Both songs feature lead singer Jon Oliva alone with a piano. “A Little Too Far” has a show tune quality to it, while the beautiful “Heal My Soul” takes its melody from an old Welsh lullaby. Opening with a snippet from Mozart’s Magic Flute, the group quotes from a wide range of influences.

Unlike many rock operas where the story suffers to further the music or vice versa, the band finds a nice compromise on Streets and is able to convey feelings of deep sorrow, elation, anger, and beauty, sometimes even on the same track. Although not based around real life events in the life of the band, it’s obvious the group is quite attached to the material, turning out very emotional performances. Based around a short story written by producer/songwriter Paul O’ Neill, Streets is a diverse collection of songs about a lost soul trying to find himself in the New York City night. Streets picked up where Gutter Ballet left off, taking Savatage’s interest in progressive metal into a full-album concept.

Savatage streets a rock opera