Global Warning

I was never the most enthusiastic of Savatage followers; their cod theatrical flamboyance only irritated me almost to the point of disgust, and by the time I actually gave those infamous albums a chance, my hatred was buried skin deep. Well, I like to think I've aged slightly since those teenage years — even though they aren't too far behind me — but still the work of Jon Oliva and pals feels turgid and stale to these ears. Maybe I need them syringed. But in the meantime, Jon Oliva's Pain are back with their third studio album, and it is, believe it or not, Savatage-lite that certainly doesn't satisfy the hype preceding it.

While the semi-symphonic charm of the Streets album is in evidence, Global Warning sticks to the light-weight Progressive Metal chop of 2006's Maniacal Renderings, and while that is no bad thing in theory, it deters Oliva from truly reaching out and delivering a blistering monster of a record. The production doesn't help, which is typically egg shell thin, but there are still some bombastic melodic rock to be lapped up, particularly the potent "Firefly". Most effective is the confronting "Look at the World" which sees Jon's gruff voice soaring like an eagle above the unfolding symphonic barrage of melodic guitars and subtle pianos, and as a number of these ideas are taken from the legendary Chriss Oliva tapes found by Jon's wife, the average Savatage fan won't go wrong with Global Warning, but others searching for something with a little more depth and longevity, keep your wallet closed for the time being.