DEAD WINTER DEAD

3.5 stars. SAVATAGE return with a Rock Opera of sorts with this story set in 1990's Sarajevo during the Balkan War. Some changes on this one as we get a new drummer and guitarist and Chris Caffery is back as well. I do think this is a better album than the previous one "Handful Of Rain" because of the new energy. I like the album cover here as well.

"Overture" opens with some bombast thern the tempo picks up late. Good start. "Sarajevo" opens with atmosphere then the piano and reserved vocals come in.Synths follow and it becomes more powerful. "This Is The Time (1990)" opens with a guitar solo then the vocals arrive. It settles before 1 1/2 minutes then builds as contrasts continue. I like the guitar solo 4 minutes in as well. "I Am" is cool just because Jon Oliva takes the vocal lead for a change. A nice heavy sound here until it calms down after 1 1/2 minutes. "Starlight" is a great tune. It's heavy with vocals coming in after a minute. An atmospheric calm after 3 minutes then the guitar lights it up.The guitar leads 4 1/2 minutes in as the tempo picks up.

"Doesn't Matter Anyway" is the other song that Jon sings on. It opens with riffs as fast paced vocals join in.This is a rocker. Some nice bass after 2 minutes. "This Isn't What We Mean't" opens with piano then fragile vocals join in as it gets fuller.This is like a Power-ballad really. "Mozart And Madness" picks up before a minute with soaring guitar. Just a fantastic instrumental. "Memory" is a short piece with guitar. "Dead Winter Dead" is heavy as vocals join in. A guitar solo after 2 1/2 minutes then the keys come in.The guitar proceeds to rip it up until the end. Nice. "One Child" opens with keys and reserved vocals. It picks up then settles as contrasts continue. Not a fan of the last half. "Christmas Eve (Sarajevo)" is a song this band used when they became TRANS SIBERRIAN ORCHESTRA. "Not What You See" is ballad-like even though it does get fuller. Not a fan.The last three tracks don't exactly give this record a strong finish.

Overall a pretty strong album, I would probably rate this as my fourth favourite from the band.