As the recently reactivated progressive metal legends Savatage continue their successful European tour, band members are reflecting on the potent combination of factors that has allowed their music to endure for decades and attract a new generation of fans. In a new interview with Metal Hammer Greece‘s “TV War,” guitarist Chris Caffery and drummer Jeff Plate attributed the band’s timeless appeal to a “complete package” of god-tier musicianship, profound lyrical depth, and a sound that has always been uniquely their own.
At the heart of the Savatage legacy is the trailblazing guitar work of the band’s late co-founder, Criss Oliva. Caffery made a bold comparison, placing his former bandmate among the instrument’s most revered players. “You have a guitar player that is right there, in my opinion and in a lot of people’s opinion, right there with somebody like a Dimebag and Eddie Van Halen, with Criss,” he stated (as transcribed by Blabbermouth). He added that the music written by the Oliva brothers, Criss and Jon, is “as timeless as the Black Sabbath and the Judas Priest and Iron Maiden stuff.”
The second crucial element, according to Plate, was the masterful and deeply human lyrics provided by the band’s late producer and creative partner, Paul O’Neill. “A big part of that is Paul O’Neill‘s lyrics. I mean, those lyrics have touched thousands of people all across the world,” Plate explained. He pointed to one song in particular as proof of that connection. “The song ‘Believe’ is a song that time after time, night after night, people approach us and say, ‘That song literally saved my life.'”
Tying it all together was the band’s singular sound, which allowed them to weather industry trends that crippled many of their peers. “Musically, the band sounds like no one,” Plate affirmed. “I don’t think there’s a band out there that really sounds like Savatage. So that originality… has kind of kept the band just cutting through all the different genres.” He noted this uniqueness helped Savatage maintain its course when “grunge came along in the early ’90s [and] just about killed off a lot of bands.”
Now, after more than two decades away from consistent touring, the band is seeing that legacy resonate stronger than ever. Caffery noted that it’s “not just the fans that liked us then, it’s new fans. It’s picking up a whole new audience.”
With a renewed sense of focus and maturity, the band is embracing the opportunity to present their timeless music to the world once more. “We approach this a little bit differently than we had 25, 30 years ago,” Plate said. “We’re really paying attention to every single thing that we’re doing up there. And the response has been tremendous.”
