CHRISTMAS EVE & OTHER STORIES

Trans-Siberian Orchestra - 'Christmas Eve and Other Stories' 2 stars

Music of the season, not of the essence.

This music is a tad unnecessary at just about any time but the winter season. Trans-Siberian Orchestra is an offshoot of progressive metal band Savatage. The Trans-Siberian Orchestra features a mass array of guests, most of which contribute in the orchestration section.

There are so many negatives on this album. First off would be the vocals. They are absolutely terrible in my eyes, with the worst of all worlds like a woman's choir singing Christmas joy and old men with raspy voices. When I listen to my music, I like the vocals to evoke some interesting and not being something I would ignore if I hear it in the streets. Many of the songs are reworking of uninteresting Christmas tunes that don't serve too much of a purpose, but are better than the boring originals in my opinion.

The upside to this album is some of the most unbelievable Christmas instrumentals ever. The tracks 'First Snow', 'A Mad Russian's Christmas' and 'Christmas Eve/Sarajevo' are all beautiful works of art worth owning. Unfortunately the rest of the 14 tracks are all pretty terrible in their own unique way.

Unless you can download the tracks separately, just get the above mentioned pieces. As a whole the album just gets down to not being good enough. If you get it, disgrace yourself by being labeled a collector.