DOCTOR BUTCHER - USA

DOCTOR BUTCHER - Same - BLACK LOTUS  
Doctor Butcher was probably conceived by Savatage singer Jon Oliva (and guitarist Chris Caffery) to play metal again following the drift of their main band into rock territory. Indeed, Doctor Butcher hacks like a real metal blade reminiscent of the earlier Savatage sound with Oliva screaming with abandon. Now and more than ten years after its original release by Gun Records Greece’s Black Lotus has picked up the album for re-release, albeit with a complete booklet and a few demo songs tagged onto disc number two.
As said, the creation of Doctor Butcher was a reaction to the decline of Savatage and given its style a cut above the mother ship, but fact is that the album sounds half-baked. While the screaming vocals and the copious amount of solos and guitar rhythms is literary music to the ears several songs sound half finished. In particular, Don’t Talk To Me, Season Of The Witch, I Hate, You Hate, We All Hate!!! And All For One... None For All are especially weak and lacking force. Counteracting these are the opener The Altar, The Chair with its excellent guitar work, The Picture’s Wild with its crunchy sound and the slow and creepy Lost In The Dark which manage to impress. Were there a choice between Savatage as it had become and Doctor Butcher the metal fan’s vote would be with the latter act. Having said that, this good doctor does not quite garner much confidence either given the lack of outright winners. - Ali “The Metallian”