Diablo Swing Orchestra Discography (2006-2012)

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Diablo Swing Orchestra Discography (2006-2012)

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The Diablo Swing Orchestra dates back to 1501 in Sweden, where history tells the tale of an orchestra that played like no other. With music so seductive and divine that the ensemble overwhelmed audiences all over the country, and people from all social classes took them to their hearts. Their performances rapidly earned a reputation of being feral and vigorous and gained the orchestra a devoted crowd that followed them around.

During the later half of the 16'th century the criticism against the royal crown dictatorial ruling had intensified. Gifts and tenancies had made the chruch extremely wealthy, and since the money merely was used to strengthen their power the discontent among the people was growing. To many people the orchestra presented them to a new view upon things and a way to cope with everyday life.

The church witnessed how their influence over the people decreased and began to depict the orchestra as treacherous, saying their intentions were anything but righteous. The orchestras extensive use of the prohibited tritonus interval in their music as well as their excessive lifestyles was facts that were not looked mildly upon. During church services priests slandered the music saying it was an insult to Christ himself. However, when this attempt to reduce the orchestras popularity failed, the church began to use more desperate measures in order to regain its former power. The Devils orchestra became the slogan they used and the members were accused of being everything from devil worshippers to the spawn of Satan. This catchphrase eventually caught on and became the popular name of the orchestra. When even these efforts shown futile the church ultimately framed the orchestra members for a murder and a ruthless manhunt began. The following two years the orchestra lead the lives of outlaws and were forced to perform in barns and outhouses, where only a strictly limited number of people were allowed to attend. Luckily generous people provided them with food and somewhere to sleep.

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Diablo Swing Orchestra Discography (2006-2012)

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In order to capture the orchestra the church issued a reward to the person that could provide such information that lead to the capture of the orchestra. The sum was so large that the orchestra, tired and weary of living as fugitives, realised that it all had come to and end. They knew that sooner or later someone would reveal their whereabouts and the decided to go down in style.
But before doing so they all signed a pact saying that their descendants were given the task of reuniting the orchestra in 500 years and continue their work of spreading thought-provoking music. Six envelopes were therefore sealed and given to trustees of the orchestra to pass on to family members.

They announced their final concert publicly as a grandeur finale. Thousands of people showed up and even though it was almost no one who could actually hear the music, the massive sing-along of the crowd granted the performance to be the most talked about in history. Thanks to the huge amount of people the orchestra was allowed to play until their last song when armed guards finally managed to storm the stage and arrest the musicians. They were sent prison and later sentenced to death by hanging.

Stockholm 2003, by mere accident two of the original orchestra descendants meet in a music shop and began to discuss music. It later shows that they both have received a strange letter from some ancient relative containing instructions on how to reunite The Devils Orchestra. They both become very excited and though some genealogy they managed to find all of the remaining successors in a period of three months.

Unfortunate all of the original scores were confiscated and burned by the church back in 1503. So music-wise the new orchestra were left with no directions on what to play. After some meticulous discussions it was agreed upon that the music should be like a modern version of the old orchestra. Annlouice was chosen to front the band, her angelic yet powerful operatic voice was perfect to bring a bombastic feeling to the music. Pontus dance-influences and programming skills came in handy since the orchestra wanted the arrangements to sound a bit more futuristic. He shares guitar duties with Daniel who also is the main composer in the band. Andy brought some groove to the mix adding powerful slapping and funk-oriented bass licks, while Andreas's energetic drumming made sure the songs are driven and pulsating. Together with Andy, he lays the solid swinging foundation of the band. Johannes's theoretical knowledge and stunning technique combined with an emotive cello-playing style made him essential to the bands sound.

Together they answer to the name of Diablo Swing Orchestra and are determined to honour the legacy of their ancestors.

~ metalstorm

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Diablo Swing Orchestra — шведская группа, играющая в стиле «авангардный метал». Музыка Diablo Swing Orchestra проистекает из классической оркестровой музыки и представляет собой смесь джаза, метала, виолончельной музыки и академического женского вокала с текстами на английском и итальянском языках.

По легенде это самая древняя из существующих на сегодняшний день музыкальных групп, ибо ведет свою историю с 16 века. Тогда в Швеции появилась группа, которая скорее походила на оркестр, чем на обыкновенных менестрелей. Музыканты странствовали по всей стране, исполняя удивительную музыку; она зачаровывала слушателей и все, кто слышал ее хоть раз, уже никогда не могли забыть. Кроме своей музыки участники группы несли слушателям новый взгляд на жизнь, заставляли задуматься о том, что происходит. Музыканты приобрели огромное влияние, и служителям церкви это не понравилось. Было объявлено, что эта музыка идет от дьявола. С того времени группа стала известна как The Devil Orchestra. Гонения на музыкантов усиливались и тогда они решили дать последнее, самое грандиозное выступление; перед этим они написали послания своим потомкам, о том, что спустя пятьсот лет те должны возродить группу. Так и было сделано, а 6 писем были переданы в надежные руки.

Музыканты устроили последнее представление, в конце которого были схвачены, а затем преданы смерти. Тем не менее история об удивительной группе жила десятилетиями и столетиями. И вот однажды, в 2003 году, все в той же Швеции в музыкальном магазине Стокгольма встретились двое человек, и разговорились о музыке. Это были потомки двух музыкантов Дьявольского оркестра. После встречи каждый из них получил письмо, и они начали искать остальных потомков легендарной группы. Им это удалось; все вместе они создали группу, назвали ее Diablo Swing Orchestra и продолжили дело предков.

Как ни странно, некоторые историки подтверждают факт существования этого необычного ансамбля на территории Швеции 16 века. Насколько же правдива история с письмами, судить не нам. Но факт остается фактом, альбом «The Butcher’s Ballroom» вызвал фурор. Вроде все уже привыкли к тому, что классическая музыка может тесно вплетаться в структуру тяжелого рока, однако лидирующее положение все же занимали рифы гитар, а красивый женский почти оперный вокал служил красивой упаковкой товара, привлекающий совершенно разную аудиторию. Впервые лидерство не в звуке гитар, а в общем сочетании классических оркестровых инструментов с гитарами и ударными, при этом последние лишь подчеркивают, добавляют полутона, но не ведут. Профессиональный женский оперный вокал вплетается тонкими нитями паутинки в общую структуру, а на этих нитях-паутинках, как жемчуг, как бы нанизан просто «дьявольский» мужской бэк-вокал, который то манит, то угрожает, то зовет, и в тоже время завораживает. Иногда, кажется, будто ведут диалог Свет и Тьма. На альбоме можно услышать совершенно неожиданные переходы от джазово-метальной «Ballrog Boogie», открывающей альбом (не зря же в названии группы есть слово «swing») к зажигательному фламенко на «Poetic Pitbull Revolution», а затем композицию «D’Angelo», которая, кажется, сошла с оперных подмостков; и мечтательно-интригующую «Infralove»; и тут же звучат восточные мотивы на “Gunpowder Chant” наравне с современной электронной музыкой. Гитары, ударные, контрабас, вокал – все эти элементы дополняют друг друга, создавая удивительный живой мир, который почти невозможно заключить в рамки одного стиля. Progressive, avantgarde, experimental - все эти определения подходят под музыку Diablo Swing Orchestra. До сих пор никто так органично не мог соединить настолько разные течения и стили.

~ lastfm

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DIABLO SWING ORCHESTRA play music that is extraordinarily difficult to encapsulate in a few words, or even sentences. Other Avant-Garde Metal acts can at least be very broadly defined, rather easily, in a few genre tags. UNEXPECT's spastic circus-sound, SIGH's often Classical-themed Black Metal; sure, these bands incorporate hundreds of different sounds and instruments into their music, but a short, general description can be made that fits most of their sound.

With "The Butcher's Ballroom," that is not at all the case. The majority of the songs featured here are so drastically different from one another musically that, barring vocals, you would never know the same band wrote them all. The album opens with "Ballrog Boogie," DIABLO SWING ORCHESTRA's own brand of slightly-macabre Big Band swing, complete with creeping bass lines, goblin-style grunts, operatic female vocals, and heaving guitars…what the…? Adding to the confusion are the minor key tendencies of an otherwise very upbeat song; welcome to "The Butcher's Ballroom."

Next up is the genuinely great "Heroines," a darker, string-driven tune and probably the best on the album. The brooding verses, accompanied by soft vocals and pulsing cello, is made all the more effective by the following chorus, which builds slowly towards the eventual climax. But it's the little things that make the big difference here: the subtle guitar picking in the background of the verse, the echoed chord voicing that bridges the first two verses, the absolutely perfect cello "riff" at the halfway point - these songwriting subtleties help lift "Heroines" to the next level, but unfortunately aren't as prevalent on the rest of the album.

And the album only gets weirder, with far-out songs being the norm: "Infralove" and it's didgeridoo-meets-techno riffage, the full-blown fiesta that is "Poetic Pitbull Revolutions," or the Hard Rock-turned-oriental orchestra-turned-who-knows-what-the-hell-genre-this-is that's featured just in the first 30 seconds of "Porcelain Judas." And is that Tuvan throat singing I hear?

"The Butcher's Ballroom" will be a musical experience unlike anything you've ever heard before, at least not all in one place. And though DIABLO SWING ORCHESTRA is certainly not a gimmick, songs like "Ballrog Boogie" and "Poetic Pitbull Revolutions" come dangerously close. But when it comes down to it, they still rank among the best on the album, if for no other reason than they are not only interesting but immensely entertaining - and this is where tracks like "Ragdoll Physics," "Velvet Embracer," and "Pink Noise Waltz" fall far short. All in all, "Butcher's Ballroom" is a mostly entertaining, always mind-bending musical journey that I would recommend to any fan of unconventional music.

~ metal-observer

Five hundred years ago, long before the atom bomb and McDonald's, there was a band whose music could please every longing heart. They played like heavenly choir, still the Church sentenced them to the capital punishment. Now, they find their way back again through six faithful musicians, who follow the message of their ancestors….

If you believe their heartfelt story or not, you can't not to be moved by their overwhelming impact to the metal scene. For the swedish combo doesn't content themselves with creating something we have already heard before. One can't describe their original style with other word than "avant-guarde". The long list of their influences includes rock & metal, so as jazz, opera or electronic music. The result is a pure melange of these genres.

In those 50 minutes you take a frenetic journey inside of their souls, on which there is a new surprise around every corner. Hard guitar riffs get combined with gentle sound of classical string instruments, such as cello and violin. One can hear even a poetic flute, soft strums of acoustic guitar and then the melody turns into even a disco rhytm. On the top of that stand the intriguing and distinguishable operatic vocals of Ann-Louice Lögdlund, which can sound convincingly powerful, so as romantically delicate.

This unbelievable album is filled with contrasts and paradoxes. Inventive Swedes play with atmosphere driving it to the complete edge. I'm convinced that this quite brave experiment came out more than well. In fact, I daresay this is a good choice not even for opera or avant-guarde lovers, but for any eager ear. This band has a really great potential, so let's hope their enchantment will last … maybe for the next 500 years.

by MaHTiel_rAGdOll

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Diablo Swing Orchestra is possibly the most bizarre mix I've ever heard of metal guitars, opera vocals, and odd instrumentation. If you've not heard them, picture swing music, opera, gypsy, tango, jazz, and God only knows what else, mixed up in a blender, and seasoned with madness. THAT's Diablo Swing Orchestra!

This album would be worth listening to if the only track on it were the joyously insane "Bedlam Sticks." Describing this track is difficult, but I'll give it a try: it begins with a punchy, jazzy riff like a video game theme, followed by bizarre theatrical vocals, (male and female). This is followed by some hammering guitar work mixed with Munchkin vocals, reminiscent of the German punker Nina Hagen. The song charges headlong through all kinds of weirdness, has a little bass-powered instrumental break, and we even hear some trombone in there somewhere. The lyrics are something indecipherable about an insane asylum. It's sheer craziness, but a hell of a lot of fun.

But "Bedlam Sticks" is not the only good track on the record. We get the danceable but operatic "New World Windows," the Russian style circus sound of "Vodka Inferno" with its echoes of Fiddler on the Roof or something, and the Glenn Miller on steroids big band mania of "Tap Dancer's Dilemma" (another track that is simply hellaciously fun. The guitar work throughout the album is constantly changing in style, and always chock full of energy. The vocals–my God, the vocals are such a bizarre blend of opera, circus ringmaster, Andrews Sisters jazz, and other weirdness, they have to be heard to be believed.

Another review here called the album "clusterfuckery," and I guess that's fair, too. Definitely, not everyone is going to love this: it's too avant -garde for lots of metal fans, and too heavy for most avant-garde fans. But I have such fun listening to it, I can't keep from smiling as I listen. I guess many metal fans like to be angry or dark, but for those of us that still like a good fun time, DSO brings it in spades. If you're not afraid of something a little different, give this a listen. You may be surprised at how infectious their brand of madness is.

by caspianrex

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Diablo Swing Orchestra Discography (2006-2012)

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A sprawling tour de force that moves seamlessly between metallic technicality and full-throttle symphonic grandeur.

Diablo Swing Orchestra's approach to experimental metal revolves around staggering eclecticism. Swedish group merges a multitude of distinct influences incorporating swing, jazz, classical and even opera music into their core technical metal sound. As a result, their scatter-shot style, while occasionally cheesy, never ceases to be refreshingly original and enormously fun. Just like 2009’s Sing Along Songs For the Damned & Delirious, Pandora's Pinata is a collection of exuberantly performed compositions that are based on traditional song craft rather than excessive technicality so many contemporary metal acts are obsessed with.

The selling point of the disc lies in its amazing orchestration that seems immensely improved when compared to the band's previous releases. It's bewildering how swiftly the brass section and keys are complimented by such stringed instruments as cellos and violins. While this type of instrumentation plays second fiddle in many bands of this kind, Diablo Swing Orchestra don't underestimate the evocative power of instrumental diversity making the best of numerous musicians who have taken part in the recording sessions. In fact, the conventional, yet bombastic metal onslaught is overshadowed on occasion by classical and jazz orchestration that's arranged in an absolutely astounding manner. All these elements expectedly result in a grandiose scope overflowing even the most subtle tunes on the album.

Every single song on Pandora's Pinata feels thoroughly rehearsed so as to achieve the perfect balance between plenty of instruments. The operatic singing that characterizes symphonic metal has been downplayed in favour of a more natural and fitting delivery. Out of the two songs that openly use operatic vocals though, stripped-down “Aurora” is a revelation of cinematic proportions which clearly surpasses pompous “Of Kali Ma Calibre.” The band's style has been dubbed avant-garde metal by fans and critics alike. However, there's hardly anything inaccessible about their music. Even though the record oscillates between a wide range of moods and vibes, the songs are never less than instantly memorable or even addictive.

With its sprawling fusion of swing and metal, opener “Voodoo Mon Amour” ranks among the most shamelessly entertaining tracks of the year. “Guerilla Laments” sustains the danceable vibe adding out-of-the-blue, salsa-echoing rhythm patterns. In contrast, “Kevlar Sweethearts” channels 1970s progressive rock with its melancholic vocal lines and dignified arrangements interspersed with technical metal riffing. When you begin to think Diablo Swing Orchestra have just run out of ideas to surprise you, “Black Box Messiah” introduces some creepy, childlike vocals into its circus metal aesthetics. On the other hand, “Mass Rapture” showcases an epic heavy metal foray into the East, whereas smooth “Honey Trap Aftermath” makes for an excellent funk rock tune due to its clunky bass lines and atmospheric trumpet solos. The group's singular greatest achievement that reveals their boundless versatility happens to be the album's closer “Justice For Saint Mary” though. This largely acoustic track evokes the palpable feeling of tension by means of a genuinely disturbing cello motif that builds to a vicious industrial breakdown.

Pandora's Pinata captures Diablo Swing Orchestra excelling in their admirably accessible spin on experimental metal. This superbly orchestrated album blends multiple genres with grace and cohesion, which makes it a real treat for anyone who's willing to venture into the realm of exuberant, artistic music that ranges from cinematic to theatrical.

by Greg Fisher