STREETS - A ROCK OPERA

One of prog-metal's leading concept albums, released shortly after Operation: Mindcrime yet years ahead of it. Savatage have not gained the respect and recognition deserving of a band of their talents in the prog or metal worlds. This album shows a quantum leap ahead in their career, incorporating orchestration and having the piano play a larger role in the songs. The guitar remains the dominant instrument here but if you pay attention to the album's nuances you'll see the genius of the lightly used textures and orchestrations placed within.

This is a bit more accessible than most prog-metal as it does not share the insane technicality usually associated with the genre, however the songs are still interesting and hold up sounding fresh a decade later. The more power ballad like songs on the album are generally much better and more moving than the more stereotypically metal ones. Luckily, the album favors more towards the orchestrated pieces than the metal tracks.

Jon Olivia gives his best vocal performance on this one. Delivering massive waves of emotion to wash over the listener. He's actually not technical one of the best singers in music, having many noticeable flaws with his voice. However, much like Roger Waters, this only adds to his appeal as a singer, and the imperfects accentuate the genuine vocal approach he takes. Still the standard metal of the album can't be denied. It lurks in the shadows and brings down the overall quality. It's not that I can't appreciate a strong metal song; it's just that Savatage do straightforward metal much better than they have here and after all this is a prog site.