Nights like last night (March 11) at Temple remind me why metal isn’t just a genre of music that I like, but something much bigger than that. It’s a way of life, the friendships that develop within this context, the bands we grew up with and that left their mark on us and the musicians who, unlike the stylized images of representatives of other music genres, in metal, they expose themselves to the public with all their good and bad sides.
SAVATAGE is a band that defined the genre, nurtured generations of musicians and fans, and as Dimitris Barbas (Mr. Music), one of the speakers at the presentation of Andreas Oikonomou’s book “A Thousand Tales Untold: The Early Years”, they proved that the use of a single note can change the history of music.
Shortly after 9 p.m., the event began in front of a large audience (considering that the event took place on a Wednesday night) with four prominent figures taking their seats next to Oikonomou. The discussion was moderated by veteran journalist Thodoris Manikas, who told us how he walked the streets of Tampa, in Florida, USA, the same streets where the Oliva brothers began a journey in the late 1970s that Jon Oliva has continued on his own since 1993. Next to speak was veteran soccer player Savvas Kofidis, known for his love of metal music, who truly spoke on behalf of all true friends of SAVATAGE. All those who, without knowing anything about music, are touched by SAVATAGE.
“…When I listen to SAVATAGE, time ceases to exist and I am transported to another world…”
What he emphasized several times, with emotion, was how much the loss of Criss Oliva had affected him. This is proof of what I mentioned above about the importance and emotional bond that exists between fans and musicians in metal.
“…The loss of Criss is not just the death of a musician but the violent severing of a musical genius. With his guitar, he didn’t just play music, he spoke, he cried…”
Next to speak was the well-known journalist and expert on the history of metal music, Hakos Pervanidis, who also spoke about the impact that SAVATAGE music had on his life. One of the first albums he heard that made an impression on him was “The Dungeons Are Calling” because it was so different from what he had heard before. But it didn’t stop there.
“…‘Hall Of The Mountain King’ and ‘Gutter Ballet’ changed my life because this music has intense emotional richness and did not have just one direction. Its emotional richness is evident in every note Oliva plays, but also in his very existence…”
The significance of SAVATAGE’s artistic legacy, according to Hakos, is evident in the fact that they are cited as an influence by artists of many genres, not only metal, but also in the behavior of the band members towards fans, journalists, etc., as he had the privilege to meet them. In fact, he mentioned that there are interesting stories from these encounters, but unfortunately there was no time to hear any of them.
The last guest of the evening was Dimitris Barbas, also known as Mr. Music, famous on social media for the in-depth videos he releases about music. He said that SAVATAGE is a band full of darkness at its core, but as always, there is light within the darkness, and so with SAVATAGE, their music is those little lights. He cited the song “Sarajevo” from the album “Dead Winter Dead” (1995) as an example, as it presents a Christmas fairy tale amidst the turmoil of war. These contrasts are the essence of SAVATAGE.
“…Music is frequencies, we are frequencies, and identification is the emotions we evoke in each other…”
He focused particularly on the title of the book, which includes the word “tales,” and mentioned that SAVATAGE are essentially storytellers in the folkloric sense of the term, and their role is that of the bards. Finally, he revealed how he decided that metal music was what expressed him. He listened to three albums… one by ACTIVE MEMBER, one by FUGEES because of his admiration for Lauryn Hill, and “Hall Of The Mountain King” by SAVATAGE… you can easily guess how that went.
The last to speak was Andreas Oikonomou, who dedicated the event to the late Christos Christodoulou (Mr. Siren). He emphasized the difficulty of the undertaking for the volume concerning the band’s early years, since, especially for the period 1976-1982, there is historical chaos, mainly due to Jon Oliva, who gave a different version of the events of that period in every interview. What he attempted to do with the book was to present the stories behind the band’s official history. The metal culture of the early 1980s, the philosophy that prevailed in the metal capitals of America and England, and the role played by countless fanzines in the careers of many bands. His admiration for SAVATAGE is boundless and is linked to the character of the musicians and not just their music.
“…admiration for a musician is multifaceted. You don’t just admire their music, but also their character and temperament…”
This book is the first in a trilogy that will be released in the future. The first volume essentially covers the period of the band’s first three albums. And there was no better way to end the evening than with a mini set dedicated to these albums. Five exceptional musicians took to the stage, paying due homage to SAVATAGE’s songs and sending the audience into a frenzy. The musicians were as follows:
Christos Razis – guitar (inner:i)
Haris Anagnostou – drums (Void Droid)
Angelos Angelopoulos – bass (Void Droid)
Giannis Varvas – vocals (4LT)
Giannis Vogiatzis – vocals (Need)
Finally, there was also a mini exhibition with rare SAVATAGE memorabilia and, of course, the book, which, from what I saw, people honored by buying it.
As Hakos said at one point, this particular evening was not as nostalgic as some might think. The reason is that SAVATAGE is not a relic of an older musical era that we remember and honor today, but is still a living part of music history. A history that will unfold before us this summer when they visit our country for the second consecutive year.
You can buy the book here!
