From: Flash - Italy 1993 Criss Oliva, talkative, nice and self assured as ever, explains us why "Edge Of Thorns" represents a crucial point in the long artistic existence of Savatage .
What kind of atmosphere surrounded the recording of your new album? "Edge Of Thorns" was recorded in a very familiar atmosphere, regarding that we recorded it here in Florida, where we live; we were able to work in a very relaxed climate. This all helped us a lot and the album turned out to be a very spontaneous effort. Writing and recording the songs took us less time than usual, because we were able to work in all tranquility. It would have been a lot different if we would have done it somewhere else, like New York for example, where you always have to hurry, working with a gun pointed to your head... We worked two months on writing the songs and needed only ten weeks for the recording- and mixing- process. Listening to the album, a massive work of elaborating the guitar sound and the vocals seem evident. Did you have to adapt specific techniques in order to create such a rich sound? We decided to divide the tasks: Paul, Jon and Zachary ( Paul O'Neill the producer, Jon Oliva the ex-vocalist and co-producer, Zachary Stevens the new vocalist ) worked on the vocals, while the other guys in the band and I occupied ourselves with the instrumental parts. Personally I have been engaged in producing the sound of the guitars, bass and drums. Besides writing and playing the keys, Jon also produced the sound of the keyboards. Paul and Jon were so busy supporting Zak with the vocal parts, that they had to grant me the credits for producing a great deal of the album, and I can say that I am very pleased with it ! I have found something to do for when I don't play anymore ( laughing! ). This also goes for Jon, He has really done a great job! What exactly is your brother's position with the band? Officially he is no longer part of the band, regarding that he doesn't sing with you anymore. However, he co-produced the album, plays piano and keys on it and has co-written some of the songs. How do you explain his choices ? It is something he's been thinking about for a long time. And after having thought about it for some years he has finally decided to leave the stage and remain active in the background. He still co-writes together with me as well as working on other projects. He was tired of spending a lot of time being on tour, he decided to spend more time with his children at home like the sloth he is! At this moment he's working on a side-project called Dr. Butcher, a group he put together, and he's still working together with me. I have heard rumors that he is also working on some sort of rock opera... That's right. Paul, Jon, Bob Kinkel and I are working on a rock opera for Broadway. I have written some tracks for this project. I can't tell you anything about this project, but I can tell you that this will not be a rock opera " a la Savatage "; it's a play destined for Broadway for which we are writing the songs and which will be released on CD. For Jon, this might be a way to complete his artistic profile ? Yes, more or less. Jon has a lot of different ideas and he wants to work them all out. His Dr. Butcher project is very heavy and therefore very different from his other projects. He's doing a lot of different things at the same time. Let's return to Zachary. Has the change of vocalists had any "side-effects" on the production of the new album. His voice is very different from Jon's; did this imply changes in the structures of the songs ? Certainly! Jon and I had already written a lot of songs for the new album, but they were all put aside, because they were focused on Jon's voice. Other songs have been adapted to Zak's voice. We wanted to maintain the typical heavy Savatage style and at the same time exploit Zak's voice which is much more melodic, but less heavy than Jon's. Do you think that Zachary's voice is adapted to a style with a lot of classical references ? Absolutely! He has a very strong voice and he has improved a lot since the first time we heard him on a demo tape. He has learned a lot, working with Jon. Like he said himself; my brother taught him things he didn't even know existed. Jon is very satisfied with Zak, for he learns fast and has a lot of potential. Above all, he integrated immediately into the Savatage style. Which band was he in before joining Savatage ? He was in a band from Boston, called Wicked Witch. Do you think that Zak's voice will help Savatage in it's musical recognition ? Without a doubt! Our record company also shares this view. We are all really satisfied with "Edge Of Thorns" . We can finally harvest the recognition we deserve. We have been approached by MTV and radio stations have dedicated 150 passages to our songs, though 30 of them were from our previous releases. In Italy your new album was released a few weeks ago and it's already selling really well; what can you tell me about the rest of the world, and the United States in particular ? It's too early to tell about sales. But the reviews were really promising... In Germany, Holland and Europe in general we are doing really well and we're expecting the same over here in the States. As I already said, the reviews are better than ever. We are all very enthusiastic about this, especially the manager of my bank ! In "Streets", being a concept album, there was a clear story-line running through the entitre album. Is this the same for "Edge Of Thorns" ? For this album, I wanted each song to tell it's own story. It didn't have to be another concept album. We have written 13 songs which are much more guitar- and vocal orientated than our previous albums. We wanted to create our sound around Zak's vocals and the guitar harmonies, creating a direct approach and a direct sound. How would you define Savatage's evolution over the last few years, from "Gutter Ballet" to your new album ? The band has improved gradually, constantly growing from "Hall Of The Mountain King" up to this point where it is all or nothing. You might say that we are half-way up a mountain, having two options: either we will make it all the way to the summit, or we will fall down and break our necks. But if we reach the top, we will stay there for a long time. We have been around for quite some years and we have built up a strong base of credibility and professionalism. The loyalty of our fans is a good indication. Some bands have a hit and then disappear right off the face of the planet. If we succeed, we will stay forever ! I think that this album is accessible to a much wider audience. Was this planned, or was it a consequence of the arrival of Zachary ? We play what we think sounds good, and that's where we are fortunate. There aren't a lot of bands around that can play whatever they want. I think I have the talent to do what I like, and if I will not be able to do that, I will probably kill myself ! (...laughing ). Does this mean you're exposed to external pressure? Absolutely not! I am always under some kind of pressure! But I like working under pressure, it gives me extra motivation. Is this a consequence of your studies of classical music, where you are exposed to pressure every day? Yes. You try to put together an album in 10 weeks. It makes your brain spin! Touring and the music business in general also put you under a lot of stress. But hey, aren't we all stressed-out in this business ! And is it all worth it? As I said before, we do what we like! I wouldn't want to change it for the world, although I would like to be a producer and because I'm already doing some producing, I am very happy the way I am. On stage, can we expect your guitar to be even more powerful than on disc? You bet! I am going to blow your eardrums! We have done a lot of work on our guitar sound for this album. The solo's really stand out and in a very spontaneous manner. We recorded them without having to play them over and over again. I played them once and that's how they are on the album. Is that the advantage of your experience? It's been quite some years since Avatar (the original name of the band) ... Yes, after many years of playing and recording... But the fact that we were playing here at home, in Florida, also played an important role. And the people in the studio have been doing a great job as well ! They are real professionals; I'm thinking about recording our next albums here as well... Are you satisfied with the means your record company has placed at your disposal ? Sure! And they are very pleased with our work. They have assured us of their confidence in the record sales. They told us that, finally, we have something that is also a commercially strong product. What's your opinion of the new music scene in New York and Seattle ? New York is too busy for me, but I have to admit that some bands from that area are doing really well. And as for Seattle, the positive thing about those bands is the fact that they are all linked by friendship. Something similar is happening here in Tampa as well. But Seattle doesn't really freak me out. I especially like Queensryche, they are fabulous ! How would you describe your Italian fans ? They are among our preferred crowds, together with the Germans. Playing in Italy and Germany is like playing at home! How are you preparing for the long tour that awaits you ? We have been rehearsing a lot. We are playing 8 to 10 hours a day. We have recruited someone who will be playing keys and guitars on tour and I am teaching him all my techniques. On the album, I have played different guitars to create a certain sound and I want to reproduce all this on stage as well. That's why I have recruited a second guitarist to play the extra parts... after all, I don't have 8 hands! Everything has to be perfect and as close to the original tracks as possible. What can we expect in Milan on the 18th. of June ? Pure energy ! Be prepared if you don't want to be blown away !
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