Diablo Swing Orchestra – Sing-Along Songs For The Damned & Delirious (2009)

When I first heard “The Butcher's Ballroom” back in 2006, I was blown away by the very interesting and at the same time very bizarre combination of musical genres that this album presents. The overall atmosphere created by that album is heavily intoxicating like a siren’s chant or the devil’s whisper.

Fast-forward three years into the future and the Swedes behind the Diablo Swing Orchestra are back with their second album that will surely establish them as one of the premiere Avant-garde Metal bands of all time. “Sing-Along Songs…” is a brilliant album that had me hooked on it since the first time I heard the CD.

Featuring some of the most amazing and entertaining music I’ve heard this year “Sing-Along Songs..” is a very complex album that can be heard just for enjoyment since the music is very catchy and diverse in nature, taking a full life of it self. The album can also be heard as a journey into the band’s very bizarre songwriting abilities and to try and figure out all the different layers and instruments used in this release will definitely take more than a couple dozen listens to the full album.

Providing amazing opera-style female vocals and jazzy female vocals Ann-Louice Lögdlund is very versatile bringing the album’s lyrics to life with a great grace, the male vocals and the occasional growls are just the icing of the cake and the band could do without them. The lush layers of synth, piano, cello adorn the album to perfection, and if it’s either a Swing influenced passage, or a Jazz interlude, the band excels at writing very diverse songs that are completely un-predictable in nature. But I will stop talking about the brilliance behind this release and let you experience it for your self.

“Sing-Along Songs For The Damned & Delirious” proves that DSO was not just a one hit wonder and that they can create great bizarre and catchy songs that will draw anybody’s attention. If you are a fan of Metal, Swing, Jazz and even Spaghetti-Western style music you must buy this album.

Release: September 22, 2009

Country: Sweden