Artist: Savatage
Song: Prelude To Madness/ Hall Of the Mountain King
Album: Hall of the Mountain King (1987)
Genre/ Style: Heavy Rock, Heavy Metal, Hair Metal, Power Metal, Thrash Metal, Groove Metal, Speed Metal, Fantasy Metal, Progressive Metal, Symphonic Metal
Label: Atlantic Records
Producer: Paul O'Neill and Savatage
Production Staff:
Paul O'Neill – producer, arrangements
Savatage – co-producer, arrangements
Roy Cicala, Nick Schiralli – recording, mixing at Record Plant, New York
James A. Ball – engineer
Joe Henahan – assistant engineer
Jack Skinner – mastering at Sterling Sound, New York
Gary Smith – Illustration
Savatage, Bob Defrin – art direction
Robert Zemsky – direction
R. Z. management Inc. – management
Released: September 28, 1987
Studio: The Record Plant, New York City

Savatage:
Jon Oliva – "The Grit" (lead vocals, piano)
Criss Oliva – "The Crunch" (guitars)
Johnny Lee Middleton – "The Thunder" (bass guitar, backing vocals)
Steve Wacholz – "Doctor Killdrums" (drums, percussion)
Robert Kinkel – keyboards

Website: Savatage.com

Hall of the Mountain King is the fourth studio album by the American heavy metal band Savatage, released in 1987 under the direction of producer Paul O'Neill. It is their first album produced by O'Neill, who was assigned to the band after the tour in support of Fight for the Rock. Through Paul O'Neill's connections, he brought in Ray Gillen of Badlands fame (credited as Ray Gillian), then briefly fronting Black Sabbath, to perform a vocal duet at the end of "Strange Wings". "Prelude to Madness" is an arrangement of Grieg's "In the Hall of the Mountain King" from the Peer Gynt suite. Oddly, Grieg is not credited for this song, but for the following title track - which is an original song. The intro of "Prelude to Madness" features keyboards and guitar playing "Mars, the Bringer of War" from Gustav Holst's suite, The Planets. The song would be re-recorded by Trans-Siberian Orchestra in 2009 under the title of "The Mountain", appearing on that group's fifth studio album, Night Castle. "This Is Where You Should Be", recorded during the studio sessions for this album, was not included; years later it was released on compilations and album reissues.

This was the first album to feature the album cover drawn by artist Gary Smith, who was responsible for lead guitarist Criss Oliva's airbrushed guitars at the time. Hall of the Mountain King reached position No. 116 in the US Billboard 200 albums chart.

Lyrics:

"Prelude to Madness" (Instrumental)
Edvard Grieg, C. Oliva, O'Neill

"Hall of the Mountain King" C. Oliva, J. Oliva, Middleton, O'Neill

Far away in a land caught between time and space
Where the books of life lay
We fear this castle of stone
The mountain king roams all alone in here
But he's not the only one
Lost inside, forever hidden from the sun

Madness reigns
In the Hall of the Mountain King, oh yeah

His deep dark eyes keep watch on his kingdom
And the mysteries that sleeps safe inside
His hall, his towers of stone
Shall not be overthrown for eternity
It is guarded by the king
Insanity and the power that it brings

Madness reigns
In the Hall of the Mountain King, oh yeah
In the Hall of the Mountain King, oh yeah...

Come with me, stay close by my side
As the darkness of night closes in
Don't fear in the thunder it roars
When the Mountain King calls all his children home
To where I hid him we must run
Refuge here, for those forever on the run

Madness reigns, my friends...
In the Hall of the Mountain King, oh yeah
In the Hall of the Mountain King, oh yeah...

свернуть