TSO’S Star Spangled Banner Recording For Veteran’s Day Is Out

Trans Siberian Orchestra is one of those bands that sound like no other.  TSO’s Star Spangled Banner recording for Veteran’s Day is out now. And just like their other material, this is one you don’t want to miss.  Typically they focus on Christmas and they’ve done material from classical artists as well.  But today, it’s all about thanking the veterans out there and bringing us a great version of our National Anthem.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra has six studio full-length releases and they are some solid pieces to listen to.  The musicianship of these band members is unmatched.  They know how to construct a song and also infuse the TSO sound into each piece.  They’re probably most well known for their song “Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24”  It’s such an epic pulsing and thumping holiday tune that has great guitar work and makes you just want to dance.

Their live shows are where it’s at though.  Man, do they know how to put together a live performance?  Around Christmastime, it’s always wonderful to watch them in concert.  They have a narrator who tells a story, while the band is ready to break out different songs and the chorus of singers is amazing as well! 

What’s also cool is that they sometimes throw in some classical pieces too.  So you get the best of both worlds.  I really think they have their live shows down to science.  I’ve never once been disappointed in the dozen shows I’ve been to watching them perform.  They’ve also been known to bring out some special guests every now and then, which is always a treat.

But on this Veteran’s Day, it’s all about thanking those who have served our country and helped to protect our freedom.  A great way to thank those who have served is by listening to this awesome recording of our anthem for the U.S.A.  Check it out below and be sure to thank a vet today!

I wanted to put a list together of Iron Maiden tunes.  They’ve been in the news recently, so I thought I’d show you 5 Amazing Iron Maiden Songs.  They’ve got way more than that which are awesome tunes, but these are ones that always stick out to me.

It was so sad to hear about the passing of vocalist Paul Di’Anno.  If you don’t know the name, he was on the first two full-length studio releases from the metal powerhouse.  I have to tell you, for as much praise as Bruce Dickenson gets (and rightfully so), Paul was amazing in his own right.  He has a deeper range, but could still hit some crazy high notes.  I thought his voice blended nicely with the tunes they were writing back then.

Of course, Bruce is the voice most of us think of when we think of Iron Maiden.  He’s got that power metal style down to a science and still sounds wonderful when performing live.  Over the years, Maiden has experimented and tried various types of songwriting throughout their catalog, but they seem to almost always come back to epic rockers that have many twists and turns and several sections, that make me wonder how easy it is to remember the parts when they play them live!!

Whether you’re strictly into the first few albums or are enjoying their latest effort Senjutsu, you can’t go wrong.  They have that solid beat from Nicko McBrain and those amazing riffs, it just works perfectly.  They’ve influenced so many other bands that have come out, but to this day, Maiden is still one of the real masters of metal.  They just do it so well.

So I thought we could take a look at 5 songs that just plain rock and are a fun ride to listen to.  Let’s get into it!

Such a cool tune. Not as quick and with that uptempo typically heard in Maiden tunes. But this one is incredible!

A really intense sounding rocker with some awesome vocals from the late Paul Di'Anno.  It's from their debut which just bangs!

A medieval sounding metal tune?  Yep.  It's got some aggressive vocals from Bruce and some really cool riffs throughout!

Such a cool opening riff.  Then some powerful vocals with an infectious chorus!  A great piece from Powerslave....maybe my favorite overall album?

Bruce is back in this one!  And you can tell he's back with a vengeance.  Ok that was corny.  But this has such an earworm for a hook....you can't help but sing along!