Customer Reviews

Elect the Dead Symphony (2LP) [Vinyl]

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Well, here was a surprise. My wife says to me a week ago, "Have you heard of a guy called Serj Tankian?, just caught the end of an interview with him on TV on the news, he's a metal guy that's done an album with the Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra here in in New Zealand".
The only guy I could think of was perhaps the lead singer of a band called "System of a Down" who I'd only ever heard one song from (Being "Chop Suey"). (Turned out that's exactly who this was (this time with no band (of any sort) to be seen).

Anyway on to Youtube we went and there it was a video clip of Serj, and the Orchestra doing a song called "Empty Walls", it looked and sounded superb.

A week later and after watching the DVD last nite and listening to the CD this morning, only one word to sum this one up... Outstanding. It is clear from the intro on the DVD that Serj is just so excited about doing his solo album live with an Orchestra (even his mum and dad are at the show!). (Evidently Serj spends a bit of time down here in New Zealand).

The performance is stellar, the Orchestra are in top form, the playing is flawless throughout. Serj's singing is just fantastic, such range, tone and emotion. Can't really recommend this one highly enough. The production (both audio and visuals are crystal clear).
Special mention also to Dan Monti who plays acoustic guitar and sings back up vocals, he is very very good.

Certainly one out of the blue (have to thank my good wife for this).
If this sounds remotely like your sort of stuff check out the Youtube clips and if there's a glimmer of "that actually sounds pretty good" - don't hesitate, it's a winner.

Only 2 reviews for this recording is a little disappointing, if you love Serj' voice & the Elect the Dead LP then I couldn't recommended this highly enough. Standout tracks, Feed Us the last 2 minutes the orchestra just soars and soars into a beautiful climax, hearing Falling Stars IMO is the highlight, newer song Blue really shows off Serj' singing voice and The Charade is a opposite sounding beast to the stop start riffage of the rock version. Again highly recommended, this album hasn't left my turntable since I received it.

Buy this right now!

I am serious, if your the least bit into symphony's or Serj Tankian, you will not be disapointed.

Even if you own the orginal Elect the Dead album, this purchase includes so much more to be seen and will make you think a little differently about his music even if you already love it or hate it.

The Dvd is great quality, but mainly the audio is just outstanding.

It does come in a card board case which is sort of lame but the artwork and pictures make up for the missing gem case.

`Elect the Dead Symphony' is Serj Tankians reworking of his `Elect the Dead' album and is performed with the Auckland Philharmonia orchestra. The first thing I noticed is that this is much better arranged than the similarly themed `S&M' album from Metallica. Whereas that album sounded like a string tribute album with the band playing along, `Elect the Dead Symphony' is much better arranged so that it has better flow and more impact. This is in no way just a classical version of the original album, it is a credible reworking and new musical offering in it's own right. There are two new tracks to keep existing fans interested and they fit in well and stand up on their own merit. The booklet is excellent and despite the awful digi-pack format this makes for a good overall package; especially when you take into account that this features an audio CD and DVD as well. Great value for money in anyone's eyes. To be wholly honest Serj's voice doesn't always suit the music and whilst his surreal and unique vocals sit well with SOAD albums or his own rock albums, sometimes they stray just a little too much for comfort. This is a minor niggle though and doesn't detract from the feel of the album. If you are a fan of Serj then this will be a delight and will be an excellent stop gap until the next album comes along, but if you are new to his work then I suggest you try the original album first to then fully appreciate this when you come to it down the line.

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Serj Tankian's Elect The Dead Symphony is certainly an interesting release. At first, the idea for an artist with just one album releasing a live album seemed like a bad idea, then when you add in the idea of Serj's short three minute songs getting the orchestral treatment the idea seemed even more ill-advised, it led me to make unpleasant assumptions about the man's ego.
I'm glad to report however, that the problems I perceived are largely absent and Serj was fully justified in releasing this symphonic live concert.
As well as songs from the Elect The Dead album, there are two brand new songs `Gate 21,' and `The Charade,' as well as two more non album tracks `Blue,' and `Falling Stars.'
Another reason that this concert works so well is that the songs have been pretty severely rearranged to suit the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, it seems more like an MTV Unplugged version of Elect the Dead was given the symphony treatment than the existing versions. There is no distorted guitar whatsoever, no bass guitar and no drum kit as all percussion is handled by the orchestra.
The concert's greatest strength is also its greatest weakness. This concert relies a great deal more on the Orchestra than any other Rock/Orchestra cross over I've ever seen, which while making it unique and impressive may alienate some fans who were expecting a mixture of the band and the orchestra more in line with Kiss's Alive 4 or Metallica's S&M orchestral concerts.
Some songs suit the style more than others, with the chorus of `Money,' for example, seeming clumsy. Songs like `Elect the Dead,' and `Saving Us,' however are amazing and truly feel grand with the powerful backing of the Orchestra.
In terms of the DVD, the visuals, camerawork, direction and editing are spot on, they really couldn't have done a better job its almost worth watching just as a demonstration on how to correctly make a concert DVD. The sound is similarly perfect, the only place where quality comes into play are your individual opinions on the arrangements and how well Serj's voice carries live. In my opinion, Serj nails it here with a faultless performance that in some instances surpasses the original album versions, but a few listeners may not be so convinced.
Overall, Elect The Dead Symphony is a very good concert, with top notch sound and visuals. If you feel that a stripped down version of the songs augmented by a huge Orchestra is for you then give it a try.

I was an avid SOAD fan when they were at their prime, but don't expect the same sound from this CD/DVD. This album has a very classical feel and I cant stop listening to it, Not 1 track I disliked. 5 * all the way

I think that this Cd + dvd, is an awesome buy, not only for the singer, Serj Tankian, which i think is one of the best singer this times, but for the orchestra and the bonus dvd.

I think, that people who liked System of a Down, will also like this too.

PS: Sorry for my English, I'm an Spanish customer.

This is not SOAD its Serj!!!
The mix of the orchestra and Serj's unique talent is fabulous.
This is the blending of music not some SOAD concert.
Its different and unless you have an ear for the beauty of the art involved in this type of blending, you wont get it!
Serj truly enjoyed himself and its reflected in his voice and pose.
So if your the type of person that actually understands and enjoys the 'art' of music and Serj's unique ability of song and composure, you'll love this perspective.
Serj and the orchestra successfully brings a unique art of blended music and talent to life!

It's really cool; interseting to see Serj in that costume but the concert is perfcet, the songs are amazing. You can see, you can listen, you can feel everything in it. It's worth to keep in your collection.

I wish the levels were better. I do understand that this album is live but you can clearly hear distortion and "pops" in most of the songs.

Besides that little quip the album is great. Serj is on top form as well is the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra. Everything you would expect from this matchup.