1987. Hall Of The Mountain King
is the fourth album by band Savatage, released in September 28, under the direction of Paul O'Neill. It is their first album produced by O'Neill, who was assigned to the band after their previous tour. This album shows the beginning of their progressive tendencies as they explore new forms of expression in their music. Many fans consider this album the original turning point in their musical identity, distinguishing between the old and new Savatage. As their first concept album, it has a constant tone (of darkness, in this case) and is more complex than their previous albums, with two entirely instrumental tracks that go beyond simple guitar riffs and solos, namely “Prelude to Madness” and “Last Dawn”. Through Paul O'Neill’s connections, he brought in Ray Gillen of “Badlands, ex Black sabbath” fame to perform a vocal duet at the end of “Strange Wings”.
The album introduced a new musical style, featuring symphonic elements, strongly influenced by their new producer, Paul O'Neill, that would shape the band’s future recordings. O'Neill contributed most of the lyrics for the rest of their career and gave them a more conceptual edge starting with their next album, Gutter Ballet.
“Prelude to Madness” is an arrangement of Grieg’s In the Hall of the Mountain King from the Peer Gynt suite. Oddly, Grieg is not credited for this song, but for the following title track - which ironically, is an original song. The intro of “Prelude to Madness” features keyboards and guitar playing “Mars, the Bringer of War” from Gustav Holst’s suite, The Planets.
This was the first album to feature the album cover drawn by artist Gary Smith, who was responsible for lead guitarist Criss Oliva’s airbrushed guitars at the time.
this is really where Paul O'Neill became heavily involved with Savatage; the man who would essentially become one of the visionaries behind their development, not merely a producer. This is easily the best album he’s ever produced. HOTMK is a Savatage classic. It’s a heavy metal classic. It’s a great album.
guitarist Criss Oliva proves himself to be one of the most talented players of his time, Criss has developed a unique and effective style of playing that is very pleasant to the ears.
Jon Oliva Criss Oliva Steve Wacholz Johnny Lee Middleton
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