The Wake of Magellan

Infobox Album
Name = The Wake of Magellan
Type = Album
Artist = Savatage


Released = April 7, 1998 (U.S.)
Recorded =
Genre = Progressive metal, Symphonic metal
Length = 60:06
Label = Atlantic
Producer = Paul O'Neill
Reviews =
* Allmusic Rating|3|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:4sq6g4amtvjz~T00 link]
* Toph Morris (Favorable) [http://www.savatage.com/bandinfo/albums/wakeofmagellan/review.html link]
Last album = "The Best and the Rest" (1997)
This album = "The Wake of Magellan" (1998)
Next album = "Believe" (1998)
Misc = singles
Name = The Wake of Magellan
Type = studio
single 1 = Turns to Me
single 1 date = 1998

"The Wake of Magellan" is a concept album by Savatage and is based on two real life events. The first, the Maersk Dubai incident, occurred less than a year before this album was released when the captain of a freighter threw three Romanian stowaways overboard in the middle of the Atlantic. A fourth stowaway was saved by the courageous action of a deckhand, who risked his own life to protect the youth.

The second event regarded the Irish reporter Veronica Guerin who died fighting the growth of the drug trade in her country. Her death may accomplish what she could not in life.cite web
url = http://www.savatage.com/bandinfo/faq3.html
title = Savatage FAQ, Section 2 - The Albums, Part 2
publisher = Savatage.com
accessdate = 2008-05-16]

These events are combined into the story of an old Spanish sailor, who has decided to end his life by sailing his small boat out into the Atlantic until it sinks. In his mind he has romanticized this decision as a glorious, Vikingesque way to die. When the ocean winds push him into a great storm, and he believes that his wish is about to be granted in a great dramatic fashion, he suddenly sees a man drowning in the ocean. In an instant he finds himself taking back every wish for death's embrace, and fights to save this soul. After many twists and turns, he is able to save the stowaway that had been thrown overboard. Returning to land, he now realizes that not only every life is precious but also every hour of that life.

This is the first Savatage album to have the same line up as the previous album since "Hall of the Mountain King" in 1987. This is also the last Savatage album to feature vocals from lead singer Zachary Stevens. Dream Theater is also thanked in the album's liner notes. Derek Sherinian and Al Pitrelli were in Ethyl Mertz together. Al and Derek also went to college together and both toured with Alice Cooper for the "Trashes the World" Tour. Al and John Petrucci also played together on a Japanese release called "Guitar Battle".

Track listing

#"The Ocean" (Oliva/O'Neill) – 1:33
#"Welcome" (Oliva/O'Neill) – 2:11
#"Turns to Me" (Oliva/Pitrelli/O'Neill) – 6:01
#"Morning Sun" (Oliva/Caffery/O'Neill) – 5:49
#"Another Way" (Oliva/Pitrelli/O'Neill) – 4:35
#"Blackjack Guillotine" (Oliva/O'Neill) – 4:33
#"Paragons of Innocence" (Oliva/O'Neill) – 5:33
#"Complaint in the System (Veronica Guerin)" (Oliva/O'Neill) – 2:37
#"Underture" (Oliva/O'Neill) – 3:52
#"The Wake of Magellan" (Oliva/Caffery/Middleton/O'Neill) – 6:10
#"Anymore" (Oliva/O'Neill) – 5:16
#"The Storm" (Oliva/Pitrelli/O'Neill) – 3:45
#"The Hourglass" (Oliva/Pitrelli/O'Neill) – 8:05

US Bonus Tracks

14. "Somewhere in Time/Alone You Breathe" (J. Oliva/O'Neill) - 4:37
15. "Sleep" (C. Oliva/J. Oliva/O'Neill)- 4:16
16. "Stay" (C. Oliva/J. Oliva/O'Neill) - 2:48

2002 SPV Re-Release Tracks

14. "This Is Where You Should Be" (J. Oliva) - 4:55
15. "Desiree" (Acoustic Piano Version) - 3:53

Personnel

*Zachary Stevens - lead vocals
*Jon Oliva – lead vocals (featured on "Another Way" and "Paragons of Innocence"), keyboards
*Chris Caffery – guitars, backing vocals
*Al Pitrelli - guitars, backing vocals
*Johnny Lee Middleton – bass guitar, backing vocals
*Jeff Plate – drums

References