Vocalist
Jon Oliva and guitarist/bassist
Chris Caffery of Florida-based band
Savatage celebrate their heavy metal roots with
Doctor Butcher, a side project with
Seven Witches drummer John Osborn.
Oliva and
Caffery were at a critical point in their careers when they launched
Doctor Butcher. Their band,
Savatage, had yet to regroup following the automobile death of
Oliva's brother and founding guitarist,
Criss, in 1993.
Caffery, who had been a founding member of German band,
Metalium, joined
Savatage in 1990, helping to record the group's best album,
Gutter Ballet.
Although they regrouped briefly in 1995, with
Testament guitarist
Alex Skolnick replacing
Criss Oliva,
Savatage was unable to recapture their earlier momentum. Disbanding for three years, they returned in 1998 with the power-driven album
The Wake of Magellan in 1998. The Final Bell followed in 2000.
Doctor Butcher's eponymous album, initially released in 1995 on the Gun label, was reissued the following year by Crook'd. The label subsequently released
The Demos, combining demos and live tracks from a 1993 concert. Although
Caffery played bass on the group's recordings,
Brian Gregory was added for live performances.
–
Craig Harris, Rovi