Diablo Swing Orchestra - Pandora's Pinata (2012)

When I first checked this band out on Youtube, I thought "swing-metal." When I checked out this album, I discovered that such a reductive term as that does not really apply to most of this band's music. The music is classicaly orchestrated, complex and very intriguing. It is certainly one of the most unique metal albums I've listened to, but the strength of the album lies primarily in the airtight songwriting abilities of the band rather than the "novelty factor" (one could say the same about Volbeat, another very unique and very talented band). Everything from the riffs to the string sections to the amazing operatic vocals is carefully choreographed and expertly placed to form compelling and mostly quite catchy music. If you want to take a walk on the wild side of metal then I highly recommend this amazing album to you.
9.5/10