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Fight for the Rock

Savatage - Fight for the Rock Audio CD

A fair review of the Savatage "Fight for the Rock" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Savatage reviews here, or go back to the Savatage tabs.

Band: Savatage
Title: Fight for the Rock
Rating:

Release Date: 1990-06-15
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Fight for the Rock 2: Out on the Streets 3: Crying for Love 4: Day After Day 5: Edge of Midnight 6: Hyde 7: Lady in Disguise 8: She's Only Rock & Roll 9: Wishing Well 10: Red Light Paradise

The cash hungry album - 2.5 stars
After which they changed gears for this album which sees the band take a step back from the leather and spikes traditional metal fare of their previous offerings for a more acceptable commercially version of themselves. Savatage had put out three full blast metal attacks in a row in the form of Sirens, Power of the Night and The Dungeons Are Calling. Not that this isn't quite obviously Savatage for anyone who knows them well but for a newcomer who had merely heard the name Savatage as an inside tip from some more established metalhead this album could perhaps be somewhat of a confusion and fans of this mob have often pointed to this album as somewhat of a blip in the bands catalogue.

Specifically the points to consider when viewing this album in relation to their other albums is that the lyrics were somewhat dumber. The change in style can be viewed in a number of manifestations. Firstly there are songs like the title track that despite the dumb title is pretty muscular really even if the lyrical bent is the sort of tosh that Euro bands and third tier 80's style Hollyrock bands have peddled relentlessly over the years, full of hollow sentiment about how ready to rock we all are and how you've gotta, well, Fight for the Rock. But all up, as I said, not a bad song musically and that carries the song a long way towards acceptance in a sort of numbskull way.

Other tunes on the album are more infested with the softer play for cash sentiments of much of this release such as Crying for Love although that's not to deny the guilty pleasure that a number of these tunes can elicit in the listener as the band are not wholly submerged into a candy coated version of 80's metal, the bands utterly metallic nature proving too strong to be totally watered down and thus we get a number of good riffs and melodies.

To be fair, some of the way this album has come to be viewed by the bands fanbase is to a certain extent unfair given it at least shows the band willing to stretch out and become more open to the use of slower structures that allow their songs to breath more. And it has to be said this expanded use of dynamics did pay dividends for the band on later releases. The simple fact is that this band had the talent to address a number of hard rock and metal styles - in fact also styles way outside of the hard rock universe, but here the transition is just too abrupt, the use of cheesy mid 80's keyboards/organs and other studio trickery not really gelling with the music. Not to mention the cheesy band photos that were just so far from their previous look and the thing just doesn't feel right. Though their cover of Wishing Well does provide a few chuckles. . . .

But as I said, some good riffs and a few good ideas. But not the Savatage we were used to in the early days and nowhere near the more inclusive and interesting experience we became accustomed to in their later years.

For completists only.
.

Not As Bad As Alot Complain It To Be
Fight For The Rock DOES have some great moments with song's such as Fight For The Rock, their version of the Badfinger Classic Day After Day, as well as Free's Wishing Well, Hyde and She's Only Rock 'N Roll. While most people agree that Fight For The Rock is NOT Savatage's most well recieved album and is only for die-hard fans, I myself am not a die-hard fan but do like their music as well as this album. I remember buying this on Cassette (way way) back in 1986 at the ripe 'ol age of 19 (now 39). Ahhh those were the day's.

Should have fought harder
Caving to record company pressure, the band abandoned their underground power metal sound and made an album of bland, derivative corporate rock, full of ballads and pop rock clich�s. Fight for the Rock is widely considered by everyone (including the band) to be Savatage's worst album.

Despite not living up to the standard set by the band's previous releases, Fight for the Rock does have its good points. Songs like Hyde, the Edge of Midnight, and the title track are closer to what you'd expect from Savatage, standing out like little islands of metal in a sea of love songs and uninspired covers (Badfinger and Free).

Fight for the Rock is an album for Savatage completists only, and is should be sought out only after you get every other Savatage release. Fortunately the band would rebound from this misstep with their metal masterpiece Hall of the Mountain King.

NOTE: While you can pick up the standard version of Fight fairly cheap, if you're set on getting this album you may want to spend a little more on the German import reissue by SPV. It hasn't been remastered, but the 2002 SPV reissue does have a few extras that make it a better buy. It features 2 additional tracks - live versions of Dungeons are Calling and City Beneath the Surface, but the real bonus is that the liner notes have been expanded to include several pages of very detailed information about the band during this particular stage of their career. When added to the chapters from the other SPV Savatage reissues, you'll get the real story behind one of the best (and most underrated) metal bands of all time. .

Savatage's weakest album
This record is a conglomeration of uninteresting metal tunes weighed down by generic subject matter, boring instrumentation, and shallow lyrics. For collectors only. Uninspired covers of "Day After Day" and "Wishing Well" don't help. A major disappointment from a band that has done much better work.

Every great band has a less-than average album
Normally, an exceptionally excellent metal band, this album is the one that only dedicated Savatage fans will "enjoy". Fight For The Rock was Savatage's attempt to reach a more main-stream audience and their music suffered accordingly.

As other reviewers have noted, in spite of it's many weak moments a couple of the songs are quite good which makes the disc worthwhile if your aim is to collect every Savatage album (as I have).

Do not buy this if you are new to Savatage, instead allow me to recommend "The Wake Of Megellan", "Streets", or "Hall Of The Mountain King".

You can see a complete list of all Savatage discography, or go back to the Savatage tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.