March 2010 

Band: Savatage

Album: Still The Orchestra Plays

Genre: Progressive Metal

Label: e-a-r Music

Catalogue Number: 

Released On: 22/03/2010

Legendary multi million selling US Progressive Metal band Savatage have inked a deal with Edel's earMUSIC label to unite, remaster and re-release their entire 14 album back catalogue, from their 1983 debut 'Sirens', right through to 2001's 'Poets And Madmen'.

The first fruit of this renewed relationship is the release of 'Still The Orchestra Plays ­ Greatest Hits Volume 1 & 2', a double CD anthology featuring a host of re-mastered classics, plus new acoustic versions of 3 songs recorded by main man Jon Oliva in July 2009. Available on March 22nd, distributed by Absolute via Universal, the limited edition of the anthology will also feature the full 1994 'Japan Live' show, released for the first time on DVD.

“Still The Orchestra Plays” will be followed by the re-release of the full Savatage 14 album back catalogue, remastered and expanded with bonus tracks, newly recorded audio commentary and extra material currently being assembled by the band.

Savatage were formed in Florida in 1983 and soon established themselves at the cutting edge of the hard rock world, with their distinctive hi-energy fusion of savage metal power riffs, haunting orchestration and a distinctive melodic sense. Initially more inspired by the likes of Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, their 1987 album, 'Hall Of The Mountain King' signified a more progressive, multi-layered approach and became one of the most critically lauded Metal albums of the year. 1989's “Gutter Ballet“ was similarly cheered as “Metal record of the year“. Savatage continued to evolve with the releases of further Symphonic Rock concept albums like “Streets”, (1991) and “Edge Of Thorns” (1993), but then tragedy struck when guitarist Cris Oliva was hit and killed by a drunk driver in 1993. Savatage continued with various line-ups and released the albums “Handful of Rain”(1994), “Dead Winter Dead” (1995), “The Wake Of Magellan” (1997) (which co-incidentally formed the sound of their incredibly successful side project, Trans Siberian Orchestra) and finally “Poets and Madmen” in 2001.

Now, nine years on, following the release of milestone compilation ''Still The Orchestra Plays ­ Greatest Hits Volume 1 & 2', the band's entire catalogue will be lovingly dusted down, spruced up and expanded with never-before-released bonus material. Jon Oliva comments: “I'm so excited to give the fans the proper representation of all these albums. For them to own them as they were meant to be heard and seen makes me very happy”.

CD1: Greatest Hits Vol.1
Power Of The Night
Hall Of The Mountain King
24 Hours Ago
Legions
Gutter Ballet
Summers Rain
When The Crowds Are Gone
Ghost In The Ruins
If I Go Away
NYC Don‘t Mean Nothing
Edge Of Thorns
All That I Bleed

CD2: Greatest Hits Vol.2
Handful Of Rain
Chance
One Child
I Am
Anymore
Hourglass
The Wake Of Magellan
Morphine Child

Bonus tracks (recorded by Jon Oliva in 2009):
Anymore (acoustic)
Not What You See (acoustic)
Out On The Streets (acoustic)

DVD – Japan Live ‘94
Taunting Cobras
Edge Of Thorns
Chance
Conversation Piece
Nothing Going On
He Carves His Stone
Jesus Saves
Watching You Fall
Castles Burning
All That I Bleed
Stare Into The Sun
Damien
Handful Of Rain
Sirens
Gutter Ballet
Hall Of The Mountain King   

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