''Sirens'' is the debut studio album by American heavy metal band

Savatage Savatage () is an American heavy metal band founded by brothers Jon and Criss Oliva in 1979 in Tarpon Springs, Florida. The band was first called Avatar, but, shortly before the release of their debut album '' Sirens'' (1983), they changed t ...

, released on April 11, 1983. The music on this album is heavier than in later Savatage albums, where the band developed their own style of

progressive metal Progressive metal (often shortened to prog metal) is a broad fusion music genre melding heavy metal music, heavy metal and progressive rock, combining the loud "aggression" and amplified electric guitar, guitar-driven sound of the former with t ...

. It has also been cited as a key inspiration for the then-burgeoning

thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an Extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, ...

scene. According to frontman

Jon Oliva John Nicholas "Jon" Oliva (born July 22, 1959) is an American singer and musician. He is best known as the co-founder, keyboardist and lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Savatage, which he co-founded with his younger brother Criss Oliva. Si ...

, ''Sirens'' and the EP ''

The Dungeons Are Calling ''The Dungeons Are Calling'' is an EP by the American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band Savatage, released in 1984 by Par Records. Though the EP was not released until 1984, most of the songs featured on it and the debut album, ''Sirens (Savata ...

'' were recorded and mixed all in one day. With most of the songs prepared no more than a week before the recording session, the band could only afford one day in the studio. The two albums together were to make Savatage's debut but since vinyl records limited the total running time, they were divided. In 2011, they were remastered and released together on the label

Earmusic Edel SE & Co. KGaA is a German independent media company based in Hamburg. As a label and publishing group, it also operates marketing and sales for artists and smaller music labels. The repertoire of the Edel labels includes dance, rock and po ...

. The cover of the English versions published by both

Music for Nations Music for Nations (MFN) is a British independent record label focusing mainly on rock and metal. Originally a subsidiary of Zomba Records, which was a division of BMG, the label was closed in 2004 and later revived in 2015 by Sony Music Ente ...

and

Combat Records Combat Records was an American independent record label founded in 1982 and based in New York City. The label was made specifically for heavy metal and punk rock acts. Notable artists include: Megadeth, Circle Jerks, Nuclear Assault, OZ, ...

in 1985 used the cover of the children's book '' The Borribles Go for Broke''. It was also used by

Metal Blade Records Metal Blade Records (often shortened to Metal Blade) is an American independent record label founded by Brian Slagel in 1982 based in the U.S. state of California. The label primarily focuses on heavy metal. History Metal Blade Records was ...

for the first edition on CD and other subsequent versions.

Track listing

*The track "Out on the Streets" was later re-recorded by the band on their 1986 album, '' Fight for the Rock'' and an acoustic rendition was recorded by Jon Oliva and included as bonus track in the 2010 ''

Greatest Hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...

''. *The track "Lady in Disguise" was also later re-recorded for the 1986 album, '' Fight for the Rock'', but with different arrangements. *The track "Scream Murder" was covered on American progressive metal band Vanquishes' album ''Speed Metal Demon''. * The track "Holocaust" was covered by American

death metal Death metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep death growl, growling vocals; aggressive ...

band Six Feet Under and is featured on their cover album '' Graveyard Classics''.

Personnel

In the liner notes for the album the band gave themselves roles instead of listing their instruments: *

– Shrieks of Terror (lead vocals, synthesizers, keyboards) *

Criss Oliva Christopher Michael Oliva (April 3, 1963 – October 17, 1993) was an American musician who was the lead guitarist and co-founder of the heavy metal band Savatage. During his lifetime, he released seven studio albums and one EP with the band. ...

– Metalaxe (guitars, backing vocals) *Keith Collins – The Bottom End (bass, backing vocals) * Steve Wacholz – Barbaric Cannons (drums, percussion)

Production

*Dan Johnson – producer *Jim Morris – engineer *Mike Fuller – mastering *Jeffrey S. King – US edition artwork *Terry Oakes – UK edition artwork, illustrations *Eddy Schreyer – re-mastering

Charts

References

External links

Sirens entry at official Savatage homepage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sirens (Savatage Album) 1983 debut albums Music for Nations albums Savatage albums Albums recorded at Morrisound Recording