Music From The Others III - Violins

Music From The Others III - Play the Violins
"Look at all these bands playing violins,... where do they come from?"

  My section of "The Others" is only a referral to the fact as I was falling in love with Symphonic Metal, I was stumbling onto a great amount of Other Stuff which I kept bookmarking. Being a sub-genre, Symphonic Metal gets lumped together with Other Subs like Progressive Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Power Metal and Gothic Metal. So cross-references exist and some bands simply don't always lean so specifically towards one or the other making things a bit more difficult to describe. Often you hear "They are like Evanescence but in a Swedish Death Metal way- but with violins".
  One of my pet peeves of these genres is the overall lame conception of "just add a violin to make it cool", which also ranks up there for me with "get some hot girl to sing and dress her up like a vampire". In trying to understand where all this comes from, I decided to look into the past of Rock-n-Roll and Metal for the origins or evolution of the relationship between Heavy Metal and Violins.
  (This is by no means a definitive list), so lets start with The Beatles who definitely used violins in much of their early work, as they were such an experimental band for the times they were in. It is quite interesting to see how they progressed from using the violins as part of the melody (Eleanor Rigby) to later, used in a more symphonic means, in sections or passages that stand alone for effect (A Day in the Life).
 There were an enormous amount of bands in the early days of rock that used violins, but their inclusion was mostly for the more mellow ballads. Some bands like The Moody Blues, Emerson Lake and Palmer and a Frank Zappa song here and there (50/50) feature jams that include a violinist, mostly for solos but I feel its the influence of the Legendary guitarist Jimmy Page, who would use a bow across the strings of a Les Paul to get a violin-feel during his live solos- which directly led to the showmanship of ELO. Thus the image of a rock band with a violinist onstage had become well accepted. By this time you have bands like Kansas and Jethro Tull (early symphonic-folk rock!) who regularly included violins.
  Once metal took over though, in the 80s, a band with violinist would not be prominent again but that didn't stop some of the biggest bands of the times to make mega-hits with violins like Metallica (Nothing Else Matters), Guns-n-Roses (November Rain) and Smashing Pumpkins (Tonight). More recently, there has been a resurgence of violinist being included in bands of just about any genre from Yellowcard and Dave Matthews but I would like to point to Faith No More's biggest song (Epic). It might have been violin-via-keyboard but it is so reminiscent of Led Zep's Kashmir, and the mix of heavy metal with violins was indeed epic.
  This leads me to this decade, in which there are a plethora of Progressive, Symphonic, Gothic, Melodic Death, Power Metal and Folk Metal bands all using violins. Obviously, most of the songs in my listings here do include violins but I have chosen three of my favorite examples of what good song writing and the use of the violin can produce without it sounding like "let's add some violin to make it cool"

Stream Of Passion: Progressive Metal. Netherlands and others. This band is yet another project by the busiest guy in all Euro-Metal, Arjen Anthony Lucassen (Ayreon).  Stream of Passion features 2 super gifted women in the vocals and violins of Marcela Bovio, and guitarist Lori Lindstruth. They play a progressive style of Metal which shows influences of Jazz, Zeppelin and even Latin, and their musical skill is extraordinary.
Kamelot: Power Metal, Tampa FL USA. A band from the USA? Really? Yes, and they feature prominently the multi-textural vocals of Roy Kahn (NL). His range is top notch, singing with all the power and diversity of Bruce Dickerson (Iron Maiden) mixed in with a little darker tone. Their 8th release Ghost Opera shows the band can be diverse while still maintaining their PowerMetal core. Though they don't have an actual violinist, the orchestration on Ghost Opera helps them straddle the Symphonic / Power Metal fence.


Stream of Passion - Passion 2005
    Also Live Video Here
    If you wondered just what is progressive metal? This could be a very definitive answer. It doesn't hurt to have a phenom on vocals deliver a perfectly sensual and inspired performance like Marcela Bovio does on this song- which could be considered the band's self-titled anthem tour-DE-force. The intro places the violin on full display, as its' melody is a non-stop run, slipping through key changes. The heavy guitar riff underneath is matched with keys as the drum work pushes the energy through the roof. Right off you know this song is powerful and you wonder what is in store. This is what I love about bands with a progressive mentality, they hint to all their influences, they bounce between styles and mix it up while building upon each section. Passion is an understatement... when you get to the ferocious solo by Lori Lindstruth, the song is simply about to kick into high gear for the final round. I included a live video just to show the band's amazing talent and perfect vocals (harmonies by Marcia's sister, Diana). Also note the live version includes extended "Kashmir" like build ups not found in the video edit.


Stream of Passion - Embrace the Storm 2005
    The title song is a magical force of 2 different melodies in one song, the main lead with the violin is a mode-changing feast which you instantly can grab onto and go with for a ride. In contrast, the verses consist of 2 piano melodies, one descending and one ascending, along with a near impossible vocal as only can be performed by Marcela Bovio. The song is earmarked by an overall feeling that is all Arjen Lucassen's influence. The exit shows how beautiful the melody is even as it drops a key or two to the end round. Overall the song is quite amazing, the melody is brilliant and the song is quite a standout and a very memorable moment.


Kamelot - Ghost Opera 2007
  From their highly acclaimed Ghost Opera, here Kamelot takes on Operatic themes and still sound like a Power Metal unit throughout this visually outstanding video. Featuring background vocals of Amanda Somerville and a feverish attacking violin melody. The whole thing comes together in a massive way then the solo comes through and you feel the energy provided by the rising and falling orchestral sections, the high speed drums and choirs. The huge voice that Roy Kahn has is also on display. This gallant effort simply needs more recognition. Glad to see a band from the USA hit one out of the ballpark.

Next Update: From Violins to Cellos, a Return To Finland