It took a while: more than 30 years after founding the legendary Savatage, Jon Oliva presents his first ever solo album. Having released albums with Savatage first and Jon Oliva’s Pain later, this first Oliva solo album was about to become different: Raise The Curtain combines Jon’s early music influences of Prog Rock/70’s with the sound he cultivated with Savatage and Jon Oliva’s Pain. The result is a high-class, thrilling musical journey, something all lovers from (Prog) Rock to Metal shouldn’t miss.
“After the passing of my dear friend Matt LaPorte I felt very confused about the future of Jon Oliva’s Pain”, Oliva speaks out.“A week or so after Matt’s service, I was speaking to my friend Dan Fasciano about what I wanted to do. He suggested that I come by his home where he has a full studio and we just hang out and record whatever I had that I wanted to demo. Unknown to me at the time, Dan also had tons of unfinished music that he wanted to do something with. It was very strange because he had tons of stuff and so did I. I don’t remember how we actually started writing together but it just happened.
Then it became almost like a competition. I would show up at his house at 9am and we just started combining what we both had and somehow it was magic. He would say on the phone I hope you got something because I do. We recorded over 60 songs in a very short period of time. I was amazed at the fact that his music and mine were very similar and easy to join together. I knew that this CD was going to be different and I wanted to play as much of it myself as I could. This was something I had to do for me and for Criss.
Dan and Chris Kinder’s (Jon Oliva’s Pain drummer) help was crucial to this CD coming out the way it did. The work of Tom and Jim Morris and Wayne Le’fleur, was also crucial.
The fact that this is the last of Criss’s music (who died 20 years ago in a car accident), makes me sad but I’m also happy that I got all his music out to the fans because that’s what he would have wanted. Everyone who pushed me to do this album: I thank you, your support is crucial to me. I so much loved recording this CD and I got to fulfill my deepest musical fantasy. At the same time I got the rest of the Criss’s music out. It was a labor of love, I’m very proud of thank you all for listening.”
Raise The Curtain will be released as a CD (first edition comes as Digipak) and strictly limited double-vinyl edition in gatefold sleeve (800 copies worldwide only).
9 Responses
Well it’s about time!!!I can’t believe I’m reading the word SAVATAGE on Eddie Trunk’s page…Now let’s see if they’re smart enough to realize how important this year is for Savatage fans seeing how it’s the 20th anniversary of Criss Oliva’s death.I hope they honour him somehow or at least do a segment on how his music has touched so many lives starting with the many musicians who have the best job in the world because of him and the success of TSO.I wonder if TMS knows that Criss gargoyle guitar is used to write every TSO song on every cd…..Maybe this year we’ll get that close-up pic of it we’ve been waiting years for…What gives???rock on Jon!!!!\m/ \m/
Jon has been on my radio shows in the past and will be again this Monday
Heard his son Father Time from this album on YouTube, and it sounds awesome! Check it out if you haven’t heard it yet.
“song” not son
definitely an underrated band, singer, and (late guitarist) – unfortunately they were never commercially successful enough to get the attention from the mainstream press they deserved –
I’m listening to the album right now!! 3 songs in and so far so good! Gutter Ballet was EXACTLY what I was looking for in musically in my formative years when I first heard it almost 25 years ago! It was the perfect blend of rock and classical with a great theatrical element. Criss Oliva had a truly unique style and sound. He had some of the best phrasing I’ve ever heard in metal (although it probably makes it a little easier when your back drop are the arrangements of Jon). But the solo sections in “Ghost in the Ruins” still gives me chills. Back to the new stuff. Still very pleased with it. Very heavily orchestrated throughout. It’s my understanding…and Eddie correct me if I’m wrong…but Jon is doing all the guitar work ..and bass and keyboards and everything but the drums.