Sideshow Symphonies [Enhanced]

Sideshow Symphonies [Enhanced]

Track Listings

1. Hibernation Sickness Complete

2. Shipwrecked Frontier Pioneer

3. Deamon Painter

4. Nocturnal Vision Revisited

5. Evacuation Code Deciphered

6. Moonshine Delirium

7. White Noise Monster

8. Reflections [Instrumental]

9. Hufsa

10. Bonus Material [CD-ROM Track][*]

Sideshow Symphonies,Arcturus,Season Mist America,Death Metal/Black Metal,Heavy Metal,Pop,Progressive Metal,Rock,Scandinavian Metal

Average customer rating:

Absolute perfection

Tis a pretty good album. It gets a thumbs up from me.

Remarkable Progressive Futuristic metal

Where Nightmares come to life.

Cannot label this great masterful piece of art!

Sideshow Symphonies
Arcturus
Manufacturer: Season of Mist
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
General | Rock | Styles | Music
Progressive Metal | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music
Death Metal | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music
General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music
Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

La Masquerade Infernale

The Sham Mirrors

Blood Inside

Aspera hiems Symfonia/Constellation/My Angel

The Adversary

ASIN: B000AA4LS2
Release Date: 2005-09-20

Tracks:

Hibernation Sickness Complete
Shipwrecked Frontier Pioneer
Deamon Painter
Nocturnal Vision Revisited
Evacuation Code Deciphered
Moonshine Delirium
White Noise Monster
Reflections [Instrumental]
Hufsa
Bonus Material [CD-ROM Track][*]

Album Description

Originally thought of as simply a black metal super group, Norway's Arcturus, had the guts to incorporate traditional melody, keyboards, vocal experimental and melodrama into their sinister theatrics. Now on their fourth full-length release, they have become the premiere progressive, avant-garde art band. Season Of Mist. 2005.

Customer Reviews:

Absolute perfection.......2007-05-20

Being a Dimmu Borgir fan, I purchased this work solely on the merits of Simen Hestnaes' vocal work with that band, as well as that of the inimitable Hellhammer.Sideshow Symphonies has invaded every cell of my being, and simply eclipses everything I've heard in a long time.Each piece is a flawless exploration of psychological alienation and profound inner musings.All of these musicians have combined their considerable talents to create an irreplaceable masterwork, and I for one cannot get enough!Please do buy a copy of "Shipwrecked in Oslo", the DVD live performance of this and previous Arcturus works.Their brand of Satanic tongue in cheek is refreshing in a genre that can get a bit too pompous.

Tis a pretty good album. It gets a thumbs up from me........2006-12-30

I've heard a lot of people say they do not like this album at all. Most say so just because Kristoffer is no longer doing vocals. But to be honest Simen sounds pretty similar, and the album as a whole reminds me of The Sham Mirrors.

I've pretty much enjoyed every Arcturus album with the exception of Aspera Hiems Symphonia, and I still liked that album, just did not dig the grumbly, growly vocals in it, but musicly ir was good too. Sideshow Symphonies imo is a lot like La Masquerade. Even has some similar song itles. Its also a lot like The Sham Mirrors, and musicly its a lot like it too.

Any fan of Arcturus I would recommend this album to. Don't let the fact that Simen is now doing vocal work turn you away. He's good! Very good even. Pick up Sideshow Symphonies and have a couple listens, and you will probably agree with me on it.

Remarkable Progressive Futuristic metal.......2006-08-12

One of the main reasons why I have checked out the great music of Arcturus is because Hellhammer (Jan Axel Von Blomberg) is the drummer. His drumming work is elite and he worked with Mayhem for a long time. Currently, besides Arcturus, he works with Winds, Antestor, and Dimmu Borgir. Arcturus play a distinct style of avant garde metal that is futuristic and theatric. This is also the debut full time performance from Simen 'Vortex' Hestnæs, the former frontman of Borknagar and current bassist of Dimmu Borgir.

Sideshow Symphonies starts out with an elegant track, 'Hibernation Sickness Complete.' Vortex' vocals are beautiful. This is one of the best songs on the album. 'Shipwrecked Frontier Pioneer' is a long song (8 minutes) and has attractive female vocals with Vortex' vocal theatrics in the background. 'Demon Painter' has supreme singing from Vortex and great guitar and drum work. 'Moonshine Delirium' is a haunting track that sounds theatrical.

Arcturus have quietly moved forward from the days when Garm lead the show. Garm has been working a lot on his own band, Ulver and could not continue with Arcturus. Hellhammer's drumming on this album shows is great diversity as a great musician. Vortex' clean vocals are stunning and I hope he does them for the next album from Arcturus. Fans who enjoy avant garde metal will like this material, along with fans of Vortex and Hellhammer. This music is quite unlike anything I have heard in metal, but it is quite delightful.

Where Nightmares come to life........2006-05-22

Honestly, When I heard Garm had left Arcturus, I thought this album would be crap. But I was so wrong. Simen "ICS Vortex" Hestnæs (ex-Borknagar, Dimmu Borgir) is the perfect replacement and fits perfectly with Arcturus' dark-celestial-avant-garde-neo-classical-experimental-atmospheric-theatrical-nightmare-black-metal theme perfectly. The resonance of his voice is smooth, yet shrilling, and his singing style just has that wacky, insane feeling to it, without going totally off-the-wall and sounding stupid. Garm did the same thing; Simen just fits to the rest of the band ridiculously well. He even has that wicked, creepy cackle he does once in a while. I honestly keep thinking of phantom of the opera when I listen to this... a dark, twisted, modern live musical gone horribly wrong.

Compared to previous Arcturus releases though, this is a bit more calm... not so much double-bass, heavy guitar riffing, black metal-style vocals madness. It's much more progressive and experimental, but a good portion of Arcturus' music has always been like that so it shouldn't be surprising or disappointing to dedicated fans. The song structures and lyrics are brilliant and creative as always. There are lots of pianos and keyboards with several different tones, string instruments, and various celestial swirling noises and rhythms, not to mention the incredible drumming by Hellhammer as always. It seems like the guitars and bass are a little less prominent to emphasize the many other aspects. There are a few angelic female vocals (by Silje Wergeland) here and there, and quite a bit of Simen harmonizing with himself to give even more of that evil-theatre feeling.

"Hibernation Sickness Complete," is possibly my favorite song; it begins with the most gradual and eerie opening, for 30 seconds or so, before Vortex's phantasmal vocals break through and don't hesitate to send chills down the listener's spine, with cosmic keyboard tones and melodies quivering beneath the brilliant guitar riffs. After a while, a sudden, unexpected rupture of heaviness terrorizes the flow of the song with inhumanly fast drumming and nightmarish piano chords atop distant synth melodies. The song ends with the some of the only death vocals on the entire album.

"Evacuation Code Deciphered" is probably my second favorite, starting with orchestral violin plucking among more low-pitched strings, the vocals are somewhat half-talking, half-singing, moving through many different experiments in between verses, including a barrage of evil laughing, breakdowns to emphasize many different keyboard melodies and solos, or guitar riffs, eventually getting to the deathly beautiful harmonization of Simen and Silje. "Reflections" is almost an instrumental that focuses on the absolutely stunning drum work of Hellhammer a lot, containing some haunting chanting near the end.

I'd say if you like your metal extremely experimental, and if you liked previous Arcturus releases, you will almost certainly enjoy this gem.

Cannot label this great masterful piece of art!.......2006-04-06

Let's clear one thing up right now. You do NOT have to be a black metal fan in the least to enjoy this freaking masterpiece! I will admit I have one bias. THE VOCALS OF HESTNAES! To me he has the most powerfully majestic voice in all of music! This album is a journey that you take to other vistas in your mind. If you are a fan of progressive black metal in the vein of Borknagar,Solefald,and Age of Silence, order this album because I am sure most conventional cd stores dont carry it. Long live Hestnaes! Support eclectic, brilliant music like ARCTURUS.