Sing-Along Songs for the Damned & Delirious

Diablo Swing Orchestra | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 22, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sensory
• ASIN: B002JODUIY
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #26,586 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Following their own path, October 30, 2009

By 

p-51 "p-51" (CO United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sing-Along Songs for the Damned & Delirious (Audio CD)

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.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fresh and original, DSO has blown me away!, October 1, 2009

By 

Timothy J. Retzl "kingpretz" (South Dakota, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sing-Along Songs for the Damned & Delirious (Audio CD)

I accidentally stumbled across this album while looking for info on the upcoming release from Trans-Siberian Orchestra. The name interested me, so I picked it up. Long story short...THESE GUYS ARE AWESOME, and unlike ANYTHING you've heard before!

This could best be described as operatic/symphonic metal, all with what sounds like an actual female opera singer on lead vocals. Besides guitar/drums/bass, there is a full complement of classical instruments at play here, giving the album a strong symphonic sound.

I suppose you could compare these guys to Evanescence or Nightwish, but they're really so much more than that comparison would make them out to be. The music is complex, but still fun to listen to.

I HIGHLY recommend this to anyone looking for something different. If you are at all into opera or classical music, you will probably like this, even if you are not into hard rock or heavy music. And if you are into good heavy rock but couldn't care less about opera, you will probably still get into this, because of the phenomenal musicianship.

After checking out this, their second release, I went back a day later and found their debut album and bought that as well, and am equally pleased. I can't believe these guys have been around for a couple years and I have never heard of them!

If you have found Diablo Swing Orchestra, chances are you are already familiar with Apocalyptica, but if not, check them out too. They started out as a cello tribut to Metallica, but their last couple releases have added vocals to some tracks and filled out the band with more traditional instruments. If I had to compare Diablo Swing to anyone, it would probably be Apocalyptica.

And, while its entirely different from Diablo Swing Orchestra or Apocalyptica, I have turned several people on to the new band Dead Coyote, whose debut album "Where the Water Rises" is available here on Amazon. They are a great 2-piece band who have put together an awesome debut album full of 18 KILLER tracks. Check them out!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's different, and I love it., January 19, 2010

By 

Steve B. - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sing-Along Songs for the Damned & Delirious (Audio CD)

I recently had a friend steer me towards this band. I was floored when I first heard a song of theirs - never before had I known of opera, swing, and metal being combined into one, but I love it. I prefer this album to their earlier work (Butcher's Ballroom), but both are great in their own ways. Sing-Along Songs feels more geared toward swing, so keep that in mind if you're debating between the two.