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Sing-Along Songs For The Damned & Delirious
The Diablo Swing Orchestra dates back to 1501 in Sweden, where history tells the tale of an orchestra that played like no other, with music so seductive and divine that the ensemble overwhelmed audiences all over the country. Their performances rapidly earned a reputation of being feral and vigorous and gained the orchestra a devoted crowd of followers.
Their concerts attracted more people than High Mass in church and as a result the orchestra was accused of being treacherous and in league with the devil. The members were accused of being everything from heretics to the spawn of Satan.
“The Devil’s Orchestra” was the epithet used by the church in it's attempt to halt the orchestra’s success. However, this eventually became a catchphrase that spread throughout the crowd, and before long it was the popular name of the orchestra.
With the accusation of heresy a bounty was put on the orchestra, and as the hostilities from the church grew stronger the orchestra finally felt the need to flee. But they decided that if they were to disappear they should go out in style, by giving one last concert.
Before doing so they all signed a pact saying that their descendants were given the task of reuniting the orchestra in 500 years, and that they should continue the orchestra’s work of spreading thought-provoking music. Six envelopes were sealed and given to trustees of the orchestra to pass on to family members.
The final concert was a great success. Thousands of people came to see it, and the massive sing-along of the crowd made the performance the most talked about in history. Eventually, the armed guards arrested the orchestra. They were subsequently sentenced to death by hanging.
Stockholm 2003. By mere accident two of the original orchestra descendants met in a music shop and began to discuss music. It later turned out that they both had received a strange letter from some ancient relative containing instructions on how to reunite The Devil’s Orchestra. By searching through archives and records they managed to track down the other ancestors.
Daniel's sensibility for words and melodies made him the main composer.
Annlouice's angelic yet powerful operatic voice gave a bombastic feeling to the music.
Andreas swinging and energetic drumming provided the orchestra with a deep and solid foundation.
And together with Andy's powerful finger style playing and funk-oriented slapping they made sure the songs had a steady groove.
Pontus electronic and experimental influences proved useful as the orchestra wanted a contemporary sound.
Johannes's emotive cello-playing, theoretical knowledge and stunning technique completed the orchestra.
With reference to the old catchphrase they took the name Diablo Swing Orchestra and are determined to honor the legacy of their ancestors.
Since the release of their debut “The Butcher’s Ballroom” in 2006/2007 the orchestra has gained a loyal fan base of their own. People have embraced their sound with open arms and they have been perceived as a fresh breath of air in a genre getting more and more stale and formulaic. The album was also well received among critics earning many rave reviews recognizing the new ideas the band brought to the scene.
DSO’s sophomore effort titled “Sing-Along Songs for the damned & Delirious” proves that they are no one hit wonder but are here to stay. The new record set to be released in September 2009 is a smörgåsbord of different levels of musical insanity building on the foundation laid down on “The Butcher’s Ballroom”.
Touring will begin in September starting with Progpower USA and will continue in Europe later in the fall.