Review Summary: Scream and thrash your head ... for madness reigns in the Hall Of The Mountain King!
Savatage finally focused their strengths and musical vision with the epic HALL OF THE MOUNTAIN KING album. With the assistance of Paul O'Neill, the Oliva brothers were finally able to combine the best elements of their early sound along with more musically ambitious ideas that forced their contemporaries, fans & critics take notice. The album was also a glorious rebound from the hugely disappointing FIGHT FOR THE ROCK, which had likely placed their record deal with Atlantic and career in peril.
The production and performances here are tight, crisp and razor sharp. Criss Oliva's guitar playing technique on this album had a reached a plateau where he could now be considered a virtuoso. His solos and lead breaks are melodic, inspired, and deftly executed throughout album, but namely on such songs as "24 Hours Ago", "Legions", "Prelude To Madness", "Hall Of The Mountain King" and "Strange Wings". Jon Oliva's vocals are also more confident and menacing than ever. Johnny Lee Middleton also proves how much of an asset he is to the band as he lays down a solid groove throughout, but notably on "Legions".
Another big plus here are the improved lyrics from Jon and Paul O'Neill. Gone are the cheesy. leering sexual themes that cheapened the value of POWER OF THE NIGHT. Instead, O'Neill pushes Oliva to focus his strengths in writing about darker themes in a metal context such as the ferocious "Beyond The Doors Of The Dark" and "Devastation", which echoed their earliest work. Continuing his anti-drug themes that began with DUNGEONS, "White Witch" talks about his struggles with cocaine. Jon Oliva's lyrics were not yet as nakedly confessional as they would become on later albums, but he does express his reservations about life in the music business in "The Price You Pay".
One of the great highlights of this record is the title track, "Hall Of The Mountain King" and the introductory "Prelude To Madness" where Criss transforms Grieg's classic movement from the Peer Gynt suite into a metal shredfest. The arrangement of both of these tracks is superbly executed and undoubtedly points the way towards the future of the band (and even Trans-Siberian Orchestra). It's melodic, grandiose and still plenty heavy enough for hardcore metal fans.
HALL OF THE MOUNTAIN KING was something of a commercial breakthrough for the band and did attain Gold record status in the U.S., but Savatage still remained something of a cult sensation amount fans of heavy metal. The album did boost their profile greatly and is one the best albums they ever recorded. While Savatage would go on to craft several other superb records, this one will probably be the one most fans will remember them for.
