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Savatage - The Wake of Magellan CD (album) cover

THE WAKE OF MAGELLAN

Savatage

 

Progressive Metal

3.80 | 173 ratings

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Flucktrot
Prog Reviewer
1 stars Having enjoyed my first exposures to prog metal (Dream Theater, Symphony X, Riverside, etc), I thought I would extend a bit further and try the Wake of Magellan. Wow, was I ever in for a surprise! It is not lightly that I would give a 1 star rating. I'll wait for at least a year after purchasing the album, and I'll give it at least ten full listens. I have nothing against Savatage. I have nothing against prog metal. I just think this is a very mediocre album at best, and a blunder at worst.

There are slightly enjoyable parts. Some of the guitar work is fast and furious, and it actually sounds good. Unfortunately, this album really doesn't feature the guitar much. Instead, vocals lead the way, and they are absolutely awful in places. I like the cover art, and I like the theme. I just really can't get into the actual music.

To wit, exhibit A: Paragons of Innocence. The vocals are consistently flat throughout, but at the 3 minute mark, things become absolutely dreadful. The vocals sound EXACTLY like the Spice Girls ("So tell me what you want, what you really really want...") put to metal, and then the words "gotta let it" are repeated 30 times (don't worry, I counted). This is only a microcosm of the terror that awaits you in listening to this album. Every aspect of this composition has been done much better by other metal bands: technical playing (Dream Theater and tons of others), vocals (pick a band, it's likely better than this), and theme music (if you want historic theme albums/epics, I definitely recommend you start with Symphony X over this album).

My advice? Avoid this album. It adds nothing that hasn't been done better elsewhere. The vocals, melodies, and muddy production are simply not acceptable.

Flucktrot | 1/5 |

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