Diablo Swing Orchestra
Encyclopedia
Diablo Swing Orchestra is a Swedish
avant-garde metal band. The band was formed in 2003. They have released two albums: The Butcher's Ballroom
in 2006, and Sing Along Songs for the Damned & Delirious
in 2009.
recounts a historically questionable ancestral story beginning in 16th century Sweden. Supposedly, ancestors of the band members performed orchestral works in defiance of the ruling church at the time (possibly in reference to the newly installed protestant Lutheran national church, in power during the mid and late 16th century). The orchestra
was forced to go into hiding, performing in secret, with the assistance of oppressed peasants during the era. After years of performing for the pleasure of these peasants, the story claims that the church put a bounty
on the performers' lives, and that this bounty was so high that the orchestra knew they would soon be captured, and thus chose to play a spectacular final show before becoming martyred to the church.
While this account is historically unsupported (see Foundation of Modern Sweden) it does provide a backdrop to DSO's eclectic musical style
.
in Germany
and in October 2008 at Metal Female Voices Fest
in Belgium
.
. The track "A Tap Dancer's Dilemma" was made available through the band's MySpace page on July 7, 2009. They also announced that two Special Edition prints of the album would be available to pre-order along with the regular album. Both of the Special Edition copies came in an 8 panel digipac containing the CD, a 12 page booklet and a Bonus DVD. The Special Limited Edition was restricted to only 300 orders, and came with an additional pack of postcards, vinyl sticker, and a Dog Tag embossed with the band's logo and a number between 1-300, unique to the owner. Sing Along Songs for the Damned & Delirious
was released on September 21, 2009, and on October 2 the band played a special album-launch gig at The Purple Turtle club in Camden
, London
.
On January 18, 2010 Diablo Swing Orchestra announced that their drummer, Andreas Halvardsson, had stepped down from his role due to "personal reasons" and would be replaced by Petter Karlsson
, who is best known for his work with Swedish metal act, Therion
. Diablo Swing Orchestra expect pre-production of their third album to begin towards the end of 2010.
On July 17, 2010 the band played at Circo Volador, Mexico City.
On August 14, 2010 the band played at Brutal Assault
Open Air in the Czech Republic
with the new lineup.
In January, 2011, Sing Along Songs for the Damned & Delirious
was nominated in the Eclectic Album category in The 10th Annual Independent Music Awards. The song "A Tap Dancer's Dilemma" was also nominated for the Metal/Hardcore category.
On January 24, 2011 the band announced on Facebook that Daniel Hedin and Martin Isaksson have joined their ranks as full time members.
On October 9, 2011, the bands revealed their 3rd album title "Pandora's Piñata".
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
avant-garde metal band. The band was formed in 2003. They have released two albums: The Butcher's Ballroom
The Butcher's Ballroom
-External links:* This album can be downloaded free of charge on under a Creative Commons By-NC-ND 3.0 License....
in 2006, and Sing Along Songs for the Damned & Delirious
Sing Along Songs for the Damned & Delirious
-Band members:* Daniel Håkansson – vocals and guitar* Annlouice Wolgers – vocals* Pontus Mantefors – guitar* Andy Johansson – bass* Johannes Bergion – cello* Andreas Halvardsson – drums...
in 2009.
Mythology
The origin of the name of the band is related on their website. The tongue-in-cheek back-storyBack-story
A back-story, background story, or backstory is the literary device of a narrative chronologically earlier than, and related to, a narrative of primary interest. Generally, it is the history of characters or other elements that underlie the situation existing at the main narrative's start...
recounts a historically questionable ancestral story beginning in 16th century Sweden. Supposedly, ancestors of the band members performed orchestral works in defiance of the ruling church at the time (possibly in reference to the newly installed protestant Lutheran national church, in power during the mid and late 16th century). The orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
was forced to go into hiding, performing in secret, with the assistance of oppressed peasants during the era. After years of performing for the pleasure of these peasants, the story claims that the church put a bounty
Bounty (reward)
A bounty is a payment or reward often offered by a group as an incentive for the accomplishment of a task by someone usually not associated with the group. Bounties are most commonly issued for the capture or retrieval of a person or object. They are typically in the form of money...
on the performers' lives, and that this bounty was so high that the orchestra knew they would soon be captured, and thus chose to play a spectacular final show before becoming martyred to the church.
While this account is historically unsupported (see Foundation of Modern Sweden) it does provide a backdrop to DSO's eclectic musical style
Eclecticism in music
Eclecticism is used to describe a composer's conscious use of styles alien to his nature, or from one or more historical styles. The term is also used pejoratively to describe music whose composer, thought to be lacking originality, appears to have freely drawn on other models .-Sources:* Kennedy,...
.
The Butcher's Ballroom (2006–2009)
Through the band's official page on Myspace, they offered free downloads of a number of tracks from their debut album in promotion of The Butcher's Ballroom. The tracks released on the page were as follows: "Heroines", "Balrog Boogie" and "Poetic Pitbull Revolutions" — the latter of which was added to the playlist months later. In July 2008 the band played at Summer Breeze Open AirSummer Breeze Open Air
Summer Breeze Open Air is a heavy metal music festival in Germany. It takes place annually in Dinkelsbühl, Bavaria. It was first held in 1997. The festival had been held in Abtsgmünd until 2006 when it was moved to its new location of Dinkelsbühl. The festival draws around 40,000 attendees annually...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and in October 2008 at Metal Female Voices Fest
Metal Female Voices Fest
Metal Female Voices Fest is a heavy metal music festival held annually in Belgium since 2003. It is organized by the Metal Organisation agency. The seventh edition took place at Oktoberhallen in Wieze in the municipality of Lebbeke on October 17 and October 18, 2009.-October 22:*Doro* Leaves' Eyes*...
in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
.
Sing Along Songs for the Damned & Delirious (2009-present)
In early spring 2009, the band announced that they were returning to the studio, and made a number of cryptic video blogs to document their efforts. On June 30, 2009 they announced that the cover art for the album would be made by Swedish illustrator Peter Bergting, noted for being the author of The PortentThe Portent
The Portent is a comic book by Peter Bergting, published by Image Comics. Bergting writes, draws and colors the comic himself. In a world set in its twilight days, the series follows Milo, a deeply troubled warrior, on his quest for redemption through a land beset by demons and the spirits of the...
. The track "A Tap Dancer's Dilemma" was made available through the band's MySpace page on July 7, 2009. They also announced that two Special Edition prints of the album would be available to pre-order along with the regular album. Both of the Special Edition copies came in an 8 panel digipac containing the CD, a 12 page booklet and a Bonus DVD. The Special Limited Edition was restricted to only 300 orders, and came with an additional pack of postcards, vinyl sticker, and a Dog Tag embossed with the band's logo and a number between 1-300, unique to the owner. Sing Along Songs for the Damned & Delirious
Sing Along Songs for the Damned & Delirious
-Band members:* Daniel Håkansson – vocals and guitar* Annlouice Wolgers – vocals* Pontus Mantefors – guitar* Andy Johansson – bass* Johannes Bergion – cello* Andreas Halvardsson – drums...
was released on September 21, 2009, and on October 2 the band played a special album-launch gig at The Purple Turtle club in Camden
London Borough of Camden
In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough were already developed and had a total population of 96,795. This continued to rise swiftly throughout the 19th century, as the district became built up; reaching 270,197 in the middle of the century...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
On January 18, 2010 Diablo Swing Orchestra announced that their drummer, Andreas Halvardsson, had stepped down from his role due to "personal reasons" and would be replaced by Petter Karlsson
Petter Karlsson
Petter Karlsson is a multi instrumentalist and singer of Holocoaster and was a member of Swedish symphonic metal band Therion , lead vocalist and guitarist of Argento, member of other several bands: Master Massive, Kajarr, Conspiracy.He had a big impact on Therion's 13:th album Gothic Kabbalah,...
, who is best known for his work with Swedish metal act, Therion
Therion (band)
Therion is a Swedish symphonic metal band founded by Christofer Johnsson in 1987. The word "therion" comes from the Greek therion , meaning "Beast," i.e., that of the Christian Book of Revelation...
. Diablo Swing Orchestra expect pre-production of their third album to begin towards the end of 2010.
On July 17, 2010 the band played at Circo Volador, Mexico City.
On August 14, 2010 the band played at Brutal Assault
Brutal assault
Brutal Assault is an extreme metal open-air music festival taking place in the 18th century army Fortress Josefov in Jaroměř, Czech Republic. It takes place each August traditionally on a Thursday, Friday and Saturday in the beginning of the month. The festival was started in 1995 featuring mostly...
Open Air in the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
with the new lineup.
In January, 2011, Sing Along Songs for the Damned & Delirious
Sing Along Songs for the Damned & Delirious
-Band members:* Daniel Håkansson – vocals and guitar* Annlouice Wolgers – vocals* Pontus Mantefors – guitar* Andy Johansson – bass* Johannes Bergion – cello* Andreas Halvardsson – drums...
was nominated in the Eclectic Album category in The 10th Annual Independent Music Awards. The song "A Tap Dancer's Dilemma" was also nominated for the Metal/Hardcore category.
On January 24, 2011 the band announced on Facebook that Daniel Hedin and Martin Isaksson have joined their ranks as full time members.
On October 9, 2011, the bands revealed their 3rd album title "Pandora's Piñata".
Members
- Daniel Håkansson – guitars, vocals (2003-)
- Pontus Mantefors – guitars, FX (2003-)
- Annlouice Loegdlund – vocals (2003-)
- Andy Johansson – bass (2003-)
- Johannes Bergion – cello (2003-)
- Petter KarlssonPetter KarlssonPetter Karlsson is a multi instrumentalist and singer of Holocoaster and was a member of Swedish symphonic metal band Therion , lead vocalist and guitarist of Argento, member of other several bands: Master Massive, Kajarr, Conspiracy.He had a big impact on Therion's 13:th album Gothic Kabbalah,...
– drums (2010-) - Daniel Hedin – trombone (2011-)
- Martin Isaksson – trumpet (2011-)
Discography
- Borderline Hymns – EPExtended playAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
(2003) - The Butcher's BallroomThe Butcher's Ballroom-External links:* This album can be downloaded free of charge on under a Creative Commons By-NC-ND 3.0 License....
(2006) - Sing Along Songs for the Damned & DeliriousSing Along Songs for the Damned & Delirious-Band members:* Daniel Håkansson – vocals and guitar* Annlouice Wolgers – vocals* Pontus Mantefors – guitar* Andy Johansson – bass* Johannes Bergion – cello* Andreas Halvardsson – drums...
(2009) - Pandora's Piñata (2012)