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Jon Oliva's Pain Global Warning Review by Greg Olma Anyone who knows their metal knows that Jon Oliva was one of the masterminds behind Savatage. Now that Savatage is on hiatus (not forever I hope), Jon Oliva splits his time between Trans Siberian Orchestra and Jon Oliva's Pain. JOP is more the metal side of his creative genius. This is the 3rd release and what you get is an eclectic bunch of songs that bring together Beatle influences, Deep Purple-ish keyboards, Alice Cooper-ish vocals, and most of all, metal. Global Warning is similar to his other releases so you're not getting something ground-breakingly new but you are getting a high quality batch of tunes that will keep that Savatage hunger at bay (at least for a little while). This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2008 Volume 4 at lulu.com/strangesound.

Track by Track Review

Global Warning I almost thought this was an instrumental until about 2/3 of the way through we finally get vocals. The tune starts out very soundtrack-like, then moves into a Deep Purple sound, before it finally settles down into a Savatage metal track.

Look At The World This cut sounds like a cross between The Beatles and Alice Cooper. The vocals especially remind me of Cooper due to the phrasing.

Adding The Cost Now we get a fast paced rocker that could have come off the first Doctor Butcher album. It is one of the more straight forward metal tunes on the disc.

Before I Hang We get a Cooper/Savatage mix on this morbid cut. I really love this side of Jon Oliva's Pain as it has the metal I love but it adds the quirkiness of Alice Cooper to keep things a little fresh.

Firefly Here is a tune that has a mix of Trans Siberian Orchestra with some Beatles influences thrown in. This is a little heavier than a lot of Trans Siberian Orchestra so I can see why it is here instead of on a TSO album. It is one of the lesser metal moments on Global Warning.

Master This cut builds into a more modern metal tune that has Jon Oliva singing in almost a growl. The song is pretty straight forward and doesn't veer off course too much. It's a solid rocker that is one of the highlights.

The Ride Acoustic guitar starts off this track but it does have a heavier chorus. This is more rock than metal with a 70's feel to it.

O To G This is a short piano ballad about loss.

Walk Upon The Water I get a bit of a Beatles vibe on this one. It is similar to "The Ride" in that it is more rock. Those two songs really show the diversity of the band.

Stories Now we get more metal in a Savatage meets Trans Siberian Orchestra type of track. It does make sense because Jon Oliva is part of both.

Open Your Eyes Jon Oliva once told me that one of his biggest influences is The Beatles and he really shows it here. There is a very small piano moment that sounds like "Home Sweet Home" by Motley Crue but this cut is very Beatles-ish.

You Never Know Oliva and company move more towards metal in a Savatage vein here. "You Never Know" is one of the more metal moments on this rather diverse disc.

Someone/Souls The CD ends on a Beatles/ Trans Siberian Orchestra mixture. There are heavier parts but overall it is rock with the Beatles influence predominantly at the beginning. The "Souls" part of the song is a little guitar ballad.

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