By the end of the rigorous 'Streets' tour, 'Jon Oliva's' vocals had seriously diminished, so it was decided a new vocalist was to be brought in. Although 'Jon' doesn't contribute any vocals on 'Edge of Thorns', he co-writes all the tracks with his brother and 'Paul O'Neill', he also plays all the Keyboards and Pianos on the album. The new vocalist was to be 'Zachary Stevens' from 'Wicked Witch' who turned out to be an admirable replacement and while 'Jon Oliva' will always be the true voice of 'Savatage' he turns in a very strong performance. Vocally 'Zak' does have similarities to 'Jon', though not quite as ripping on the heavy tracks, in fact the more progressive style 'Savatage' were heading towards suits his technique very well.

'Edge of Thorns' opens with the title tracks and straight away you know this is going to be quality, the piano opening is just divine and when 'Zak's' vocals cut in you immediately know they have picked the right man to replace 'Jon'. Musically this opener rides on a sweet pulsating rhythm and contrasts subtle melodic passages with more up tempo excerpts, this is all supported by stunning 'Criss Oliva' fret work and the aforementioned crisp vocals. After a delicate intro 'He Carves his Stone' picks up into a hard rocking number, lyrically it's superb, although the chorus is perhaps a tad repetitive, again the guitaring is magnificent with cracking hooks and solos scattered throughout this excellent rocker. More simplistic in nature is 'Lights Out', a fine fast paced mover, which sees the rhythm section turn in a fine performance to concoct a refined pulsating groove, 'Zak Stevens' sounds strong on his harder number, but I can't help thinking 'Jon Oliva' would have just ripped away with abandon. Next up is the oddly titled 'Scraggy's Tomb', a well performed strong plodder with a mystical edge, lyrically I wouldn't say it's one of their best especially that of the chorus, but it still makes for a pleasant journey. A short instrumental by the name of 'Labyrinths' follows, a bit brief to really be considered a track, but breaks the album up nicely and makes for a delightful intro to 'Follow Me'. This track continues with an operatic feel, first developed fully on 'Gutter Ballet', 'Zak's' vocals really lend themselves to this style and he turns in an excellent show, although it doesn't flow as well as most, it's still a fine offering with an excellent late pick up. The purely piano based instrumental 'Exit Music' acts as a nice wind down to 'Follow Me', while it's well played it's a little tame for myself. The pace is restored with 'Degrees of Sanity' a mystical sounding rocker, which features Sitar work by 'Criss', another quality track of which 'Zak' shines. Much less impressive is 'Conversation Piece', despite the punchy opening, it deteriorates into an awkward sounding track with a shocking chorus "Over a Cup of Tea, Yeah Cup of Tea". Better is the 'Street's' sounding 'All that I Bleed' a beautifully composed piece which is dominated by just vocals and piano, falls a little short in the end though as some of vocals end up sounding strained. The tempo is restored with the menacing 'Damien' a track laced with cutting guitar work, fine keyboards and 'Zak' working the lyrics to perfection. The tempo softens for 'Miles Away' a number which blends faster sections with more harmonious passages, feels a little drawn out at five minutes but still a pleasant affair. Lastly we are gifted the acoustic ballad 'Sleep' a beautiful song that rounds the album off superbly.

Another quality release from 'Savatage' and although there's not as many standout tracks as 'Streets', it's still a very good album especially considering it's 'Zak Steven's' first outing with 'Savatage'. Bonus tracks included with the re-released version include 'Forever Free' a song which originally only made it onto the Japanese version, a decent enough rocker, but perhaps a little rowdy and disjointed at times. The second inclusion is a "live in rehearsal" version of 'Conversation Piece', probably the weakest track present on the album and this live rendition doesn't improve it at all, the vocals are too distant in the mix while the bass is overpowering.

Sadly this would be the last album for the marvellous guitarist 'Criss Oliva', who was tragically killed in an automobile accident shortly after the release of this album. This along with other 'Tage' classics stands as a strong testament to a splendid musician who was taken long before his time.