#8 - Top of 2012

Diablo Swing Orchestra - Pandora's Piñata (Candlelight Records)

In number 8, we have one of the more unusual bands in this list that are certainly... very interesting although their accessibility to the average listener is debatable to say the least. DSO are an avant-garde band from Norway and they sure are pushing the boundaries of their music.The present is their third and last (to date) album with a new release upcoming(?). The album starts with "Voodoo Mon Amour", a jazzy/swing song with operatic vocals and a frantic rhythm. The album continues with "Guerilla Laments" with a lot of brass and rhythms that take you on a trip to Cuba or the carnival of Rio, and a highly dancing vibe to boot. "Kevlar Sweethearts" that follows, starts heavily with a string arrangement and drumming, before evolving into a lamenting latin melody with ethereal vocals and a folk-tale like feeling, before a mid-piece heavy metal/brass breakdown. "Black-box messiah" in sharp contrast has a very modern and avant-garde feeling, without engaging intertwining of male, female and "alien" vocals and an operatic feel. "Exit Strategy of a Wrecking Ball" is the next track, continues with the more modern and industrial feel blending it with an almost epic theatrical feeling in vocals and orchestral breaks. "Aurora", is an eerie song that is very close in feel to Chaostar and is highly operatic, feeling like a genuine opera piece. "Mass Rapture" has an oriental melody excellently blended with modern metal riffs and is at time reminiscent of the more quiet moments of Orphaned Land. "Honey Trap Aftermath" is a return to a jazzy/swingy song form with the brass section being again very prominent and n excellent tapping rhythm. "Of Kali ma Calibre" is the penultimate song of the disc and is another operatic piece with music and choral parts  resembling military anthems mixed with hints of industrial metal. The final song of the album,  "Justice for Saint Mary" is the pinnacling of the album with an epic haunting melody closing "Pandora's Pinata" with a whisper that sounds like a scream. This album is an experience!


96/100

Below are music videos for "Voodoo Mon Amour" and "Back Box Messiah"