Ghost in the Ruins – A Tribute to Criss Oliva is a live album by the American heavy metal band Savatage, recorded between 1987 and 1990. Many of the tracks on this album have since been added to the re-releases of other albums in the Savatage discography by the German label SPV in 2002. The Japanese version of the album, titled Final Bell – Tribute to Christopher Michael Oliva and released by Zero Corporation in 1997, shows the track "Criss Intro" as "Criss Oliva Guitar Solo" on the track listing.
| Ghost in the Ruins – A Tribute to Criss Oliva | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Live album by | ||||
| Released | December 15, 1995 | |||
| Recorded | 1987–1990 | |||
| Genre | Heavy metal, power metal, progressive metal | |||
| Length | 63:51 | |||
| Label | Nuclear Blast America (US) Fresh Fruit/SPV (Germany) Zero Corporation (Japan) | |||
| Producer | Paul O'Neill, Jon Oliva | |||
| Savatage chronology | ||||
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| Final Bell cover | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 8/10[1] |
| Metal Hammer (GER) | 7/7[2] |
| Rock Hard | 10/10[3] |
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Recorded at | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "City Beneath the Surface" | Criss Oliva, Jon Oliva | The Ritz in New York City, 1990 | 5:39 |
| 2. | "24 Hours Ago" | C. Oliva, J. Oliva, Johnny Lee Middleton, Paul O'Neill | The Spectrum, Philadelphia, 1988 | 4:48 |
| 3. | "Legions" | C. Oliva, J. Oliva | The Spectrum, Philadelphia, 1988 | 5:06 |
| 4. | "Strange Wings" | C. Oliva, J. Oliva, O'Neill | The Spectrum, Philadelphia, 1988 | 4:01 |
| 5. | "Gutter Ballet" | C. Oliva, J. Oliva, O'Neill | Los Angeles Palace, 1990 | 6:14 |
| 6. | "Temptation Revelation / When the Crowds Are Gone" | C. Oliva, J. Oliva, O'Neill | Hollywood Palace, 1990 | 7:10 |
| 7. | "Of Rage and War" | C. Oliva, J. Oliva, O'Neill | Lamour, Brooklyn, 1990 | 4:29 |
| 8. | "The Dungeons Are Calling" | C. Oliva, J. Oliva, Keith Collins | Nassau Coliseum, Long Island, 1988 | 4:48 |
| 9. | "Sirens" | C. Oliva, J. Oliva | Nassau Coliseum, Long Island, 1988 | 3:37 |
| 10. | "Hounds" | C. Oliva, J. Oliva, O'Neill | Lamour, Brooklyn, 1990 | 7:20 |
| 11. | "Criss Intro" (instrumental) | C. Oliva | Agora, Cleveland, 1987 | 1:13 |
| 12. | "Hall of the Mountain King" | C. Oliva, J. Oliva, Middleton, O'Neill | Lamour, Brooklyn, 1990 | 6:38 |
| 13. | "Post Script" (instrumental) | C. Oliva | Sound check, Hollywood Palace, 1990 | 1:42 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Recorded at | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Devastation" | C. Oliva, J. Oliva | Agora, Cleveland, 1987 | 3:37 |
| 15. | "Stare into the Sun" (acoustic version) | J. Oliva, O'Neill | 4:55 |
Personnel
edit- Savatage
- Jon Oliva – lead vocals, piano, co-producer
- Criss Oliva – lead guitar, acoustic guitar
- Chris Caffery – rhythm guitar
- Johnny Lee Middleton – bass guitar
- Steve "Doc" Wacholz – drums and percussion
- Production
- Paul O'Neill – producer
- Robert Kinkel – engineer
- Ken Lewis, Joe Johnson, Mike Scielzi, Joe Daily – additional engineering
- Steve Corson – assistant engineer
- Dave Whittman – mixing at Soundtrack Studios, New York
- Ben Arrindell – mixing assistant
- Leon Zervos – mastering
References
edit- ^ Popoff, Martin (August 1, 2007). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 3: The Nineties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. pp. 383–384. ISBN 978-1-894959-62-9.
- ^ Schöwe, Andreas (March 1996). "Savatage – Ghost in the Ruins". Metal Hammer (in German). Retrieved May 8, 2018.
- ^ Kühnemund, Götz (1995). "Review Dynamit : Savatage - Ghost In The Ruins (A Tribute To Criss Oliva)". Rock Hard (in German). No. 106. Retrieved April 29, 2018.