Savatage
Gutter Ballet

"Where's the light, turn them on again

One more night to believe and then

Another note for my requiem

A memory to carry on

The story's over when the crowds are gone"

1989: "Gutter Ballet" represents the turning point in Savatage's career. To an already established hard and aggressive sound in their previous 5 albums, a previously absent component is added: the use of the piano as an occasionally introductory and at times leading instrument, certainly with an extraordinary impact on the band's melodies, which at times acquire a delicacy, sophistication, and expressiveness unprecedented.

This blend of piano harmonies and raw, hard guitar riffs, combined with the extraordinary voice of the majestic Jon Oliva, in my very humble opinion one of the most engaging and expressive metal singers of all time, has been the band's fortune from this album onward, making them a benchmark band in the global heavy metal scene. This album features all the multiple facets of the Californian band: fast and powerful tracks, instrumental pieces, and deeply evocative songs.

In the first category, we have "Of Rage And War", a track with a very strong sound and angry lyrics, speaking with disdain about war and humanity's tendency to always seek new methods to better annihilate itself, "She's In Love", and "The Unholy". The two instrumentals are nothing short of stunning: "Temptation Revelation", opening with a spine-chilling guitar solo accompanied by a simple piano, and "Silk And Steel", a piece consisting exclusively of a splendid classical-flavored acoustic guitar arpeggio with glimpses of "Friday Night In S.Francisco" (especially at the end), which makes us appreciate even more the vast and versatile guitar talent of the late Criss Oliva. Very interesting are "Hounds", alternating gritty riffs with relaxing interludes, "Mentally Yours", introduced by a beautiful piano line, and the bonus track "Thorazine Shuffle", which in my opinion represents the model of a typical Savatage song, powerful and energetic.

A particular applause goes to the delicate "Summer's Rain", truly very beautiful, another piece in full Savatage style, the perfect compromise between poignancy, sentiment, and emotional charge. Intentionally left at the end of the list, the epic "Gutter Ballet" and the poignant "When The Crowds Are Gone" are two absolute masterpieces of the Californian band, two pieces of extraordinary evocative power. I focus mainly on the latter, which in my modest opinion is the piece that most closely approaches, in its dramatic intensity, the magnificent "Believe" (the two songs are so similar that the last verse is the same in both). The lyrics consist of the last, heartbreaking plea of a musician at his final public appearance, feeling loneliness approaching as the lights go out and the crowds depart.

Well, I would say this is a very high-level album, it needs to be listened to a few times to be appreciated (at first, I didn't like it at all) and it is absolutely essential for those who appreciate Savatage, it's a milestone of the band, just one step below "Streets - A Rock Opera", which is, in my opinion, something unbeatable. And then pieces like "Temptation Revelation", "Silk and Steel", "When The Crowds Are Gone, and "Summer's Rain" are pure poetry, the kind that gets inside you and strikes you to the core, touching the most sensitive strings of our souls...