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  • (January 12, 2023, 01:18:11 AM)

Author Topic: Bite My Shiny Metal-Opera Unholy Offspring  (Read 3569 times)

Joe Sixpack

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Bite My Shiny Metal-Opera Unholy Offspring
« 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.
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sociald1077

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Re: Bite My Shiny Metal-Opera Unholy Offspring
« Reply #1 on: June 04, 2008, 11:00:21 AM »
Sounds..... interesting.
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The_FOO

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Re: Bite My Shiny Metal-Opera Unholy Offspring
« Reply #2 on: June 04, 2008, 12:40:16 PM »
Quote from: sociald1077 on June 04, 2008, 11:00:21 AM
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.
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amvteknoboy

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Re: Bite My Shiny Metal-Opera Unholy Offspring
« Reply #3 on: June 19, 2008, 09:13:54 AM »
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
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Min

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Re: Bite My Shiny Metal-Opera Unholy Offspring
« Reply #4 on: June 19, 2008, 10:52:23 AM »
My cousin was in Dream Theater.

And that's all I have to say about that.
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Joe Sixpack

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Re: Bite My Shiny Metal-Opera Unholy Offspring
« Reply #5 on: June 19, 2008, 04:44:58 PM »
Charlie Dominici?

He sucked.
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Min

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Re: Bite My Shiny Metal-Opera Unholy Offspring
« Reply #6 on: June 20, 2008, 07:14:19 AM »
No, Kevin Moore.
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Re: Bite My Shiny Metal-Opera Unholy Offspring
« Reply #7 on: June 20, 2008, 08:15:44 AM »
Oh.
He was alright.  No Derek Sherinian though.
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Re: Bite My Shiny Metal-Opera Unholy Offspring
« Reply #8 on: June 20, 2008, 09:43:58 PM »
Quote from: Joe Sixpack on June 20, 2008, 08:15:44 AM
Oh.
He was alright.  No Derek Sherinian though.

No Serek Dherinian either.
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Joe Sixpack

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Re: Bite My Shiny Metal-Opera Unholy Offspring
« Reply #9 on: June 23, 2008, 08:35:14 AM »
Do you like that genre in general, or just that band?
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Cherubim is plural; Genesis 3:24 specifies one flaming sword. Presumably flaming swords were in short supply."

Joe Sixpack

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Re: Bite My Shiny Metal-Opera Unholy Offspring
« Reply #10 on: June 23, 2008, 01:32:08 PM »
In that case, check out

Shadow Gallery
Symphony X
Pagan's Mind
Queensryche
and if you're smart, Rush
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"God places cherubim with a flaming sword east of Eden to guard the Tree of Life from the ambitions of man.

Cherubim is plural; Genesis 3:24 specifies one flaming sword. Presumably flaming swords were in short supply."

Joe Sixpack

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Re: Bite My Shiny Metal-Opera Unholy Offspring
« Reply #11 on: June 29, 2008, 11:57:04 AM »
Coheed and Cambria would fit in there, too.
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amvteknoboy

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Re: Bite My Shiny Metal-Opera Unholy Offspring
« Reply #12 on: June 29, 2008, 07:19:36 PM »
Quote from: Joe Sixpack on June 23, 2008, 01:32:08 PM
In that case, check out

Shadow Gallery
Symphony X
Pagan's Mind
Queensryche
and if you're smart, Rush

x2
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"You don't become an Otaku by trying... you just wake up one day, and realize that you are one..." - Kasukabe Saki, Genshiken