Savatage - London Review

A couple of years ago I would have never believed that I would be sitting here writing this particular concert review. I have seen many bands live in my time, and get to between 40 and 50 gigs most years, but there are some bands that I have resigned myself to the fact that I will never see live. Generally this is because the band no longer exists, but there are other bands that, for whatever reason, just never seem to visit the UK. I have managed to see most of my favourite bands live over the years, and will finally catch The Doobie Brothers live next month, but I honestly never thought that I would see the American metal legends Savatage. This was, simply, because the band essentially had not existed since 2002 - long before I was aware of them. I cannot remember exactly when I got into Savatage, but it was likely during the beginning of the 2010s. The first album I heard was 1989's Gutter Ballet - and from there I picked up some of the band's other albums. It was probably not until more recent times, though, that I became a much bigger Savatage fan. I stuck to the same handful of their albums for a while, but a couple of years ago I started to make a big effort with the band again - and over the past year or so they are likely one of the bands that I have listened to the most. Whilst this more intense listening period was taking place, too, there were rumours of activity within the Savatage camp. The band reunited in 2015 for a one-off performance at Wacken Open Air, as part of a joint show with successors Trans-Siberian Orchestra, but that reunion was seemingly only ever intended to be a one-time affair. Interviews with various band members over the years suggested that they would like to do more shows, and even record new music, but that other endeavours - particularly the live juggernaut that Trans-Siberian Orchestra is in America each Christmas period - were holding them back. The health of the band's founder, leader, and frontman Jon Oliva was also frequently in doubt. In recent years he has recovered from a stroke, COVID-19, and a spinal injury - only to be diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and Ménière's disease last year. It is unclear exactly when Savatage reunited, but Oliva confirmed that a new album was being worked on in 2023 - and live shows were announced last year. The album is yet to materialise, and Oliva's health issues have likely contributed to this delay, but clearly not wanting to delay the band's reunion any further Oliva gave the rest of the band his blessing to tour without him. Whilst this is, of course, a shame, Oliva had largely taken more of a backseat in Savatage later on in the band's career - with later-era frontman Zak Stevens very much a big part of the Savatage legend. With Oliva still working away behind the scenes, then, five long-term Savatage members revived the band back in April in South America - and are currently on a short European run which includes both festival sets and headline shows. Thankfully the band decided to return to the UK - with a show at the O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire included. I, of course, snapped up a ticket immediately - and that intense diving into the band's catalogue previously described only deepened over the months leading up to Monday's gig.

Given the rarity of the show, the Shepherd's Bush Empire was packed - and when I got to the venue around 30 minutes before it opened there was already a pretty long queue forming. Despite this, though, I managed to get pretty close to the stage once in the venue and by the time the evening's sole support act took to the stage the atmosphere was already pretty good. Savatage later played a pretty lengthy show, but before that the German power metal act Induction warmed the crowd up with around 45 minutes of melodic and enjoyable music. I was familiar with the band in name-only, but I had not really heard any of their music before the show. Despite perhaps not being as into power metal as I once was, it did not take me long to fall in line with Induction - and I found myself enjoying essentially each song played. Formed around Tim Hansen (guitar/vocals), the current Induction line-up seems to be a relatively new construction - with only bassist Dominik Gusch appearing on the band's last album with Hansen. I was familiar with frontman Gabriele Gozzi, though, having previously seen him with Temperance - and it was his performance which generally kept me interested. Induction are one of those power metal bands that rely heavily on keyboards but do not employ a keyboard player. With the exception of some high-octane guitar solos, then, the riffing from both Hansen and fellow guitarist Justus Sahlman was generally relegated to the background, whilst synths and symphonics filled the speakers, but the big voice of Gozzi and his strong stage presence kept me entertained. Big chorus after big chorus hit the large crowd - and the sound mix was generally pretty good, although the band on the whole seemed a little quiet. The vocals cut through the mix nicely, though, and this meant that each hook and chorus managed to impress the crowd. It was not just me that seemed to be enjoying myself, too, as the vibe in the room generally seemed pretty good throughout the band's set. Towards the end there was even some singing along - and a cover of Europe's The Final Countdown did elicit a bit of a reaction early in the set. In truth, though, I would have preferred another original to have been played. The cover probably did get some onside, but I am not sure that it was needed - and the smooth choruses of Induction's own material seemed to be doing the job, alongside some shredded solos from Hansen and Sahlman. With a third album due later in the year, which will be the first to feature the current line-up, new single Beyond Horizons was played - but perhaps some of the overall highlights were songs from the band's last album, including the soaring I Am Alive and the closing anthem Queen of Light. I will clearly need to check out 2022's Born from Fire, then, and I will also look to pick up the band's third album whenever that is due out. I cannot say that I was expecting too much from Induction, but I ended up enjoying their set a lot - and I am looking forward to hearing more from them going forward.

It was only around 25 minutes after Induction's set finished that the lights went down again and the seven musicians which currently make up Savatage as a live entity slowly took to the stage - opening with the delicate piano strains of The Ocean. This opening instrumental, which also included a snippet of City Beneath the Surface, set the tone for the rest of the night - and by the time Stevens sang Welcome it was clear that the show was going to a be special one. It was a night in which the crowd and the band were one - with each song being sung back at the band loudly. Given who currently makes up the band, it was unsurprising that much of the set was culled from the Stevens era - with 1997's The Wake of Magellan featuring the most. With The Ocean and Welcome both being short scene-setters, the set really felt like it came alive proper during Jesus Saves - and the hard-hitting rocker showcased the power of the current version of Savatage. A loud and clear sound mix helped, but Stevens sounded as good as ever and the back-and-forth between guitarists Chris Caffery and Al Pitrelli was heavy and full of high-octane leads. With two keyboard players, new faces Paulo Cuevas and Shawn McNair, there was little, if any, reliance on backing tracks, too, and the band were well-drilled and extremely tight despite their limited recent live experience. Despite the setlist largely focusing on the later, more theatrical, albums, those wanting to hear some older classics were also well-sated thanks to an early inclusion of the epic Power of the Night - and once the iconic riff filled the venue the place went wild, and the singing during the chorus was just one of many instances of such during the evening. In truth, picking out highlights is hard as the show overall was so fantastic. Each song was as good as the one before it, but another early highlight was a rendition of the lengthy The Wake of Magellan - with another huge chorus sing-a-long. It was also a song which showcased how tight the band were when it came to multi-part vocal arrangements. A handful of songs featured such, but this one really stood out - with all of the band, bar drummer Jeff Plate, singing intricate backing vocals which often countered what others were singing. This all looked to be being done live - and the tight mix allowed intricacies like this to shine throughout the night. It was not just vocally where the band impressed, though. The Storm was later essentially just a showcase for some slow-burning and emotional guitar playing from Pitrelli - whilst Turns to Me which followed showed the band's dynamic approach, with quieter and riffier moments sitting side by side.

Given Savatage's complex and theatrical sound, though, many of the songs played showcased such a dynamic approach. The set never really felt like it sat in once place for too long - and the musicians on stage made bringing this material to life seem effortless. Stevens deserves a lot of credit for this, too, as his emotional and powerful vocal delivery really pulled everything together. His voice barely seems to have aged since the 1990s - and the soulful, bluesy Handful of Rain allowed him to showcase a somewhat more moody approach. Whilst most of the material played were songs which he originally sung, there were songs played which Oliva sung originally - and he did a great job on those despite lacking Oliva's rasp. Power of the Night earlier on had sounded as good as ever - as did a rare outing of the more stadium-ready Strange Wings. Perhaps to provide something of a contrast, though, during a medley of material from the Dead Winter Dead album, Caffery did sing in place of Oliva during a portion of I Am which was played - but the shimmering Starlight saw Stevens sounding great, whilst the closing instrumental section of the medley saw lots of classically-inspired soloing. The same album's title track was then played in full - making Dead Winter Dead the album with the second-most representation in the set. By this point, the band had already played a lot of material - but there was still quite a few big highlights to come. As if making a point to emphasise the strength of The Wake of Magellan, its epic-length closer The Hourglass was wheeled out towards the end - which was another powerful moment with plenty of singing from the crowd and more overlapping vocal arrangements from the band. The closing moments which saw Stevens accompanied by just the piano were particularly powerful - and this led to the band taking a brief step off stage to allow a video of Oliva singing the first verse and chorus of Believe. The band came back to join in following this first chorus - and the overall rendition, with Oliva and Stevens trading vocals virtually was very emotional. It was good that Oliva was able to be involved in the show in a small, pre-recorded way - and the crowd reacted particularly well to the soaring ballad. There was not a huge amount of time left by this point, but two more big anthems rounded out the main set - with the dramatic Gutter Ballet and the song which introduced Stevens to the world Edge of Thorns proving to be a formidable closing duo. Following a brief pause, where the cheers shook the walls, the band came back for two more - with a rare outing of the fast-paced Nothing's Going On being a surprise addition to the set, before the band's signature anthem Hall of the Mountain King proving to be one last sing-a-long and highlight in an evening which had been rammed full of memorable moments. The setlist was:

The Ocean/City Beneath the Surface

Welcome

Jesus Saves

Power of the Night

Another Way

The Wake of Magellan

This Is the Time (1990)

Strange Wings

The Storm

Turns to Me

Handful of Rain

Chance

Starlight/I Am/Mozart and Madness

Dead Winter Dead

The Hourglass

Believe

Gutter Ballet

Edge of Thorns

-

Nothing's Going On

Hall of the Mountain King

Whilst I am sure that some would have preferred to have heard more material from the earlier albums, in my opinion the setlist was a perfect representation of where Savatage are today. Savatage morphed into a more progressive and theatrical band over the years, largely with the help of those involved in the current line-up, so focusing on the back end of the catalogue was the right move in my opinion. The amount of singing going on suggests that many in attendance agreed, too, and it was just a real treat to see Savatage live at all - which is not something I ever expected to do. It is unclear what the band's long-term plans are, or whether there will be other opportunities to see them live, but I am happy that I got to see them on Monday - and I am looking forward to hearing the new album whenever it is ready.