Search - Diablo Swing Orchestra :: Sing-Along Songs for the Damned & Delirious

Following their own path

p-51 | CO United States | 10/30/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I loved Diablo Swing Orchestra's first release, finding it refreshing, mildly challenging, and a joy to listen to. I eagerly anticipated their next release, and now, here it is!



...Huh.



Well, I'll give them this much: they certainly have not "sold out" to more mainstream tastes in an effort to move records. Nope, this is most assuredly a picture of a band following their own path and staying true to their vision.



This album really amps up the old-time swing and jazz feel, while reducing the metal component to a degree. The horns are much more abundant, while the electric guitar has taken a step into the background.



Probably the biggest change from their previous release is the vocals. The female operatic vocals are still there, but they've changed stylistically. They're much more dramatic and choppy, rather than in the traditional singing style. But her singing hardly registers when compared to the new male voice that DSO now features.



In the previous DSO release, a more hushed and gentle male voice would appear on some of the tracks. This voice is still here on the new release, but it appears very rarely. In its stead, there appears what I can only described as a bombastic carnival barker / circus ringmaster voice. Has a very old-timey eastern European feel about it. Whatever it is, it lends a somewhat hokey note to the songs, making them seem like a bit of a put-on, and I don't like it. There's also a few brief appearances by some growling, screeching, and *hissing* voices. Variety is the spice of life, I suppose.



The compositions themselves remind me overwhelmingly of the soundtrack to a Tim Burton film, the ones where Danny Elfman does the music. In fact, this whole album would go quite well as an accompaniment to some quirky claymation fright fest.



Unfortunately, the only song I really like is the first one, "A Tapdancer's Dilemma." But that one song is almost worth the price of the whole CD. It's just fantastic, sounding like a choice cut from that "Triplets of Belleville" movie from a few years back. That one song - plus the obvious musical talent in the band, and the fine CD cover art - is why I rate the album 3 stars. The rest of the songs... I cannot see myself listening to them repeatedly. They're more like novelties to me.



Overall, this is a decidedly weird, offbeat album. It's not my style, but perhaps you might like it. Whether you do or not, you owe it to yourself to also look into their first release (Butcher's Ballroom), which I feel is a much more listenable outing."

A superb band takes a wrong turn

Michael Ciance | New Jersey | 01/13/2010

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This album isn't terrible, and it actually has some quite enjoyable songs, but it's just a big disappointment after their previous album. The Butcher's Ballroom was really a masterpiece. It has wonderful variety and all the music was excellent. This album has a more chaotic, more discordant style and it just isn't as nice to listen to. If you really love Diablo Swing Orchestra, you may want to get this. But if you are looking to discover them for the first time, get The Butcher's Ballroom. It's available for free legal download under a Creative Commons license."

Diablo Swing's Sophomore Release stands strong

Andrew Bowcock | West Covina, CA USA | 03/03/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Swedish avant-garde metal"? That doesn't even begin to explain this strange and wonderful band. Eclectically mixing old school swing, jazz, salsa, pop, and many other toe-tapping genres with heavy metal (even opera) initially sounds ludicrous, but Diablo Swing Orchestra pulls this off better than I could have ever imagined this mixture could be done, and with a more confident sound and better production than their first release. This album is loads of fun: not a single track falls flat, and it will most likely appeal to appeal to a wider audience than the majority of bands limited to the metal classification."