With his raspy, yet melodically rich vocal style, Savatage's Jon Oliva has been one of my favorite hard rock singers. In a career and discography filled with them, "Strange Wings" has to be one of Oliva's most powerful vocal performances.
Also featuring the late, great Ray Gillen (Badlands, Black Sabbath, Sun Red Sun) on background vocals, "Strange Wings" opens with a guitar riff built for arenas. Its verse sections find Criss Oliva (Jon's since deceased younger brother) shifting to a clean guitar tone, giving the vocals room to work their magic, before bringing back that towering intro riff.
"Strange Wings" closes with Jon and Ray trading off vocal runs while Criss shreds away on his axe. With its melancholic lyrics and moody verses, the song has a mystical sort of vibe to it. The fact that two of the musicians on the recording session have since passed away only adds to that.
Check out this live version of Savatage and Ray Gillen performing "Strange Wings" in Anaheim, Calif. in 1990 to see the guys in action.
