Savatage
Savatage
For their fourth album Hall of the Mountain King) (1987), Savatage teamed up with producer/songwriter Paul O'Neil). This new partnership earned the band significant critical acclaim, and O'Neil would work with Savatage on all their future albums until his death in 2017. The band's success continued with the albums Gutter Ballet (1990) and Streets: A Rock Opera (1991), both of which cemented their transition from their earlier power metal sound to progressive metal, with the band also experimenting with opera-inspired lyrics.
Savatage
The band's seventh album Edge of Thorns (1993) garnered the band's only charting single "Edge of Thorns)". On October 17, 1993, six months after the album's release, guitarist Criss Oliva was killed in a car accident. Following his death, Jon (along with producer Paul O'Neill)) decided to continue Savatage in memory of his brother. The band released four more studio albums, and went through several lineup changes before going on an extended hiatus in 2002. During the years—partly even before the hiatus—members founded various new bands such as Jon Oliva's Pain, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Circle II Circle and Doctor Butcher. On August 2, 2014, Savatage announced that they were reuniting for the 2015 Wacken Open Air; despite having discussed the possibility of more shows and new music, the band resumed their hiatus. The members of Savatage claimed in interviews conducted in 2020–2021 that they were working on new material together, with a reunion of the band confirmed by Jon Oliva in April 2023. They are currently working on their first studio album in more than two decades, tentatively titled Curtain Call, with an intended release date of 2026.
Early days (1979–1986)
Criss Oliva and his brother Jon formed their first band together, called Avatar, in 1979. Their former bands were Tower and Alien, respectively. In 1980, the duo met up with drummer Steve "Doc" Wacholz and practiced in a small shack behind the Oliva home that was dubbed "The Pit" by the band. Wacholz originally tried out to be part of Jon's band, Alien, but when the first Savatage lineup was taking shape, Jon, who was originally on drum duties, was relieved of them by Wacholz. They also gave Wacholz a nickname that would follow him throughout his career: "Doctor Hardware Killdrums", often shortened to just "Doc" or "Doc Killdrums", which referred to his hard playing style.
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