Savatage
Edge Of Thorns

THE REVIEW

No one knows how to create a work of art, there is no poet, writer, or painter who knows, at the moment of starting their work, that they will conceive a masterpiece. In every beginning, there is passion, dedication, and sometimes a great knowledge of one's means, but to know what will materialize from one's work is impossible. The one certain thing is that every artist, in any field, experiences a moment of grace, and if they manage to seize this moment, then it's done; the masterpiece is served.

Not even "Savatage" knew before entering the studio that it would be their magnum opus, the sum of all their compositional efforts. They didn't even know it would be the last album of the brilliant "Criss Oliva" and that the magic of his six-string would be silenced in a tragic car accident, along with the perfect alchemy, both lost forever.

But in that magical 1993, "Edge Of Thorns" unleashed all its magic starting from the cover, one of the most beautiful ever created, a work of art for a work of art. The music then is a symphonic metal that is magical and sublime, made even more perfect by the masterful interpretation of the then-newcomer "Zachary Stevens". The songs unfold in an orgy of incredible melodies that sometimes caress us with infinite melancholy, sometimes scratch us with unheard-of rage, but always with an intensity worthy of the most passionate lover. Tracks like "Edge Of Thorns", "He Carves His Stone", "All I Bleed", "Damien", are now classics of the group and of metal itself, but all the pieces that sail through this wonderful album are masterpieces of the genre, and it's impossible to remain indifferent to their beauty.

Getting lost at the Edge of Thorns is easy, I did it, and in a way, I've never been able to find my way back. Perhaps there is no way back, or perhaps I don't want to find it if after so many years I am still here wandering among these magical melodies, waiting for others to get lost in this enchanted forest.