Diablo Swing Orchestra

Trollfest – Flamingo Overlord [Things You Might Have Missed 2022]

Trollfest – Flamingo Overlord [Things You Might Have Missed 2022]

By Angry Metal Guy on December 16, 2022 in Things You Might Have Missed 2022, Folk Metal, 45 comments

At its root, Trollfest’s sound combines the “huumpa and the beast” formula popularized by Finntroll with the diverse musical influences and a willingness to expand into whatever style feels fun at the moment from DSO. But unlike aforementioned artsy (and potentially fartsy) Swedes, Trollfest pretty much sings about their collective alcohol problem (like Korpiklaani). And honestly, every time I listen to a new Trollfest album I ask myself the same question: “Why don’t I listen to these guys more?”

Record(s) o’ the Month – November 2021

Record(s) o’ the Month – November 2021

By Angry Metal Guy on December 13, 2021 in Blog Posts, Record o' the Month, Heavy Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Power Metal, Technical Death Metal, 186 comments

“October and November can, without a doubt, be said to have saved 2021 for me. After last month’s pile of elite records, it was hard to imagine that November could be better. But two big things happened in November: 1) I successfully defended my PhD thesis, thus finally making me Dr. Angry Metal Guy; and 2) the rest of the big releases for 2021 dropped hard, fast, and heavy.” How to choose from this bumper crop?

Diablo Swing Orchestra – Swagger & Stroll Down the Rabbit Hole Review

Diablo Swing Orchestra – Swagger & Stroll Down the Rabbit Hole Review

By Twelve on November 4, 2021 in Reviews, 208 comments

“This album is probably my most anticipated release of this year. To me, Diablo Swing Orchestra don’t simply play avant-garde metal—they are avant-garde metal, owing to the fact that they were my gateway into the genre with the incredible Pandora’s Piñata. And yet, Pacifisticuffs never really drew me in. I blamed the production at the time; something about the sound of the album kept me at arm’s length. But that doesn’t change the fact that the Diablo Swing Orchestra octet is a machine of creativity, talent, and ambition. However I may have felt about their previous release, a new album by them is a special occasion.” Rabbit revenge.

Birdeatsbaby – The World Conspires [Things You Might Have Missed 2019]

Birdeatsbaby – The World Conspires [Things You Might Have Missed 2019]

By GardensTale on December 22, 2019 in 2019, British Metal, Cabaret Metal, Dr. Music Records, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Things You Might Have Missed 2019, Cabaret Metal, Progressive Metal, 21 comments

“One of the best ways to get my attention is to mention a band crossing genre boundaries in unexpected ways. Birdeatsbaby drew my eye, first, with their rather evocative name and, second, with that drop-dead gorgeous album art. But what really caught my interest was their history; the band started off in the punk cabaret scene and developed to include prog metal and symphonic influences.” Protect Baby Yoda!

Lacuna Coil – Black Anima Review

Lacuna Coil – Black Anima Review

By Grymm on October 11, 2019 in 2019, Century Media, Gothic Metal, Italian Metal, Reviews, Gothic Metal, 69 comments

“In his 1848 tract Human, All Too Human (Menschliches, Allzumenschliches: Ein Buch für freie Geister), Fredrich Nietzsche wrote that “hope, in reality, is the worst of all evils for it prolongs the torment of man.” So many of the bands I enjoyed as a young metal fan have demonstrated time and again just how right Nietzsche was.” Oh yeah, a double review and a Nietzsche quote? This is gonna be good.

GosT – Valediction Review

GosT – Valediction Review

By sentynel on October 11, 2019 in 2.0, 2019, American Metal, Black Metal, Century Media, Reviews, Synthwave, Black Metal, Synthwave, 28 comments

“Unusual genre crossovers are a tricky thing to get right. Done well, by bands like Diablo Swing Orchestra, they can produce brilliant music that sounds like nothing else. Done poorly, they certainly sound like nothing else. When we last saw 80s horror-themed black metal/synthwave crossover act GosT on their previous album Possessor, Eldritch Elitist noted the combination was sometimes awkward, but great when it worked.” GosTed.