Search - Jon Oliva's Pain :: Tage Mahal

A list of the most significant US American metal musicians is bound to include Jon Oliva. Together with his band, Savatage, he has composed and produced countless anthems for eternity. His charismatic voice, concise piano, aura, friendly personality and imposing appearance ? his fans love and admire Oliva for a whole number of unusual characteristics. He is now ready to present Tage Mahal, the debut release by his new band, Pain, which will ? in case we had you worried for a minute ? exist alongside Savatage: "I wanted a band with musicians who live in the immediate vicinity," Oliva explains. "With Savatage, it sometimes requires an amazing organizational effort to realize a new project. Things are much easier with my new band, Pain. It consists of musicians that I?ve known for ages and that I can get together with at any time to play live, try out new ideas or record songs." Pain consists of guitarist Matt Laporte, keyboardist John Zahner (whom Oliva knows from! the preproduction of the Savatage recording, Sirens) drummer Chris Kinder and bassist Kevin Rothney. All four musicians also played on Watching In Silence, the debut by ex-Sav vocalist Zachary Stevens? band, Circle II Circle. Oliva also invited his long-standing Savatage ally, Steve ?Dr. Killdrums? Wacholz to play the drums on two tracks in the studio (?No Escape? and ?Nowhere To Run?) and added a glowing wind section to the rocking sound in strategic places. "There are fixed rules that we have to stick to when it comes to Savatage?s sound. Pain gives me complete artistic freedom, I can do anything I feel like doing and, as in the case of the wind section, experiment with unusual orchestrations."