SAVATAGE — Edge Of Thorns (review)

SAVATAGE — Edge Of Thorns album cover Album · 1993 · Heavy Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3/5 ·
Warthur
On a certain level, Edge of Thorns is doomed to be forever known as the final Savatage album to feature Criss Oliva before his tragic death, so it's just as well that it sees Criss Oliva take a good share of the spotlight - partly as a by-product of Jon Oliva stepping back from being an official member of the lineup.

New lead vocalist Zachary Stevens takes up the baton adeptly - the track Conversation Piece, in particular, gives him a moment to really show what he can do on that front - whilst Criss' prominent lead guitar performance should in principle make this album a fitting memorial to his talents. However, at the same time the album feels just a little old-fashioned - the attempt to get back to basics after the concept album excess of Streets: A Rock Opera perhaps goes a little far, creating a somewhat simplistic set of songs which, though entertaining enough in their own right, don't quite enter the top tier of Savatage releases for me.

Really, it's no surprise that Edge of Thorns is a bit of a transitional album, with all of the difficulties those things entail - as was Handful of Rain, though in that case it was for much sadder reasons. It's still no embarrassment, but it's not something I see myself revisiting often.
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