Few bands can ever compare to the epic experience that the group known by the name of Trans-Siberian Orchestra brings to their fans. This is a group that was founded in 1996 and is more popularly recognized by the name of TSO. It is a huge band, but not like anything else you might have seen before. If you can imagine a version of the popular death metal group Slipknot with far more orchestral elements and an even more massive stage show with all sorts of elaborate lighting then you are getting close to imagining this 
group. The group was originally conceived of by Paul O’Neill, a composer and lyricist, as well as a producer. O’Neill brought together two members of the group Savatage: Al Pitrelli and Jon Olivia to form the original TSO line up.
As you might have guessed, rock operas are the groups specialty and in order to accomplish their unique sound they incorporate elements of classical symphonies, hard rock and old school heavy metal. To date, the group has released 5 studio albums in all: 1996′s Christmas Eve and Other Stories and 1998′s The Christmas Attic, both through the Lava record label; 2000′s Beethoven’s Last Night on Warner’s record label; 2004′s The Lost Christmas Eve and 2009′s Night Castle, both of these last 2 also under the Lava label. While they have reached No. 5 on the Billboard charts in 2009, popular success is hardly a feat which they can be said to have accomplished yet.
That is precisely what is so charming to the fans of this group. They have been laboring now for more than 14 years to bring their fans a spectacular show that is purely unrivaled in music today in terms of its grand scale, visual artistry and musical intricacy. Although the band’s early roots begin in 1993, it took O’Neill quite some time to fully form today’s TSO. Borrowing from bands like Pink Floyd, Queen, Led Zeppelin, the Temptations, Aerosmith and The Who all paid off for the group, however. Today they have an incredibly diverse yet truly distinct sound unmatched by any other band on the planet.
Fans who want to catch these guys in action are certainly going to be delighted to learn that they are indeed touring not only for Winter 2010, but also Spring 2011. TSO will be bringing the TSO Winter Tour to cities all across the United States, performing literally dozens of shows between November 2010 and December 30th 2010, showcasing their renowned work ethic to the max. Additionally, their Beethoven’s Last Night Tour will storm the globe in the last half of March 2011, offering many European fans a chance to finally see them live.
