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Diablo Swing Orchestra: Pandora's Pinata
Diablo Swing Orchestra: Pandora's Pinata
Symphonic Swing Rock/Metal
5.0/5.0
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Sensory Records/Candlelight Records
by Craig Hartranft, 04.30.2012
Diablo Swing Orchestra does not so much defy convention or genres as twist the hell out of them. The larger category may be progressive rock, but even that is a largely unhelpful and useless metaphor. Influenced by the symphonic, swing, and Latin sounds, the music also envelopes opera and theater in the context of basic melodic rock, sometimes metal, on their third album Pandora's Pinata.
Diablo Swing Orchestra: the camera is there.
To these ears that mix of swing and Latin sounds with the rest was pure ear-charming entertainment. Throw horns into any arrangement and you have may attention. The kicker is that DSO does it with as much ease as ingenuity. Voodoo Mon Amour and Guerilla Laments are breathless, lively and engaging, almost excessively indulgent pieces of music.
Then for pure genre-busting intrigue, and likely nearer to that prog category, a song like Exit Strategy of a Wrecking Ball (gotta love the song titles, too) is satisfying and spectacular. Something more straight forward in melodic heavy rock comes on Mass Rapture. Then a song like Honey Trap Aftermath returns DSO to that formula that drips with soul and swing, with some massive horn work above a great bass line. Besides the fine horn section, the drum work of Petter Karlsson throughout this album is simply brilliant.
Simply, Diablo Swing Orchestra and their Pandora's Pinata is immensely creative and devastatingly entertaining. Marvelous, a real joy to experience. Easily among my top ten albums of this year. Strongly recommended.
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Simply, Diablo Swing Orchestra and their Pandora's Pinata is immensely creative and devastatingly entertaining. Marvelous, a real joy to experience.
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