The Dungeons Are Calling

The Dungeons Are Calling
EP by
Savatage
Released1984
RecordedJanuary 1983
StudioMorrisound (Tampa, Florida)
GenreHeavy metal, power metal
Length24:54
LabelPar Records
ProducerDan Johnson
Savatage chronology
Sirens
(1983) 		The Dungeons Are Calling
(1984) 		Power of the Night
(1985)
1994 CD edition cover

The Dungeons Are Calling is an EP by the American heavy metal band Savatage, released in 1984 by Par 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 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

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal10/10[3]
Rock Hard9.5/10[4]

In 2005, The Dungeons Are Calling was ranked number 349 in Rock Hard magazine's book The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time.[5]

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Dungeons Are Calling"Jon Oliva, Criss Oliva, Keith Collins4:55
2."By the Grace of the Witch"J. Oliva, C. Oliva3:16
3."Visions"J. Oliva, C. Oliva3:05
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
4."Midas Knight"J. Oliva, C. Oliva, Collins4:24
5."City Beneath the Surface"J. Oliva, C. Oliva5:49
6."The Whip"J. Oliva3:31
Bonus tracks (1994 CD reissue)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
7."Fighting for Your Love" (demo)J. Oliva, C. Oliva3:20
8."Sirens" (live)J. Oliva, C. Oliva3:21
Bonus tracks (2002 Metal Blade reissue)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
7."Metalhead" (demo)J. Oliva, C. Oliva4:46
8."Before I Hang" (demo)J. Oliva, C. Oliva4:12
9."Stranger in the Dark" (demo)J. Oliva, C. Oliva5:01
99."Piper Rap" (hidden track) 1:41
Bonus track (2011 EarMusic reissue)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
16."In the Dream" (acoustic version)J. Oliva, C. Oliva3:34

Personnel

Savatage
Production
  • Danny Johnson – producer
  • Jim Morris – engineer
  • Mike Fuller – mastering
  • Eddy Schreyer – re-mastering

Release history

Region Date Label Format Catalog
United States 1984 Par Records Cassette PAR1051M
United States April 15, 1985[6] Combat EP MX 6016
Europe 1985 Music for Nations EP RR 9793

Charts

Chart performance for The Dungeons Are Calling
Chart (2021) Peak
position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[7] 15

References

  1. ^ "Savatage FAQ – section 2 – the albums – part 1". Savatage official website. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
  2. ^ Orens, Geoff. "Savatage – The Dungeons Are Calling review". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
  3. ^ Popoff, Martin (November 1, 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. pp. 312–313. ISBN 978-1-894959-31-5.
  4. ^ Lerch, Uwe (1984). "Review Album: Savatage – The Dungeons Are Calling". Rock Hard (in German). No. 12. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  5. ^ Best of Rock & Metal – Die 500 stärksten Scheiben aller Zeiten (in German). Rock Hard. 2005. p. 70. ISBN 3-89880-517-4.
  6. ^ "New Releases" (PDF). FMQB. March 29, 1985. p. 31. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
  7. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Savatage – The Dungeons Are Calling" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
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