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The Dungeons Are Calling is an EP by the American heavy metal band Savatage, released in 1984 on Combat Records. Though the EP was not released until 1984, most of the songs featured on it and the debut album, Sirens, had been in the band set list since 1979, and are part of the Live in Clearwater and City Beneath the Surface EPs. The Dungeons Are Calling is a loosely based concept album and the title track, contrary to popular belief, is not about Hell or torture, but about the horrors of drug use. The song used many metaphors, which have been sometimes misunderstood.[1]

The Dungeons Are Calling
EP by Savatage
Released	March 22, 1984
Recorded	January 1983
Studio	Morrisound Studios in Tampa, Florida, United States
Genre	Heavy metal speed metal power metal
Length	24:54
Label	Combat
Producer	Dan Johnson
Savatage chronology
Sirens (1983) The Dungeons Are Calling (1984) Power of the Night (1985)
1994 CD edition cover

The tracks on this EP were recorded the same day as the tracks for the Sirens album. The two were meant to be a full-length debut but were divided due to limited space for songs on vinyl. The two were released together in 2011 for the first time "as they were meant to be" (Jon Oliva).

The cover is a picture of a human skull with a homemade syringe, a reference to the title track of the album.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal	10/10[3]
Rock Hard	9.5/10[4]

In 2005, The Dungeons Are Calling was ranked number 349 in Rock Hard magazine's book The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time.[5]

Track listing

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"The Dungeons Are Calling"	Jon Oliva, Criss Oliva, Keith Collins	4:55
2.	"By the Grace of the Witch"	J. Oliva, C. Oliva	3:16
3.	"Visions"	J. Oliva, C. Oliva	3:05

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
4.	"Midas Knight"	J. Oliva, C. Oliva, Collins	4:24
5.	"City Beneath the Surface"	J. Oliva, C. Oliva	5:49
6.	"The Whip"	J. Oliva	3:31

Bonus tracks (1994 CD reissue)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
7.	"Fighting for Your Love" (demo)	J. Oliva, C. Oliva	3:20
8.	"Sirens" (live)	J. Oliva, C. Oliva	3:21

Bonus tracks (2002 Metal Blade reissue)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
7.	"Metalhead" (demo)	J. Oliva, C. Oliva	4:46
8.	"Before I Hang" (demo)	J. Oliva, C. Oliva	4:12
9.	"Stranger in the Dark" (demo)	J. Oliva, C. Oliva	5:01
99.	"Piper Rap" (hidden track)		1:41

Bonus track (2011 EarMusic reissue)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
16.	"In the Dream" (acoustic version)	J. Oliva, C. Oliva	3:34

Personnel

Savatage

• Jon Oliva – lead vocals
• Criss Oliva – guitars, backing vocals
• Keith Collins – bass guitar, backing vocals
• Steve Wacholz – drums, percussion

Production

• Danny Johnson – producer
• Jim Morris – engineer
• Mike Fuller – mastering
• Eddy Schreyer – re–mastering
• Robert Zemsky – management

Charts

Chart performance for The Dungeons Are Calling

Chart (2021)	Peak position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[6]	15

References

External links

• Dungeons Are Calling at official Savatage website

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