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Who the hell is this? Savatage? Can't be.
We all know the REAL Savatage ceased to exist when the great
Criss Oliva tragically lost his life in 1993 (even earlier,
some would argue). Who, then, could spawn such demonic howling
and skull-smashing riffage? Why, Jon Oliva and Chris Caffery,
aka Doctor Butcher, who else? This is the real deal, Metalheads!
This CD is a collection of seven demos and two live tracks
from the two former AND current members of the almighty
Savatage! Don't be fooled by the word "demos" as this disc
is better produced than many CD's you've paid big bucks
for.
Opening cut "Freaks" makes it obvious that
this is METAL Oliva-style as Jon is in classic form, belting
it out over Caffery's power-crunch rhythms, bringing to
mind the early days of "Sirens" and "The Dungeons Are Calling."
The Mountain King (as Jon is affectionately referred to)
goes over the top on the very amusing "Born of the Board"
which starts with that familiar sounding piano and Lennonesque
vocal, then explodes into a grinding assault of sonic savagery
we haven't heard since…well, probably since the Doctor Butcher
CD from '94! Check out the spoken part in the middle of
the tune. Only Jon Oliva can get away with this kind of
stuff these days! Classic. These songs have all the fire
and heaviness that has sometimes been missing from recent
Savatage. Not to blame the now departed Al Pitrelli, who
is a great guitarist, but I can only hope that this is a
taste of what's to come on the much anticipated Poets
and Madmen due sometime in the next ten years from the
Floridian metal madmen.
"Help, Police" is another scorcher in the
classic mold and is sure to get a chuckle or two from the
twist in the title's meaning. The next track is a demo version
of "The Chair" from the first Butcher CD and is not quite
as heavy, but very good, nevertheless. The darkness continues
to fall on "Dismissal of Faith," a track that sees Caffery
go for broke with some inspired neck-wringing. Awesome.
A demo take of "The Altar" is included here, but can't hope
to equal the brain-splattering glory of the "official" version.
A somber tone is adopted for "Bridges," a song that mourns
the ills of a society gone very wrong. Caffery shines on
this track, firing off some brilliant, soulful fills throughout
the tune. The two live tracks finish the disc and, while
the sound quality is not on par with the studio material,
these are welcome additions despite that. "Chester the Molester"
is another lyrically amusing number in which Oliva calls
the crowd "dirty motherfuckers"... a high compliment to
be sure! Caffery goes CRAZY on this one! The fun comes to
a close with "A Living Hell" a mid-tempo stomper full of
blistering lead work from Mr. Caffery.
So, if you long for the power metal punch
of classic Savatage, this is as close as you're going to
get, kids. Crook'd records may still have some copies if
you hurry to their site.
Tell them who sent you. Until we "meat" again...
Reviewed by Nostradumbass
Get
some fresh meat! Buy Doctor Butcher's The Demos!!!
at
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