatage, as Avatar was already taken by at least one other band. Savatage is considered to be an integral part of the American heavy metal movement of the early-to-mid-1980s and has been cited as a key influence on numerous metal genres. The band has released eleven studio albums, three live albums, five compilations and three EPs.

For their fourth album Hall of the Mountain King (1987), Savatage teamed up with producer and songwriter Paul O'Neill. This new partnership earned the band significant critical acclaim, and O'Neill would work with Savatage on all their future albums until his death in 2017. The band's success continued with the albums Gutter Ballet (1990) and Streets: A Rock Opera (1991), both of which cemented their transition from their earlier power metal sound to progressive metal, with the band also experimenting with opera-inspired lyrics.
The band's seventh album Edge of Thorns (1993) garnered the band's only charting single "Edge of Thorns". On October 17, 1993, six months after the album's release, guitarist Criss Oliva was killed in a car accident. Following his death, Jon (along with producer Paul O'Neill) decided to continue Savatage in memory of his brother. The band released four more studio albums, and went through several lineup changes before going on an extended hiatus in 2002. During the years—partly even before the hiatus—members founded various new bands such as Jon Oliva's Pain, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Circle II Circle and Doctor Butcher. On August 2, 2014, Savatage announced that they were reuniting for the 2015 Wacken Open Air; despite having discussed the possibility of more shows and new music, the band resumed their hiatus. The members of Savatage claimed in interviews conducted in 2020–2021 that they were working on new material together, with a reunion of the band confirmed by Jon Oliva in April 2023. They are currently working on their first studio album in more than two decades, tentatively titled Curtain Call, with an intended release date of 2026.

From Savatage on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Members

Johnny Lee Middleton 1985–now
Chris Caffery 1989–1990, 1994–2002, 2014–now guitar
Al Pitrelli 1994–1999, 2002–2002, 2014–2015, 2023–now electric guitar, background vocals
Keith “Thumper” Collins now
Jon Oliva now · original member
Jeff Plate now
Steve Wacholz now
Steve Wachholz 1980–1993 · former
Criss Oliva 1983–1993 · former
John Zahner 1991–1992 · former additional, background vocals, electric guitar, keyboard
Zak Stevens 1992–2000 · former
Jack Frost 2001–2002 · former