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OLIVA
Raise The Curtain

AFM (2013)
Rating: 8.5/10

So after 30 years of Savatage, Jon Oliva’s Pain and Trans-Siberian Orchestra, mastermind Jon Oliva releases his first ever solo album. The album is, for the most part, a solo album in the strictest sense with most of the instruments (even drums and lead guitars on select tracks) played by the man himself.

In addition to this being Oliva’s first solo album, the album is also noteworthy due to the fact that it contains the final song ideas from late Savatage guitarist Criss Oliva, a bittersweet moment for both Jon Oliva and his longtime fans.

The album opens with a Kansas-esque lead guitar led instrumental bearing the album’s title before launching into the solely Jon Oliva penned ‘Soul Chaser’. This combo opens the album in the grandiose way you’d expect and reminds you that the Mountain King still breathes inside Mr. Oliva. Featuring biting guitars and absolutely insane vocal work, Oliva has hardly ever sounded better, immediately rivaling Savatage’s best moments.

Once the album gets rolling, a few songs start to stand out immediately. ‘Father Time’ is one such moment with a funky guitar riff and a soaring vocal that gives it a slightly different flare than the rest of the songs. The keyboard soloing over top of the funky riff is as pomp rock as they come and it’s bright sound just kicks all kinds of ass. This may be my favourite Criss Oliva riff ever.

Other highlights include the damaging sound of ‘The Witch’ (also a Criss Oliva riff), that burns with the same spark that made Savatage’s Gutter Ballet (1989) and Hall Of The Mountain King (1987) classics, and the ballad ‘Soldier’. The latter is a touching tribute to troops, laden with acoustic guitars and a gentle flute and dusted with just enough drum work and electric guitar to give it that anthemic feeling that fans expect. Jon Oliva’s voice is very straightforward on this song and, when combined with the other songs here, it shows his versatility surprisingly well.

As much as I want to love all of this, there are some spots that I feel just don’t hold up as well as others. ‘Stalker’ is a song that seems to be a solid idea but just doesn’t come off very well in the end. It’s very disjointed and leaves little for you to latch onto. The cheesy lyrics of ‘Big Brother’ are a bit of a letdown as well. Musically it’s solid, but it just doesn’t really go anywhere. Compared to the majority of the album though, these are minor quibbles.

While elements of Jon Oliva’s other works are certainly present here, it’s the 70s prog rock influences that are most striking. Oliva was certainly a fan of Kansas and ELO and, finally, he lets those influences fly, completely disregarding any critiques of this sounding “dated”. For the record, it does sound “dated” and it’s one of the most endearing qualities of Raise The Curtain because it’s not done halfway – it’s the real deal. This is a great album that Oliva’s fans will love, as will any fan of the powerhouses of 70s prog rock.

Mark Fisher

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