The Geek Forum
Main Forums => Entertainment => Topic started by: Joe Sixpack on June 04, 2008, 10:36:43 AM
-
True Symphonic Rockestra is a musical project consisting of James LaBrie, the singer for Dream Theater, along with a couple of Tenors (capital T, as in opera singers), where they sing metalized versions of opera songs. LaBrie is originally opera trained, so when you read that, you probably either think "that's awesome!" or "that's terrible!". When I first heard of it, I said to myself, "Self, this will either be awesome or terrible." Sadly (or happily, depending on how you started out), it's both. Well, I take that back. I wouldn't say it ever becomes awesome. At it's best, it is pretty good.
The metal arrangements of the songs aren't bad. Within each track, there is a good balance of orchestration and heavy drums and guitars. Some of the songs really rock, and my 4 year old daughter was up and dancing at times. The singing is very good. If you like opera singers, you will like the opera guys, and if you like Dream Theater, you will like LaBrie's singing as he sounds exactly the same.
Most of the songs are tunes that you will recognize, but the problem is that some of them you recognize for the wrong reasons. Songs like La Donna E Mobile, Funiculi Funicula, and even Cielito Lindo I really liked (probably because I am the only one I know who knows all the words. Thanks High School Spanish class!). And then seemingly randomly comes a song that is completely out of place, like "Moon River". Yes, "Moon River". "Singing in the Rain". "Memories". Yeah there is a fucking Barbara Streisand song on this album. These might even be OK if they were the last 5 tracks, but they're not. They are randomly sprinkled throughout, so that one pops up at just about the time you are forgetting about the last one.
So if you happen to like both Metal and Opera, which I personally do, you would probably enjoy it overall. But please, buy the mp3s and skip over anything with an English title. This album is put together like a watermelon - overall goodness with goddamn little black seeds all over the place. It should have been more like a cantaloupe - melony goodness, but if there has to be seeds, at least they are all concentrated in one place where they can easily be scooped away. There are 21 tracks on the album, so you can delete the 5 or 6 misfits and still have a decent length album. Which is what they should have done in the first place.
-
Sounds..... interesting.
-
Sounds..... interesting.
Yeah, really.
My mother used to drag me to the opera (in Seattle) when I was younger. And I tolerated most of it, and enjoyed a bit of it, and hated some of it.
I was really to young to appreciate all the subtleties, but I'm still glad to have had the experience and exposure to opera that I have had.
-
I haven't heard any of this, but James LaBrie is a phenomenal singer. He did a Rock\Metal Opera with Ayreon called "The Human Equation", it also featured Mikael Åkerfeldt of Opeth, Devon Graves of Dead Soul Tribe, Heather Findlay of Mostly Autumn, and Devin Townsend of Strapping Young Lad. Really worth a listen.
I'll have to check out "True Symphonic Rockestra", thanks
-
My cousin was in Dream Theater.
And that's all I have to say about that.
-
Charlie Dominici?
He sucked.
-
No, Kevin Moore.
-
Oh.
He was alright. No Derek Sherinian though.
-
Oh.
He was alright. No Derek Sherinian though.
No Serek Dherinian either.
-
Do you like that genre in general, or just that band?
-
In that case, check out
Shadow Gallery
Symphony X
Pagan's Mind
Queensryche
and if you're smart, Rush
-
Coheed and Cambria would fit in there, too.
-
In that case, check out
Shadow Gallery
Symphony X
Pagan's Mind
Queensryche
and if you're smart, Rush
x2