Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Savatage
Label: SPV Records
Release: 1986
Rating: 2/5
The band could have rightfully named “Fight For The Rock” “Fight For The Nightmare”, because they were truly unhappy with what they’d made at the time, or rather: with what they were forced to make. “Fight For The Rock” is a textbook example of how a greedy label nearly pushed one of the best heavy metal bands of the eighties to the brink of extinction. Out of nowhere, they demanded that Savatage make records as commercial as possible, so they’d be easier to play on the radio and rake in fat stacks for the label, which is usually never a good idea for any metal band with even a speck of pride. It was also the first album with the band’s now long-time bassist Johnny Lee Middleton, who replaced Keith Collins, suddenly “incompatible” according to the Oliva brothers, and that was one of the few good decisions the band made back then. The label’s attempt to make the album sound more pop than metal naturally backfired.
The title track, which is basically rock’n’roll with a slightly more “heavy” pulse, is a prime example of the band’s new direction. The sad thing about it, and about the album as a whole, is that it was one of the few songs from the record that they actually played live at the time. The bright spot is definitely “Hyde”, which is hands down the best thing on the album, and where Jon’s trademark nervously screeching vocals thrill with those screams once again. “Red Light Paradyse” also deserves some attention, though not necessarily in a good way. With its unusual combo of dark riffs and a disco beat, it was supposedly conceived as an anti-disco creation, but honestly, it doesn’t sound that way to me. The track that shows the sound of classic Savatage most authentically is “The Edge Of Midnight”, with its interesting horror intro. So the album isn’t without its highlights, even if there aren’t many. There’s also a lack of new ideas, but it would be wrong to blame only the band for that. To this day, “Wishing Well” (originally by Free) and “Day After Day” (originally by Badfinger) remain the only covers the band has ever put on a studio album. “She’s Only Rock And Roll” then convinces us once and for all that the band really wasn’t on the right wavelength back then and had almost completely bent the album to the label’s demands. It’s a dreadful creation that would fit better in some strip club. The only thing saving it is Criss’s excellent and always representative riffing. The remaining three songs on the album were written long before this record was made and are merely improved versions of their original forms. “Out On The Streets” (now with a more commercial pulse) first appeared on their debut “Sirens” (1983). “Lady In Disguise” was released as a demo in a considerably different form, while “Crying For Love” is likewise an improved version of a song that was on some demo during the making of the previous record, “Power Of The Night” (1985). You can also feel throughout the album that Savatage were a bit uncomfortable, since on “Fight For The Rock” they suddenly used far more keyboards than on any album up to that point. Luckily it didn’t bug them too much, because on the very next album they learned to use that musical element the way it should be used.
Both bonus tracks on the 2002 reissue are live versions of their classics “The Dungeons Are Calling” and “City Beneath The Surface”, which are here as a reminder of the band’s true roots and their then still untapped potential.
As a pop metal/rock’n’roll album, “Fight For The Rock” is a splendid investment. But of course that’s not what you’d expect from a band like Savatage, which is why “Fight For The Rock” is without a doubt their by far worst release and a significant step backward. One look at the dreadful cover and it’s pretty clear the album is openly aimed at the American market, while the band already had more fans in Europe back then. Luckily, soon after this album came out, the band shook off the grip of the ravenous label and made a musical U-turn in the right direction, which shone in full glory on their next album, the one that finally brought them a wider breakthrough.
Lineup
Jon Oliva – vocals, piano
Criss Oliva – guitar, backing vocals
Johnny Lee Middleton – bass guitar, backing vocals
Steve Wacholz – drums, percussion
Production
Steven Machat & Rick Smith
Track list
1. Fight For The Rock (3:55)
2. Out On The Streets (3:58)
3. Crying For Love (3:27)
4. Day After Day (3:40)
5. The Edge Of Midnight (4:52)
6. Hyde (3:51)
7. Lady In Disguise (3:08)
8. She’s Only Rock ‘N Roll (3:14)
9. Wishing Well (3:20)
10. Red Light Paradise (3:56)
Album length: 37:54
Bonus tracks on the 2002 reissue:
11. The Dungeons Are Calling (live) (3:45)
12. City Beneath The Surface (live) (5:01)
