The artist: Savatage have had quite a career with their music. They started off as speed metal with Sirens and The Dungeons Are Calling EP. They didn't become truly established until Hall of the Mountain King. With the siblings Jon and Criss Oliva in the band, they knew where they wanted to go with Savatage and went on releasing several albums until Criss Olivia was unfortunately killed by a drunken driver in 1993. Despite this, Jon went on with the band and released a few more albums before focusing more on Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Jon Olivia's Pain. Savatage has been put on hold ever since and the odds of Jon Olivia putting Savatage back on the road is slim to none. Still, there's a lot to check out from this band and even one of the post-Criss Olivia albums is worth listening to.
The album: The Wake of Magellan is the concept album based on the Maersk Dubai incident and the Irish reporter Veronica Guerin, two real life events. They also incorporate to a story about a spanish sailor who wanted to end his life on his boat in the middle of the Atlantic ocean. His wishes are turned back as soon as he sees a man drowning in the middle of the ocean and saves his life. His morale was how precious every hour of life is and lives on. There are many great tracks in this album such as Turns to Me, the instrumental Underture and the title track. The highlight of the album has to be the album closer The Hourglass which is this week's pick.
The song: The Hourglass is the grand finale for the tale of The Wake of Magellan. This song picks off from where the sailor saves the the drowning man. Their journey back home isn't an easy one since the two head to a storm in the sea and this is what makes The Hourglass a climatic ending to the album, especially with Zak Stevens' vocals. If there's any justification for Zak Stevens, it's this very song. The way his voices are multi-layered at around 5 minutes in puts the situation at the very top and gets the two individuals through the terror on the sea, thus making it a happy and emotional ending. It better make you feel you were at an incredible journey in the sea and saying farewell to the ship once the song ends. Overall, The Hourglass is that one song that makes The Wake of Magellan worth hearing in its entirety for its highly climatic ending. Having Zak Stevens in the band was no mistake!
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