Jon Oliva's Pain - 'Festival'

A Rocktopia user review written by Speedy Hicks.

Everyone has a few albums in their collection that they can say ticks all the boxes and is nye on perfect. I have a few and I recently added a new one ... this one. The first question to ask is how can someone that has been creating music for so many years still offer up something so refreshing? Only Mr Jon Oliva knows the answer to that, thank the Lord he keeps releasing new work is all I can say. After a short intro its head first into “Lies” and what greets my ears from the speakers is one seriously scary vocalist with a voice that would force your average teeny bopping chart lover to hit the stop button. “Death Rides a Black Horse” follows with a thumping groove and well placed orchestration and again a catchy chorus that swirls around in your brain long after the song has finished. You can hear the Zeppelin influence on the stand out track “Afterglow” with acoustics and strings and wait for it, a piano / jazz section just for good measure, and believe me it works. This album is stacked to the brim with great storytelling and great riffs. We also get two beautiful ballads, the first “Looking for Nothing” splits the CD into 2 halves and the second being the closing song “Now” which is almost haunting in its execution.

What is so poignant about “Festival” is the use of some of the late “Criss Oliva’s” guitar riffs and parts, that Jon has kept safe all these years, some date back to 1979. The fact that “Festival” is such a triumph and the talent that was Criss is still somehow alive on this release makes it all the more an essential purchase.

Reviewed by Speedy Hicks.