From start to finish, “Hall of the Mountain King is a Tour de Force. The potency of classic metal that has elements of Iron Maiden, Dio, Deep Purple and especially Dio-era Rainbow is present. Welcome to the hall...of the Mountain King. I'll always have a soft spot for "Strange Wings", which is as simple, and catchy, as it gets but it is executed so passionately that it breaks me every time; plus the climax is otherwordly and, to top it off, Ray Gillen shares the microphone with John at the end, something that takes the song to a whole other level, resulting in what I'd characterize as a profound experience. Ago, it blew me away! "In the Hall of the Mountain King" (Norwegian: I Dovregubbens hall, lit. Criss' playing is really at its top here, displaying just the right amount of "let's cram a thousand notes into 1 second" and the ability to show off when the situation demanded it. Even during its most poppy moment, ‘Hall Of The Mountain King’ convinces. Combine these factors and you have a heavy metal record that is equal parts elegant, aggressive and memorable. Recorded and mixed at Record Plant Studios, New York City, New York. These two brothers are the main reasons early Savatage are so highly revered; they both have very strong personalities that just leap out of the speakers from the moment you press "play". Ago", where the muscle the listener immediately into submission for the remainder of the runtime; or the estimable bad assery of "Legions". 4) Enjoyably memorable songs His growly midtones and shrieking wails are the main forces at work driving the album onward, although the man utilizes a veritable arsenal of vocal techniques. This is perhaps most evident in the songs "Beyond the Doors of the Dark" and "Devastation," the latter being possibly his greatest vocal performance ever. Jon Oliva's vocals are the best here that they would ever be; a harsh, throaty rasp/shriek that fits the pugilistic, riffy heavy metal attack like a spiked leather glove. Feel: Dark, Driving, Epic, Intense. No wonder! If I were forced to choose the weakest track here, I'd have to point to "White Witch," a fast track that sadly has a very repetitive riff (although the chorus is definitely catchy!). On the beginning Jon shows next kind of his incredibly voice, this one is rather ‘sensitive’ and ‘warm’, even quasi-balladic. Finally, after several years I bought the album, which is re-edition of course, but fortunately with no sound mastering and extended booklet recounting vicissitudes of the band in those days. : Reissue Label: Steamhammer Format: CD Reviews: 16 reviews (avg. Nothing else sounds like this--it is unmistakably Savatage. He can sing cleanly, deeply, or produce mad peals of laughter upon command to give a song an extra element when necessary, and doesn't shy away from it here. This album was recorded in 1987, so we can say about musical archeology, but definitely it doesn’t look like decaying fossil remains. Yeah, it’s cool. After their first two releases the band showed some certain commercial proclivities both in Power of the Night and, more clearly, in Fight For The Rock. I can’t imagine, how one could not like him. Now, a lot of comparisons have been made comparing this to Jag Panzer and Riot, among others. Aside from that eternal classic, there is a lot to enjoy on ‘Hall Of The Mountain King’. When he and guest Ray Gillen partner up for the chorus of "Strange Wings", try not to cry! Musically Criss shows here speedy, rapid, stabbing solos with galloping rhythm section, but definitely noteworthy are the last seconds of it. To this day, it has yet to be dethroned. Perhaps I'm just a dick, but the rhythm section never exactly stood out to me in Savatage, probably due to my rabid Criss worship. Everything worthwhile about American heavy metal in the eighties can be heard here. Amidst the sounds of the thunderstorms and gusty winds, the title song enters the stage. At once the first album “Sirens” comes to my mind, I mean these few minutes of madness perfectly fits to the beginning of the band. ‘Legions’ is an easy to shout along midtempo metal anthem with some awesome riffing and the fast and aggressive ‘White Witch’ is borderline thrash. And after some meetings they decided to collaborate. Recording information: Mastered at Sterling Sound, New York City, New York. At first it may seem like Gillen was only brought in for the harmonies in the chorus, but his acrobatics in the climax are incredible. It’s also relatively progressive at times, though it may seem a little primitive compared to what would follow with ‘Gutter Ballet’ (1989) and afterward. This album has it all: headbanging thrash numbers and mid-tempo rockers, instrumental tracks and songs with powerhouse vocals, some of the best riffs ever written, and hooks that will stay in your head for days. In retrospective interviews, O’Neill often pointed out that Savatage needed to be re-established as a heavy metal band before they could move forward. The album also benefits from a solid balance of heaviness and melody. The next fact is that composing and releasing of this great album wasn’t certainty. "X plays True Metal in the vein of early Savatage, early Fates Warning, early Jag Panzer, early Beatles, bla bla bla" Hall of the Mountain King is viewed by many to be early Savatage's crowning achievement, but to be honest, they don't really deserve to be in such company. Also, the instrumental “Prelude to madness” with its winding riffs is an example of Savatage totally nailing the melody, you will remember it note for note after two listens. The songwriting is exceptional, varying from raging speed metal tunes like "White Witch" to mid tempo pieces like "The Price You Pay" or the apocalyptic "Devastation"; there is a little bit of everything this music has to offer and everyone here performs his duty superbly. He always loved this piece of classical stuff and finally has found the right band and musicians able to perform it. . But you know, with this piece of best music, Savatage enters really unique stage of metal by releasing Mountain King and the next three albums: “Gutter Ballet” (89), “Streets – A Rock Opera” (91) and “Edge Of Thorns” (93). White Witch that gets right to the brain with its fast riff and pounding drums or the amazing and melodic Strange Wings with the fantastic breaks and more “peaceful” atmosphere? The music has classic solos and hooks, but leaves me with a feeling of an unexploded shell. On later albums, the operatic stuff would really mess up anything sense of metal credibility, but here it works to create one massive, epic slab of dark power metal. ... Hall Of The Mountain King ... (THE HARD & HEAVY MUSIC HALL OF FAME) by crimsonmetal74. Hall of the Mountain King has, hands down, one of the best guitar tones I've heard on ANY metal album, rich and rustic in both power and feeling, like chopping wood out back of a cabin on the mountainside. The Savatage boys really came together on this one. The Norwegian composer, for whose piece the album is named, might have got a bit of free publicity back in '87 (although it's a shame he had been dead for 80 years), but nothing is going to take away from one of the finest hours of US heavy metal.
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