Criss Oliva: 25 Year Anniversary Tribute
10/17/2018 by Frank Hill




October 17, 2018 will mark the 25th anniversary of the death of Criss Oliva (b. Christopher Michael Oliva--April 3, 1963), lead guitarist and co-founder for the Tampa Florida band Savatage. Criss formed the act in 1978 with his brother Jon (lead vocals, guitar, ex-bassist) under the original title of Avatar. As Avatar, the band played live gigs for five years before changing their name for copyright issues. Combining "Sabotage" and "Avatar", the name Savatage was adopted.

In remembrance of the 25 year anniversary, part of the Maximum Metal staff--Eric Compton and Josh Greer--joined fellow Savatage fan Wayne Wells for a visit to see Criss to honor and respect to one the most underrated 1980's Heavy Metal guitar players.

Check out our tribute here…[Full Column Link]

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