Trans-Siberian Orchestra Leader Paul O?Neill Dies at 61
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Before the whole TSO thing, Paul O'Neill partnered up with what could have been just another random metal band with a couple of hidden gem early albums that were followed by a somewhat lame record company attempt to become radio friendly. As producer and one of the principal songwriters for Savatage, O'Neill was an integral part of an unparalleled eight-album streak that helped pioneer the progressive metal genre. With Jon and Criss Oliva, Paul O'Neill helped to create what I consider the finest album ever made, Streets. As beloved as the band is within the progressive / power metal community, their one true mainstream success was with an instrumental that took two Christmas carols and converted them into a symphonic metal style. I was amazed when I heard a track from a concept album about the Bosnian war being played going into a commercial during Monday Night Football.
With the success of that song, Paul O'Neill was able to branch it off into the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, turning a long-held dream of his into a very successful yearly extravaganza. Although I do own and enjoy the TSO albums, Savatage is my favorite band of all time, and two years ago I flew to Germany to attend Wacken Open Air, the largest metal festival in all the land, to see Savatage play their first official show in over a decade, headlining the Friday night show. Savatage played a set on one of the main stages, then TSO played a set on the adjacent main stage, and then for the grand finale, in a move that was peak Paul O'Neill, both bands played a set together at the same time on both stages.
I took the picture below myself, from the rail, at the close of one of the most amazing shows I have ever seen.
Paul O'Neill was a man of spectacle, a man who convinced a metal band from Florida to integrate covers of classical music into their repertoire, create several incredible concept albums that actually had coherent and compelling storylines, and incorporate counterpoint vocals to great effect in a handful of their most epic songs. I dream of Savatage songs being in Rock Band, forcing them to add a fourth microphone.
(section starts at 4:55, counterpoint at 5:25, but of course the whole song is gold)
Even if TSO is a part of the reason why there has been exactly one official Savatage show in the past decade, Paul O'Neill produced and cowrote eight of my all-time favorite albums and ensured that pretty much everyone who played on those albums was able to live comfortably by bringing them into TSO. O'Neill used his own success to collect actual historical artifacts and to randomly drive around New York and hand out enormous stacks of money to homeless people. He wrote some of the most emotional lyrics and storylines I have seen in music.
Paul O'Neill, rest in peace.