Black Sabbath almost had a new musician on board who could sing as good as Ozzy Osbourne - Savatage's frontman Jon Oliva.
Savatage reached a breaking point in its career when it released its third album in 1986, "Fight For the Rock." The frontman, however, already had a backup career as he got the chance to audition for Black Sabbath.
Jon Oliva Recalls Almost Auditioning for Black Sabbath
The 62-year-old Savatage co-founding member detailed his experience during an interview with Sakis Fragos of Greece's Rock Hard magazine and shared how he almost became a Black Sabbath rocker.
Oliva recounted having a plane ticket to go to Black Sabbath's place as he and his bandmates already decided they were over. He revealed that he already received a setlist through FedEx and had already prepared himself to leave to join the audition in Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, his brother and then-Savatage guitarist Criss Oliva was also about to fly to Phoenix to talk to Dave Mustaine regarding his desire to join Megadeth.
However, the brothers met Savatage producer Paul O'Neill who prevented them from joining other bands.
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"He was, like, 'You guys are united. You're not splitting up. I'm gonna give you fifty thousand dollars.' And I remember kicking my brother's leg underneath the table," Oliva said. "And he gave us a check for fifty thousand dollars, and he said, 'You're not auditioning for BLACK SABBATH, and you [Criss] are not going to be in MEGADETH."
O'Neill told them they got to stay together and finally do a real Savatage album.
Per Oliva, he and his brother did not truly want to split up with the band since they loved doing it together. But if it was not because of the producer, he would have continued his music journey with Black Sabbath.
If it happened, Oliva said he would have been the band's best singer besides Ozzy Osbourne.
Jon Oliva Opens Up About Retirement
In a separate interview with Rock Hard Greece, the Savatage frontman spoke candidly about his plans to retire from recording music and performing in the future. He had the thoughts ahead of the band's first studio album since "Ports and Madmen" in 2001.
The album in question, tentatively titled "Curtain Call," will be released in April 2024.
While reflecting on his career, Oliva also endured losses after his son and wife died. He expressed his dismay toward people who acted like he was not going through anything personal, challenging them to "come and try."
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