The Dungeons Are Calling
The Dungeons Are Calling is an EP by the American heavy metal band Savatage, released in 1984 on Combat Records. Though the EP was not released until 1984, most of the songs featured on it and the debut album, Sirens, had been in the band set list since 1979, and are part of the Live in Clearwater and City Beneath the Surface EPs. The Dungeons Are Calling is a loosely based concept album and the title track, contrary to popular belief, is not about Hell or torture, but about the horrors of drug use. The song used many metaphors, which have been sometimes misunderstood.[1]
The Dungeons Are Calling | ||||
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EP by | ||||
Released | March 22, 1984 (U.S.) July 1985 (UK) | |||
Recorded | January 1983 | |||
Studio | Morrisound Studios in Tampa, Florida, United States | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 24:54 | |||
Label | Combat (US) Music for Nations (UK) | |||
Producer | Dan Johnson | |||
Savatage chronology | ||||
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1994 CD edition cover | ||||
The tracks on this EP were recorded the same day as the tracks for the Sirens album. The two were meant to be a full-length debut but were divided due to limited space for songs on vinyl. The two were released together in 2011 for the first time "as they were meant to be" (Jon Oliva).
The cover is a picture of a human skull with a homemade syringe, a reference to the title track of the album.
Critical reception
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [2] |
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 10/10[3] |
Rock Hard | 9.5/10[4] |
In 2005, The Dungeons Are Calling was ranked number 349 in Rock Hard magazine's book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time.[5]
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "The Dungeons Are Calling" | Jon Oliva, Criss Oliva, Keith Collins | 4:55 |
2. | "By the Grace of the Witch" | J. Oliva, C. Oliva | 3:16 |
3. | "Visions" | J. Oliva, C. Oliva | 3:05 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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4. | "Midas Knight" | J. Oliva, C. Oliva, Collins | 4:24 |
5. | "City Beneath the Surface" | J. Oliva, C. Oliva | 5:49 |
6. | "The Whip" | J. Oliva | 3:31 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
7. | "Fighting for Your Love" (demo) | J. Oliva, C. Oliva | 3:20 |
8. | "Sirens" (live) | J. Oliva, C. Oliva | 3:21 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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7. | "Metalhead" (demo) | J. Oliva, C. Oliva | 4:46 |
8. | "Before I Hang" (demo) | J. Oliva, C. Oliva | 4:12 |
9. | "Stranger in the Dark" (demo) | J. Oliva, C. Oliva | 5:01 |
99. | "Piper Rap" (hidden track) | 1:41 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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16. | "In the Dream" (acoustic version) | J. Oliva, C. Oliva | 3:34 |
Personnel
- Savatage
- Jon Oliva – lead vocals
- Criss Oliva – guitars, backing vocals
- Keith Collins – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Steve Wacholz – drums, percussion
- Production
- Danny Johnson – producer
- Jim Morris – engineer
- Mike Fuller – mastering
- Eddy Schreyer – re–mastering
References
- "Savatage FAQ - section 2 - the albums - part 1". Savatage official website. Retrieved 2013-04-16.
- Orens, Geoff. "Savatage - The Dungeons Are Calling review". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2013-04-16.
- Popoff, Martin (1 November 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. pp. 312–313. ISBN 978-1894959315.
- Lerch, Uwe (1984). "Review Album: Savatage - The Dungeons Are Calling". Rock Hard (in German). No. 12. Retrieved 2018-04-03.
- [...], Rock Hard (Hrsg.). [Red.: Michael Rensen. Mitarb.: Götz Kühnemund] (2005). Best of Rock & Metal die 500 stärksten Scheiben aller Zeiten. Königswinter: Heel. p. 70. ISBN 3-89880-517-4.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)