| Edge of Thorns | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 6, 1993[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1992–1993 | |||
| Studio | Morrisound Recording (Tampa, Florida) 321 Studios (New York City) | |||
| Genre | Heavy metal[2] | |||
| Length | 59:54 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Producer | Paul O'Neill, Jon Oliva, Criss Oliva | |||
| Savatage chronology | ||||
| ||||
Edge of Thorns is the seventh studio album by the American heavy metal band Savatage, released on April 6, 1993, by Atlantic Records. It was the last Savatage album to feature guitarist Criss Oliva, who died six months after its release, and their first release with Zachary Stevens on lead vocals, following the departure of Jon Oliva from his role as singer in Savatage, although he did produce and write songs for the album.
The drums on this album sound different from other Savatage records, as Steve "Doc" Wacholz decided to use electronic drums. Although most of the drum kits sound authentic, a difference in the timbre of the toms can be heard.[3]
"All That I Bleed" and "Miles Away" were the last songs Jon Oliva, Criss Oliva and the producer Paul O'Neill wrote together. For that, they are still Jon Oliva's two favorites on the album.[4]
The woman in the picture of the album art is Dawn Oliva, Criss Oliva's wife.[citation needed] Gary Smith, who also did the front and back covers for Hall of the Mountain King, the front cover for Gutter Ballet, the back cover for Streets, and all of Criss Oliva's airbrushed guitars, painted the cover. The face in the trees is supposed to be Jon Oliva, though producer O'Neill disputes that despite its publication in a Criss Oliva interview from 1993. The cover is supposed to represent good (the woman) vs. evil (the face in the trees). According to Criss Oliva in a 1993 interview, "The girl is surrounded by fear and innocence. But the face in the trees is evil. Everything around her is evil. It's about good and evil. The songs on the CD reflect this, too."[3]
The opening piano riff to the title track was used extensively in the MTV reality series The Real World: San Francisco during scenes involving the hospitalization of Pedro Zamora.
- ^ "Savatage - Edge Of Thorns". Metal Storm. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
allmusicwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b "Savatage FAQ: Section 2 - The Albums Part1". Savatage Official Website. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
- ^ "Savatage - Edge of Thorns". Edel AG. 2010. Archived from the original on October 22, 2014. Retrieved April 9, 2018.