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Diablo Swing Orchestra: Sing along songs for the damned & delirious
14/10/09 || Euthanatos
Are you familiar with Devin Townsend’s “Bad Devil” song? If not, click here and check it out. Go on, I’ll wait.
Good? Okay, I’ve always thought of that song as a Broadway piece from hell. I love everything about it, the over-the-top backing vocals, the insane orchestral keyboards, Devy’s bat-shit insane demeanor, everything about is perfect. I’ve always wished I could have an entire album of that delicious madness. Oh, wait, I can. It’s right here, in Diablo Swing Orchestra’s “Sing Along Songs for the Damned & Delirious”.
If you’re unfamiliar with them, they label themselves as “Riot Orchestra”, and that’s pretty much a great way to sum things up. Their music consists of, well, everything. Everything sugar-coated with metal. There’s Eastern European folk, mambo, opera, ballet, comic relief, heavy and extreme metal, vaudeville, you name it. No place is too far, no genre too much of a stretch for these guys. It’s like Devin Townsend’s most fucked up and hopped up on crack cocaine neurons jumped out of his head, came to life as 6 insane Swedes, and hey-presto!
I’m not going to lie to you, all the mayhem can be a little taxing. It’s a little beyond schizophrenic album. Avant-garde doesn’t even being to define it. There are no influences here, it’s literally a patchwork of musical styles, with rock music as the backbone. Diablo Swing Orchestra are capable of sweet, almost innocent moments, with the most confusing avalanche of sound.
But, if you’re open-minded enough, or are high enough, you’ll find this one of the most enjoyable albums of the year. It’s so creative and balls-out fun, I’m 100% certain it’s impossible not to crack a smile while listening to it. At the very least it’ll make you laugh just because of the sheer silliness. Odds are, though, that you’re truly enjoying yourself.
The overly-dramatic vocals from Ann-Louice Lögdlund can be a turn off at times, but Daniel Håkansson’s many voices, ranging from Russian chorus-like chants, almost-whispered lullabies and insane screams are fantastic; also focus on the beautiful work from Johannes Bergion on the cello, and the heroic six-string extravaganza by Pontus Mantefors and Håkansson and strap yourself in, because you’re in for one hell of a ride.
For fans of Waltari, Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” and Devin Townsend. All together, drunk on absinthe, inside a box with a pretty pink bow.
The cover: Adorable and discomforting, much like the music.
- Information
- Released: 2009
- Label: Ascendance Records
- Website: www.diabloswing.com
- Band
- Daniel Håkansson: vocals, guitars
- Ann-Louice Lögdlund: vocals
- Pontus Mantefors; guitars
- Andy Johansson: bass
- Johannes Bergion: cello
- Andreas Halvardsson: drums
- Tracklist
- 01. A Tapdancer’s Dilemma
- 02. A Rancid Romance
- 03. Lucy Fears the Morning Star
- 04. Bedlam Sticks
- 05. New World Windows
- 06. Siberian Love Affairs
- 07. Vodka Inferno
- 08. Memoirs of a Roadkill
- 09. Ricerca Dell’anima
- 10. Stratosphere Serenade
