In a recent appearance on Metal Hammer Greece TV’s TV War, Savatage guitarist Chris Caffery and drummer Jeff Plate discussed what they believe keeps the band’s music resonant with listeners after all these years.
Jeff Plate pointed to the band’s longtime producer and lyricist, the late Paul O’Neill, as a key figure in crafting that timeless connection. “Well, a big part of that is Paul O’Neill‘s lyrics. I mean, those lyrics have touched thousands of people all across the world. We hear it all the time. The song “Believe” is a song that time after time, night after night, people approach us and say, ‘That song literally saved my life,’ or, ‘I cried listening to that song.’ But Paul had a way of writing that just connected with so many people in an individual way. You match that with one of the most unique-sounding bands ever.”
Chris Caffery also weighed in, emphasizing the distinctiveness of Savatage’s sound and songwriting, particularly highlighting the contributions of late guitarist Criss Oliva. “I mean, you have a guitar player that is right there, in my opinion and in a lot of people’s opinion, right there with somebody like a Dimebag and Eddie Van Halen, with Criss. And I think that the music that the Oliva brothers [Criss and Jon] had written [for Savatage] is as timeless as the Black Sabbath and the Judas Priest and Iron Maiden stuff. So it hits as a complete package, especially in the heavy metal world.” (as transcribed by Blabbermouth.net)
Caffery also pointed to the band’s 1987 album Hall of The Mountain King as a defining work that remains influential. “You have a record like Hall of The Mountain King, which is, I think, on a lot of people’s lists, if not the top 10, at least the top 20 classic metal records ever. And you have a riff like “Hall Of The Mountain King”. So [as] Jeff said, [a big factor is] the really human-to-human element of Paul‘s lyrics, kind of the same way that Queen‘s Freddie Mercury could sing to 70,000 people and it seemed like one. That one-on-one element exists in those lyrics and with that music, and it just managed to survive the test of time.”
He continued, “And that’s something that, for us, we’re seeing it’s not just the fans that liked us then, it’s new fans. It’s picking up a whole new audience. So it’s really exciting to know that we’re not just bringing back the music to the people who wanted to see it. We’re bringing that music to a whole new audience.”
Plate added his thoughts on how Savatage managed to maintain its uniqueness over decades. “And musically, the band sounds like no one. Even back in the four-piece metal days, with the original four, so to speak, nobody sounded like that lineup. And then over the years, Chris came aboard during Gutter Ballet and the band just kept progressing in sound. It never sounded like anybody. And I don’t think there’s a band out there that really sounds like Savatage. So that originality, along with the lyrics, has kind of kept the band just cutting through all the different genres in the different phases that have happened over music throughout the years.”
Reflecting on the shifting music landscape, Plate said, “I mean, when grunge came along in the early ’90s, it just about killed off a lot of bands, put a lot of people out of work. Savatage kind of maintained its course. And one thing that Paul O’Neill taught me by just watching him was, like, you stick to what you do. You believe in what you’re creating and you stick to it. And here we are all these years later, and we are this legacy act that hasn’t played in 23 years. So there’s a newness to what we’re doing all over again.”
Plate noted the impact of maturity on their approach to live performances today. “But add to that just how unique the band is and how it sounds — the lyrics, the stories around it — it’s a complete package. And going back to earlier what Chris said about the maturity, we’re not kids anymore. We approach this a little bit differently than we had 25, 30 years ago, where it was so much fun to just go out there and play and rock. Now we’re on stage doing that, but we’re really paying attention to every single thing that we’re doing up there. And the response has been tremendous — it really has. And we are so happy with the response, but also just working together on stage and how good this whole thing sounds and feels. It’s awesome — it really is.”
Joining Caffery and Plate on Savatage’s 2025 touring lineup are Al Pitrelli on guitar, Johnny Lee Middleton on bass, and Zak Stevens handling lead vocals. The band returned to the stage in April with four shows in South America, including their first non-festival headlining performance in over 20 years on April 21 at Espaço Unimed in São Paulo, Brazil. This show followed their appearance at the Monsters Of Rock festival at Allianz Parque, also in São Paulo. Their 10-date European tour began on June 13 at the Into The Grave festival in Leeuwarden, Netherlands.
In addition to the core members, the tour features new keyboardists Paulo Cuevas and Shawn McNair.
Zak Stevens first joined Savatage in 1992, stepping in for Jon Oliva, and went on to sing on four studio albums: Edge of Thorns (1993), Handful of Rain (1994), Dead Winter Dead (1995), and The Wake of Magellan (1997). Stevens left in 2000, paving the way for Jon Oliva to return. Both Oliva and Stevens shared the stage during the band’s 2015 performance at Wacken Open Air, marking Savatage’s first live appearance since their hiatus began in 2002.
The last album the band released was Poets and Madmen in 2001, which featured Jon Oliva back as lead vocalist after Zak Stevens‘ departure, reportedly for family reasons. Around this time, Al Pitrelli also exited the band to join Megadeth, although he recorded solos for several tracks before leaving. Following that, Savatage embarked on a limited U.S. tour, which initially included support from Fates Warning, and later, Nevermore. During this period, Jon Oliva selected Damond Jiniya of Diet Of Worms as Zak’s touring replacement, with Jon taking on a larger vocal role during live shows.
