I've been very lucky to attend some 'once in a lifetime' gigs but there are still a few active bands to tick off the old bucket list. One of those bands has been Savatage, the American pioneer of bombastic, theatrical heavy metal have had a chequered past due to health issues, deaths and many of the members other commitments such as their 'sister' band Trans Siberian Orchestra.
Couple this with their instance to tour just North and South America or the occasional festival, the chances of seeing them in Europe were getting slimmer and slimmer. They have been on hiatus for a decade but in 2024 it was announced Savatage were back with a full tour kicking off in Brazil and South America before finally returning to Europe and even more importantly London. This was a must for myself and one of my best buddies scoring tickets early. Luckily I also managed to get one of MoM's extremely talented photographers to capture the show too so look out for those on the page too.
Staying in Hammersmith we took a tour of a few local watering holes before the show but managed to keep a clear enough head to arrive in time for supper band Induction (8) this Czech metal band are inspired by the early German power/heavy metal scene, formed in 2014 they have released two albums and an EP playing a mix of all of these. The Germanic influence is strong probably due to guitarist Tim Hansen being the son of Helloween/Gamma Ray founder Kai Hansen. The rest of the band seem to have joined quite recently so I assume this is the first sort of tour in this new guise but Induction managed to win over a hardcore fan base with their anthemic choruses and heavy metal thunder.
If Induction were the beckoning thunder then Savatage (10) were the full storm, a setlist primarily drawn for The Wake Of The Magellan (7 songs) we also got tracks from Handful Of Rain, Dead Winter Dead, Hall Of The Mountain King, Streets: A Rock Opera, Edge Of Thorns, Gutter Ballet and Power Of The Night leaving no stone unturned in their repertoire, except for perhaps When The Crowds Are Gone but it was still a fantastic, nostalgic set list, packed with virtuoso moments and stunning visuals from their LED screens.
The band consists of Chris Caffery and Al Pitrelli on guitar, Zak Stevens on vocals, Johnny Lee Middleton on bass and Jeff Plate on drums, these returning members having used their South American shows to hone this line up which also features keyboardists Paulo Cuevas and Shawn McNair. You read that right keyboardists, two men to the job of one as unfortunately Savatage founder Jon Oliva wasn't able to head out on this tour with the band having suffered a T7 vertebrae fracture complicated by multiple sclerosis and Ménière’s disease.
However the creative talisman of the band did appear via pre-recorded video, sat at the piano and belting out the tear inducing Believe as the live band and the whole of Shepherd's Bush Empire joined in with him. There was also a tribute to Jon's brother and co-founder Criss Oliva who passed away while Savatage we're going concern but is always part of the band through his amazing guitar playing on the early tracks. This was about the Savatage as they are now and Caffery and Pitrelli trade off riff after classically influenced riff, that powerhouse rhythm section made sure our ears were ringing, though their full impact was dampened a little by the Empire's ancient sound system.
Everyone has a favourite era of Savatage but with a career spanning set such as this encompasses classic metal, thrash, speed, AOR, sleaze and countless other genres showcasing just how important they are to the metal scene while also showing why Zak Stevens was the perfect man to take over vocals from Jon in 1992 as his live vocals is spine tingling, like Geoff Tate but with a greater range the performances on Handful Of Rain, Dead Winter Dead, Gutter Ballet and Edge Of Thorns were spectacular, though the rest of the band were on top form too, not a note was wasted all night.
I'd been waiting years to see Savatage live and this magical night in London in their presence alongside one of my best friends is one I'll cherish forever and as we sung our lungs out to Hall Of The Mountain King and air guitars to 'that' riff it was reminder of just how lucky I am to do this, but also how Savatage are vital part of heavy metal history.
Couple this with their instance to tour just North and South America or the occasional festival, the chances of seeing them in Europe were getting slimmer and slimmer. They have been on hiatus for a decade but in 2024 it was announced Savatage were back with a full tour kicking off in Brazil and South America before finally returning to Europe and even more importantly London. This was a must for myself and one of my best buddies scoring tickets early. Luckily I also managed to get one of MoM's extremely talented photographers to capture the show too so look out for those on the page too.
Staying in Hammersmith we took a tour of a few local watering holes before the show but managed to keep a clear enough head to arrive in time for supper band Induction (8) this Czech metal band are inspired by the early German power/heavy metal scene, formed in 2014 they have released two albums and an EP playing a mix of all of these. The Germanic influence is strong probably due to guitarist Tim Hansen being the son of Helloween/Gamma Ray founder Kai Hansen. The rest of the band seem to have joined quite recently so I assume this is the first sort of tour in this new guise but Induction managed to win over a hardcore fan base with their anthemic choruses and heavy metal thunder.
If Induction were the beckoning thunder then Savatage (10) were the full storm, a setlist primarily drawn for The Wake Of The Magellan (7 songs) we also got tracks from Handful Of Rain, Dead Winter Dead, Hall Of The Mountain King, Streets: A Rock Opera, Edge Of Thorns, Gutter Ballet and Power Of The Night leaving no stone unturned in their repertoire, except for perhaps When The Crowds Are Gone but it was still a fantastic, nostalgic set list, packed with virtuoso moments and stunning visuals from their LED screens.
The band consists of Chris Caffery and Al Pitrelli on guitar, Zak Stevens on vocals, Johnny Lee Middleton on bass and Jeff Plate on drums, these returning members having used their South American shows to hone this line up which also features keyboardists Paulo Cuevas and Shawn McNair. You read that right keyboardists, two men to the job of one as unfortunately Savatage founder Jon Oliva wasn't able to head out on this tour with the band having suffered a T7 vertebrae fracture complicated by multiple sclerosis and Ménière’s disease.
However the creative talisman of the band did appear via pre-recorded video, sat at the piano and belting out the tear inducing Believe as the live band and the whole of Shepherd's Bush Empire joined in with him. There was also a tribute to Jon's brother and co-founder Criss Oliva who passed away while Savatage we're going concern but is always part of the band through his amazing guitar playing on the early tracks. This was about the Savatage as they are now and Caffery and Pitrelli trade off riff after classically influenced riff, that powerhouse rhythm section made sure our ears were ringing, though their full impact was dampened a little by the Empire's ancient sound system.
Everyone has a favourite era of Savatage but with a career spanning set such as this encompasses classic metal, thrash, speed, AOR, sleaze and countless other genres showcasing just how important they are to the metal scene while also showing why Zak Stevens was the perfect man to take over vocals from Jon in 1992 as his live vocals is spine tingling, like Geoff Tate but with a greater range the performances on Handful Of Rain, Dead Winter Dead, Gutter Ballet and Edge Of Thorns were spectacular, though the rest of the band were on top form too, not a note was wasted all night.
I'd been waiting years to see Savatage live and this magical night in London in their presence alongside one of my best friends is one I'll cherish forever and as we sung our lungs out to Hall Of The Mountain King and air guitars to 'that' riff it was reminder of just how lucky I am to do this, but also how Savatage are vital part of heavy metal history.
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