Edge Of Thorns

About

Edge of Thorns is the seventh studio album by the American heavy metal band Savatage, released on April 6, 1993, by Atlantic Record. It was the last Savatage album to feature guitarist Criss Oliva, who died six months after its release, and their first release with Zachary Stevens on lead vocal, following the departure of Jon Oliva from his role as singer in Savatage, although he did produce and write songs for the album. The drums on this album sound different from other Savatage record, as Steve "Doc" Wacholz decided to use electronic drum. Although most of the drum kits sound authentic, a difference in the timbre of the toms can be heard. "All That I Bleed" and "Miles Away" were the last songs Jon Oliva, Criss Oliva and the producer Paul O'Neill wrote together. For that, they are still Jon Oliva's two favorites on the album. The woman in the picture of the album art is Dawn Oliva, Criss Oliva's wife. Gary Smith, who also did the front and back covers for Hall of the Mountain King, the front cover for Gutter Ballet, the back cover for Street, and all of Criss Oliva's airbrushed guitar, painted the cover. The face in the trees is supposed to be Jon Oliva, though producer O'Neill disputes that despite its publication in a Criss Oliva interview from 1993. The cover is supposed to represent good (the woman) v. evil (the face in the trees). According to Criss Oliva in a 1993 interview, "The girl is surrounded by fear and innocence. But the face in the trees is evil. Everything around her is evil. It's about good and evil. The songs on the CD reflect thi, too." The opening piano riff to the title track was used extensively in the MTV reality series The Real World: San Francisco during scenes involving the hospitalization of Pedro Zamora. In a contemporary review for Rock Hard magazine, where Edge of Thorns had been elected Album of the Month, Matthias Breusch wrote that Savatage had "not lost a pinch of their compositional potential and energy" and praised Criss Oliva's guitar playing; he complimented new singer Zak Stevens' "powerful, energetic voice", which was "cleverly adapted to the melodic lines" of the new song, although he missed Jon Oliva's "crazy screams". Modern reviews are generally positive. AllMusic Geoff Orens praised Savatage's continuous experimentation of new sounds and wrote that Edge of Thorns moved away from the progressive metal of the two previous album, being a "leaner, more understated guitar-driven record", with the majority of the songs consisting "of stripped-down metal anthem, recorded with less flashy guitar work and production" than before. In his opinion, the new material fits well the "less bombastic delivery" of new singer Steven, who does "not have the emotional range that Oliva showed on Gutter Ballet and Streets". Canadian journalist Martin Popoff remarked how Edge of Thorns was "a raucous return to old Savatage vein", with "mountains of thirsty power riffs" and "an odd adherence to a goth past", mostly out of fashion in the alternative metal scene of the time. He was more critical of "the band's mellow tendencies" and the murky long intros to the song. Zachary Stevens – lead vocals Criss Oliva – guitar, co-producer Johnny Lee Middleton – bass Steve "Doc" Wacholz – drums (electronic drum, studio only) Additional musicians Jon Oliva – piano, keyboard, drums on tracks "He Carves His Stone" and "Degrees of Sanity" (studio only), co-producer Andy James – drums (touring member only) .

via Last.fm

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