THE BUTCHER'S BALLROOM

Take Apocalyptica, Nightwish, Therion, Goran Bregovic and Metallica. Put them in one tiny room. Open fire on their feet, to make them dance and play. They do. But with your surprise, you notice that they play and dance with joy and style. You thought you were just making a cruel trick, and you ended creating the most original, powerful, bizzarre metal sound. Heavy metal, of course. Heavy sound, carved in stone. A powerful singer able to clean out all the goth-sirens around. A single cello creating riffs and riffs like a madman musician who lost its sanity in an Elend prison. A dark-humorous mood all over the album. A record you can listen laughing all the time. People may think you are crazy, but it's okay.

"When I go to Ikea I always think that Swedish are strange people" an italian journalist used to say. He was referring to Dark Tranquillity, but when you listen to something so unique and yet so superbe like The Butcher's Ballroom you can agree.

I really have fun with these guys, I love them because they are great musicians but they don't play to entertain themselves like most progster do, they don't show off, they don't repeat abused technical difficulties just to prove themselves they're good. They make music. New, fresh as air, brilliant, touching, turning your brain and guts upside down.

And a final serious note. I discovered their music on the web, downloading their album for free, under a Creative Commons license. The art in the 21st century. Standing ovation, and a bow.

4 stars, and prepared for next....