GHOST IN THE RUINS / FINAL BELL

"Ghost In the Ruins" is the tribute to guitarist Chris Oliva, who has died in an tragic car crash. An drunken driver was fault, who was the ghost-driver, crashed into Chris' car on british tour back in 1993.

Any single Sava-fan must own "Ghost In The Ruins", it's been recorded on the "Hall Of The Mountain King" & "Gutter Ballet" tour, put well together on one remarkable live album. All versions are brilliant and passionate played, symphonic metal classic meets power metal classic, one on another one, 'til the album ends with Chris' little acoustic guitar instrumental "post script". This is one to keep: An classic metal live release, which presents finally one of the best & most original guitar players in rock & metal history. Thanks for inspiration: Christopher Michael Oliva (R.I.P.) ....................................................................................................

This is not only one of Savatage's best albums, but one of the best live metal albums, period. It includes older songs with Criss Oliva's leads added on (City Beneath the Surface) as well as excellent versions of their late 80s songs. The singing, although it may be rejected by some at first, is impassioned and excellent. All of the songs are highlights, and so it turns out that this may very well be the best album (holistically) that Savatage ever released.

'Ghost in the Ruins' is the second official live album by American metal band Savatage. Released in 1995, it serves as a tribute to the late Criss Oliva who died in a car accident in 1993, however, it's release comes just months after the band had released 'Japan Live '94', and two live albums, both with similar set lists in such a short span tends to lessen the impact.

To be brutally honest though, while I absolutely love Savatage, and they are one of my all-time favourite bands, I've always felt that their material doesn't translate well into live albums. Sure, there's no doubt the energy of hearing these songs live is off the hook, but hearing it 'live', in album form at least, seems to lack what makes the studio versions so powerful to begin with.

I mean, the band play exceptionally, and there's a palpable chemistry between them all, and the set list is spot on, especially considering when this was recorded, but as I've touched upon, I just really can't get into this. With the likes of 'Gutter Ballet', 'When the Crowds Are Gone', 'Sirens', 'Hall of the Mountain King' and 'Of Rage and War', this album isn't a complete loss, but at the end of the day, I'd much rather listen to any of the studio albums and hear the music in all its fist-pumping studio glory.

Live album of early Savatage, featuring songs up through their Gutter Ballet album. It's pretty much a live greatest hits of their '80s music. Both Jon Oliva and Chris Oliva are performing their hearts out--vocals and guitar work are both intensely emotional. I never had the opportunity to see Savatage live. The closest I ever got was TSO's Beethoven's Last Night tour in March 2010. Or perhaps listening to this album is the closest I'll ever get.

My version of this album has two bonus tracks, most notably an acoustic version of "Stare Into The Sun," sung by Jon Oliva. The original was released on "Handful of Rain" in 1994 and was sung by Zak Stevens. This live album was released as a tribute to guitarist Criss Oliva, who died in 1993. Of course Jon Oliva had his brother in mind when he wrote and performed "Handful of Rain" and no doubt he also had him in mind when he recorded this version of "Stare Into The Sun."

I can't say I love all the songs here. As far as studio albums go, I don't care for most their '80s albums (the lone exception being their 1989 album "Gutter Ballet"). But there are several songs here that I do love. Their live versions of "Strange Wings," "Gutter Ballet," "When The Crowds Are Gone," "Sirens," and "Hall of the Mountain King" are all fantastic. There's so much energy here, so much emotion, so much excellent musicianship. A rare live album, in that it's an essential album for fans of the band. 4 stars.