Band: Diablo Swing Orchestra
Genre: Avant-garde Metal
Discography: "Borderline Hymns" (EP, 2003), "The Butcher's Ballroom" (2006)
When it comes to pushing the boundaries of the metal spectrum, Sweden's Diablo Swing Orchestra goes so far that you end up wondering if it is correct to categorize this kind of music as metal. Many adjectives are use to label the subgenres, but I think that the two more appropriate to describe Diablo Swing Orchestra's music would be avant-garde and eclectic.
Let's reviewed what the dictionary has to say about those two words:
Avant-garde: a pushing of the boundaries of what is accepted as the norm or the status quo.
Eclectic: selecting what seems best of various styles or ideas.
Well, the members of the band made it very clear with "The Butcher's Ballroom" that they give a fuck about boundaries and they do whatever they want in the way they want to. Hence, the album is as odd and experimental as it can be. They use soprano and baritone vocalists and a varied range of instruments (acoustic and electric guitars, cello, saxophone, trumpet, violin, piano, bass, drums... You name it!). As for the different genres mix, you can hear classical music (including opera and waltz), punk, swing, flamenco and symphonic metal.
Maybe this mixture is just too weird for its own sake, but the result is mesmerizing and hugely original. The regular listener will be lost, the metal purists out there will hate my guts for the merely fact of calling this metal and the more adventurous tolerant listener will encounter a great experience. This is music you either like or hate but ultimately you have to give it a chance to decide.
Download "The Butcher's Ballroom" here
Song: "Balrog Boogie" from "The Butcher's Ballroom"
Mea Culpa, Ecce Signum, Corpus Vile, Coram Deo
Pactum Serva, Scala Caeli, Gloria Patri, Pax Et Bonum
Sine Cura, Vade Mecum, Casus Belli, Lusus Naturae
Dies Illa, Velut Luna, Dona Es Virtum
