At first the group was called Avatar. Then the musicians found out that a band with that name existed before, and connected two words - Savage and Avatar. And as a result, they got a new name Savatage.
The beginning of the creative career of Savatage
Once, in the backyard of a house in Florida, a group of teenagers performed with a concert - brothers Chris and John Oliva, their friend Steve Waholtz. The loud name Avatar was chosen after a heated discussion and approved by all members of the team in 1978. For three years the team played together. And in 1981, another guy joined them - Keith Collins, and the composition of the group became as follows:
- John Oliva - vocals
- Chris Oliva - rhythm guitar
- Steve Wacholz - percussion
- Keith Collins - bass guitar
The musicians played hard rock, heavy metal was their passion, and their dream was the desire to become famous. And the guys did their best to become famous - they went to festivals, participated in all available projects. At one of these events, they learned that a group with the same name Avatar already exists. And the use of the same word to refer to your team threatens with trouble.
Firstly, they could be accused of plagiarism, and secondly, they did not want to share their fame. That's how I had to quickly figure out to become different from others. And in 1983, a new hard rock band, Savatage, appeared.
At one of the festivals, the brothers met with representatives of the independent record company Par Records. They recorded their debut albums with her. The group's popularity increased. And in 1984, they finally drew the attention of "major players" in the music services market.
Working with Atlantic Records
The first company with which the Savatage group signed an agreement was Atlantic Records - not the last "player" in the music market. Almost immediately, this label released two albums of the group, produced by the famous Max Norman. The first big tour, organized by the label Atlantic Records, began.
The musicians began to perform pop-rock, but the band's "fans" and critics did not understand this "reversal" from the underground. And the Savatage group began to be criticized. The reputation of the rockers suffered a crushing blow, and they had to make excuses for a long time.
However, soon fortune again smiled at the musicians. Thanks to joint tours with the Blue Öyster Cult and Ted Nugent in America and a European tour with Motӧrhead, the musicians regained lost ground and enjoyed even greater popularity. Thanks to the band's new producer, Paul O'Neill, the band quickly developed. New compositions have been added, the music has become more “heavy”, and the vocals have become more diverse.
The albums became thematic, the rock opera Streets appeared in the repertoire. The creators of the group even more often began to think about solo activities outside the team.
1990е the years and the Savatage team
Having worked out a tour in support of the rock opera, John left the band in 1992. But he was not going to completely abandon his offspring, remaining a "full-time" composer, arranger and consultant. The band was fronted by Zach Stevens. With his arrival, the group sounded different, his vocals were different from John's voice. But this did not prevent the popularity of the group. This replacement received positive reactions from fans and music critics alike.
The songs of the group were even more often heard on the air and their popularity increased. The army of fans numbered millions of music lovers all over the world. And at the peak of popularity in the fall of 1993, a tragedy occurred in the group - in an accident, in a head-on collision with a drunk driver, Chris Oliva died. It was a shock for everyone - relatives and friends, friends and admirers of his talent. Chris was only 30 years old.
Savatage without Chris
No one could fully recover from the loss. But John and his associates decided not to close the project, but to continue their activities, as Chris would like. In mid-August 1994, a new album, Handful of Rain, was released. Most of the compositions were written by John Oliva.
Zach remained on vocals, while John was replaced by Alex Skolnick. Steve Wacholz left the team, in which he did not see himself without Chris. They were close friends, friends since childhood. And he could not see another person instead of Chris. Skolnik did not stay in the team for a long time. After the tour in support of the new album, he went on a solo "swimming".
After the death of Chris, the team was on the verge of disintegration, the members changed, until in 2002 they decided to take a break. Once again in 2003, they teamed up for a concert in memory of Chris. And after him 12 years did not go on stage.
Our time
In August 2014, the official release of Savatage was released. The musicians officially announced that in 2015 they will take part in the Wacken Open Air festival (the main annual event in the world of heavy music). The composition of the group corresponded to the participants working in it from 1995 to 2000. And this concert was the only one in Europe. As always, John Oliva kept his word.
But fans of this group's creativity still believe that someday the musicians will take the stage, and the audience will again enthusiastically greet their favorites.
