Review Summary: One of Savatage's most ambitious projects blossoms into their finest achievement as a band.
STREETS: A ROCK OPERA was an ambitious step forward for Savatage and easily one of their finest albums to date. Although they had toyed with loose concepts for THE DUNGEONS ARE CALLING and GUTTER BALLET, this was their first fully realized concept album. The story was based upon a play written by their producer Paul O’Neill. The band originally considered starting this project in 1989, but ultimately decided that they weren’t ready to attempt such a challenging concept. They did however incorporate selected elements from this play (including the title) for the GUTTER BALLET album, making that record a perfect segue way for the STREETS project.
The concept of the album was based around the tumultuous life of a fictional character named DT (aka Detox) Jesus. DT is a musician and drug dealer whose battles with drug addiction curiously paralleled those of Jon Oliva leaving some to wonder whether this story was at least semi-autobiographical. The original play was actually written by Paul O’Neill in 1979, but Oliva’s own experiences appear to have informed his very natural and soulful embodiment of this character. The broader concept of STREETS is about eventually finding redemption for ones sins or missteps through faith.
Fans of Savatage’s early metal sound will find plenty to enjoy in such tracks “Streets”, “Jesus Saves”, “Tonight He Grins Again”, and “Ghost In The Ruins”, which are obvious standouts. But there are plenty of other adrenaline fueled moments to balance the record with the more contemplative ballads that might otherwise dominate this album.
In Jon’s solo piano ballad “A Little Too Far”, he sounds so vulnerable and emotionally bare that it’s almost uncomfortable to listen to this track. Yet it is these almost confessional sounding piano based power ballads that help transform this album from simply a great metal album to a progressive metal classic. The closing medley of “Somewhere In Time” and the classic “Believe” couldn’t be a more perfect ending for this album. “Believe” is a heartfelt and emotional declaration of faith that felt timeless to me upon first hearing it. The chorus has a very simple piano melody that vaguely evokes John Lennon’s “Imagine”, but is quite different overall melodically and in its lyrical agenda. This song addresses the need for faith in a more universal manner, even if the lyrics do imply a more typical Christian message.
It’s likely that the underlying religiosity of this album that may have turned some fans who felt repelled by even the mildest sense that they were being preached to, while others became more devoted for that same reason. Although I’ve heard plenty of albums that did turn me off for that reason, I never felt bothered by the lyrical tone or agenda here. In fact, I believe that the current success of Trans-Siberian Orchestra is largely based upon Paul O’Neill’s ability to walk that very narrow line between expressing his faith and overtly pontificating.
STREETS was Savatage’s most mature, diverse and well executed work of their career. While their technical achievements here are impressive and commendable, it’s the soulfulness of this album that make it most praiseworthy. There are some aspects of this album that might make it just slightly Broadway for some people’s taste. It is difficult to achieve perfection with any concept record, yet Savatage came very close with this superb album.
