New proggy Christmas CD for those that enjoy the Trans-Siberian Orchestra

[Dan Roth]

The new CD by the band The Wizards of Winter has been released and I would highly recommend it to folks who enjoy the music of TSO.

The Wizards of Winter are a NJ-based rock band with some harder rock and prog leanings, with a very certain TSO-influence (they started out years ago as a TSO tribute band, but began creating their own material at the request of their fans). Since several of the original TSO members tour as guests with the band, their tours are a mixture of original material and TSO favorites, minus the over-the-top dancing, lasers and spectacle. Their new Christmas-themed album contains 12 original tracks, including their first single released back in May, “March of the Metal Soldiers”. The album has a real appeal for fans of TSO as they wear that influence proudly.

The band is led by progger keyboardist Scott Kelly and also includes top players active in the NJ/NYC metal scene as well as a flutist and violinist.

The album is a mixture of proggy/heavier, holiday-inspired instrumental cuts, mixed with touching vocal pieces. The first single, a re-imagining of the Christmas classic “March of the Toys” entitled “March of the Metal Soldiers” was released on Memorial Day, with all proceeds going to the Wounded Warrior Project. Two of the power ballads on the album are sung by longtime TSO and theater veteran Guy LeMonnier, who has now joined the group.

Original Album artwork is done by legendary Greek album cover artist Ioannis, who has created album covers for Uriah Heep, Deep Purple, Dream Theater, Saga, Styx, Allman Brothers and many more.
WoW Cover.jpg


This is one of their more proggier ELP-inspired songs:



And a pretty heavy telling of the Christmas story - with Vinny Jiovino on vocals:



They have been around for five years or so and growing in popularity each year - great bunch of guys. Highly recommended. They are also touring this fall, and for those that recall early TSO shows without the spectacle, that's what these guys are about.

To investigate further, check out their site: http://www.thewizardsofwinter.com/

[jgprogbear]

Never heard of them, but definitely plan to check this out! Thanks.

[Scott Bails]

Yeah, I'll have to check that out, too. Love TSO in December.

[JKL2000]

[Fracktured]

It has more of a prog feel than TSO, but the same metal sound. At least in those clips it does. I'm not a big fan of TSO, but I bought 3 of their Christmas Cd's years ago in a Sam Goody going out of business for like $5 for all 3, so I couldn't pass it up. I ended up taking the songs from each that I enjoyed and making one cd from it which I enjoy. I surely can't base a whole opinion on just a few clips, but it sounds like Satan trying to rock in on Christmas. Thanks for the tip though.

[Dan Roth]

It has more of a prog feel than TSO, but the same metal sound. At least in those clips it does. I'm not a big fan of TSO, but I bought 3 of their Christmas Cd's years ago in a Sam Goody going out of business for like $5 for all 3, so I couldn't pass it up. I ended up taking the songs from each that I enjoyed and making one cd from it which I enjoy. I surely can't base a whole opinion on just a few clips, but it sounds like Satan trying to rock in on Christmas. Thanks for the tip though.

True - they do have a metal feel on those songs and others on their CD - but similar to a TSO CD, it is pretty diverse - this is one of my favorite songs from them - a very cool mash-up of "Do You Hear What I Hear", "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" and "I Saw 3 Ships":

[Dan Roth]

Some pretty cool news was announced from the Wizards of Winter today, as they have attracted the attention of and signed on with a Tier 1 Management company and a Tier 1 Booking Agency. As the press release states: "It’s amazing how much growth the Wizards Of Winter had on their own. Now with the union of our two organizations, we plan to expand this ensemble to greater horizons on a national level.”

I am a fan of this band, and it is exciting to see them grow and watch the crowds embrace them and their original music, as they grew out of their early TSO-tribute-band years. They partnered with several TSO legends over the last couple of years - some of whom have become integral parts of the band and show, released a fantastic new album, and now have partnered with some of the industry's heavyweights. Pretty cool for this band of humble guys and gals out of Jersey.

If anyone hasn't caught one of their shows yet, I urge you to if they come to your area. Tons of great original Christmas Prog-Rock material, a few TSO classics thrown in, and performances from some fantastic performers. It is a more intimate show than TSO's over-the-top arena spectacular - it might remind some of the theater years of TSO - as the music, the original Christmas story, and connecting with the audience are clearly the top priorities.

This has the press release with all of the news:

http://bravewords.com/news/wizards-o...king-bands-llc

[progeezer's ghost]

While I would never listen to either group (TSO or WoW) eleven months out of the year, thanks for sharing these guys with us! It's okay to be a copycat as long as you're copying the right cat.