For an album that was delayed at least a year because of the band members' "perfectionism," the Trans-Siberian Orchestra's new album Night Castle leaves a lot to be desired.
The band received a lot of radio airplay for its past reinterpretations of old Christmas favorites on three of its previous albums, blending a hard rocking sensibility with a classical elegance and dignity while always leaning toward the rock angle.
TSO's 2000 release Beethoven's Last Night showed audiences what the band can do when it departs from the Christmas motif. Beethoven's Last Night had something for everyone; strong reinterpretations of classical hits for casual fans and a deeper rock opera story for hardcore fans. Many of the rock opera songs stand on their own musically as well. Because most are familiar with the story of Beethoven, even casual fans can appreciate the connection.
Night Castle, however, does not have the same degree of accessibility. The band takes the artsy rock-opera theme somewhat too far, and because the story it tells is not a well-known favorite like Beethoven's story, casual fans will not be able to connect to the songs the same way. Only devoted fans with a lot of time on their hands will be able to fully appreciate the 70 pages of liner notes that come with the album. Moreover, not many of the songs stand out on their own the way many did on Beethoven's Last Night.
I was excited to hear the band's interpretation of Carl Orff's "O Fortuna" on this album. A classical piece with that kind of energy seemed to be the perfect fit for TSO. The band has expanded and improved upon such pieces in the past, such as Pachelbel's Canon in D in "Christmas Canon Rock" and Beethoven's Fifth Symphony in "Requiem (The Fifth)." But I was sorely disappointed here. TSO didn't really do much with the piece, other than throw some guitars in there and call it a day. The guitars are mostly in the background while the chorus sings, and the band really doesn't expand on the song very much, resulting in an average offering.
The album does have some highlights, though. It opens well, with a solid first four tracks. "Night Enchanted" features a much more versatile choral part than in "Carmina Burana," and the strings and guitar blend really well. "Childhood Dreams" and "Sparks" both feature very strong vocalists, who carry the song for the most part. One strength of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra is that it can always find strong vocalists that don't necessarily have the classical, Three Tenors-ish sound. This is especially true on "Sparks," where the vocalist's gravelly voice makes the song.
Two other classical covers on the album offer more for the listener. "The Mountain" is a blend of Grieg's "In the Hall of the Mountain King" and Holst's "Mars, the Bringer of War." It captures the rumbling, dark atmosphere of both pieces. The guitar and strings alternate taking center stage, with the guitar playing lighting-fast riffs during the string parts.
"Toccata-Carpimus Noctem" is a reinterpretation of Bach's "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor," and is more like the TSO from past albums. The organ powerfully opens the song, with a bloody guitar riff coming in later. TSO does a better job expanding on the original idea of this piece, with active guitar parts that stay within the classical framework.
I'd recommend Night Castle for any huge TSO fans - those that are willing to dig out the story behind the songs. But for less diehard fans, I'd recommend picking up some of the band's past albums as an introduction, especially The Lost Christmas Eve and Christmas Eve and Other Stories, which are some of the best classical-rock fusion albums on the market today.
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