American progressive metal outfit Savatage released 12 albums between 1983 and 2002, and Still the Orchestra Plays: Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 charts the group's rise from New Wave of British Heavy Metal-influenced brawlers to symphonic, conceptual metal champions over the span of two discs and a DVD. The band peaked commercially in 1987 with Hall of the Mountain King, but subsequent releases like Gutter Ballet (1990), Streets: A Rock Opera (1991), and Edge of Thorns (1993) found the group at their most ambitious (they split their time after 1996 with the highly successful Trans-Siberian Orchestra). The accompanying DVD features a concert recorded in Japan in 1994. ~ James Christophe Monger
