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 Returning To The Roots of Savatage: The Doctor Butcher Project February 16, 2003 |
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Very few bands have undergone an evolution as profound as Savatage
has over 
the last 20 years, and fewer still have been able to do so without
alienating its legion of fans. Starting as a club band in Florida in the
early 80's, Savatage entered the music scene as a straightforward metal act
with the near-simultaneous releases of 'Sirens' and 'The Dungeons Are
Calling' in 1984. Shortly thereafter, the band was signed by Atlantic
Records, and their early "true metal" days culminated in the 1987 release of
'Hall of the Mountain King', which was heavily bolstered by several high-rotation MTV clips.While touring in support of 'Mountain King', cofounder Jon Oliva found himself partying uncontrollably with Dave Mustaine of Megadeth, a disastrous period that landed Jon a stint in rehab in 1988. After Jon completed his rehab, Savatage started work on what would turn out to be the album that began the band's evolution, 'Gutter Ballet'. This is the first record with prominently-featured piano, inspired in part by Jon's fascination with a 1989 performance of "The Phantom of the Opera". It was also the Gutter Ballet tour that marked the initial appearance of guitarist Chris Caffery as an official member of Savatage. Chris had previously performed with Savatage during the Mountain King tour, and his musical interaction with Jon's brother and lead guitarist Criss Oliva was instantly dynamic. After 'Gutter Ballet', the band started to collaborate much more with producer/songwriter Paul O'Neill, an event that would lead Savatage into a new era. Criss Oliva came across a project that Paul had written back in 1979 about the rise and fall of a burned-out rock star, and the Olivas were fascinated with the idea, almost immediately suggesting it be reworked as Savatage's next album. One can imagine that Jon had to have seen a bit of himself in the fictional DT Jesus, having completed rehab quite recently. The resulting album, 'Streets: A Rock Opera', was to be the first of many theatrical releases by the band, and probably represented the most significant departure from the style of the previous album. It was around this time that Jon Oliva and Chris Caffery started tinkering with a side project that came to be known as Doctor Butcher, and this coincided with Jon stepping down as Savatage's lead singer. It has been erroneously reported (including on one section of Savatage's own web site!) that Jon stepped aside due to vocal problems, but in fact he felt that he'd reached his musical peak with Savatage on the 'Streets' album and wished to pursue other interests. He did, of course, continue to write and record on the next album, 'Edge of Thorns', but in the background.
Shortly after the release of 'Edge of Thorns', the most significant event in
band history occurred on a rainy morning in Florida. Co-founder and lead
guitarist Criss Oliva, on his way to a music festival in Florida, was struck
head-on by a drunk driver, who incidentally had multiple DUI convictions on
his record. Criss lost his life that morning. When 'Edge of Thorns' was released, it represented Savatage's greatest commercial success up to that point, and Jon Oliva had many mixed emotions. While he was of course pleased that the music and band he was so instrumental in creating was doing well, a part of him was hurt by the fact that after he'd put everything he had into Savatage for so many years, it seemed the band was finally getting some well-deserved recognition domestically just as soon as he had been replaced. Rather than wallow in destructive emotions, these feelings galvanized Jon into putting more energy into the Doctor Butcher project. "I started reading articles that said I left Savatage cause I couldn't sing anymore, and that lit a fire under my ass. I kinda took offense to that... so I figured, 'I'll fuckin show them.'" If Jon had actually been having voice problems at the time, the recording of Doctor Butcher would likely have rendered him completely mute, as it is filled with classic Savatage-style growls, screams and wails. Highlights abound on the release. The opening track, "The Altar", while up-tempo, has a dark, gothic feel that instantly brings to mind the Mountain King days, as does "Season of the Witch". This song, as well as "All For One, None For All", has a very interesting, faraway vocal sound, almost as if you're listening to the singing over a telephone. It really adds to the dark feel, and in the second case is layered with the traditional vocal mix to add to the effect. "Reach Out And Torment Someone" is fast and thrashy, while "Innocent Victim" is slower, with wailing guitars and a pounding bass groove. The highlight of the album is without question "The Chair", a song that starts out slow and very heavy before a time change (to the crackling sound of an electric chair) kicks in an up-tempo, smoking second half that showcases the outstanding guitar work of Chris Caffery. It also features some of Jon's finest vocal work, including a menacing laugh that Jon is quite simply singular at creating. Chris Caffery once said that one of the reasons he was so excited about rejoining Savatage was to try and keep alive the Criss Oliva sound, and it's very clear from Doctor Butcher that Chris has the talent and the playing style to do just that. While Jon's vocals are the most obvious connection with Savatage, it's Chris's guitar that brings the sound home.
Originally released only as an import, in the early internet days when
"import" meant "hard as hell to find", Doctor Butcher was a great reward
indeed for those fans that found a way to get a copy.
It's been rumored for years that a follow-up CD, tentatively titled "The Good, The Bad, and the Butchered" is in the works, but for now it remains a rumor. In addition to keeping alive Savatage, Jon and Chris have both been extensively involved in Trans-Siberian Orchestra, as well as many other side projects. But if the Butcher ever returns, you can be sure that the early Savatage sound will come alive once again.
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Midas Knight--RealAudio
Many observers felt that this anger
was a reaction to his brother's death, but once again Jon had been
misunderstood. In fact, most of the Doctor Butcher music had already been
written before Criss's death. More than anything, Jon saw Doctor Butcher as
a return to the roots of Savatage, and a response to those who felt he had
stepped down as Savatage's leader because he had lost something.
It has since been released domestically, and followed up by a release of earlier demos with
two live tracks. Every fan of the early Savatage that doesn't have a copy
of this album has an incomplete collection.
