Van Helsing's Curse Live in Philly '05 DVD Review on Rock N Roll Universe

Formed by Twisted Sister vocalist Dee Snider after attending a concert by The Trans Siberian Orchestra and having the brainstorm that his favorite holiday Halloween deserved the same treatment, Van Helsing's Curse, billed as "The Ultimate Horror Soundtrack", delivers the same style of heavy rock orchestra without the Broadway styled inclinations, making this a howl of a good time. Taking the moniker from the vampire hunter in Bram Stoker's 'Dracula' and combining a six piece choir, six piece string section and a five piece metal band, in lesser hands this could've been a disaster, but the musicans blend wonderfully throughout. A fact which is quite evident during the entire 70 minute length of 'Live In Philly '05', filmed at the ensemble's 2005 Halloween show in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Like TSO, there are classical themes assayed, such as Stravinsky's "Rites Of Spring," Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" and Grieg's "Hall Of The Mountain King". But whereas the former draws upon Christmas carols, Van Helsing's Curse goes straight for the jugular of horror fanatics, delivering metalized versions of movie themes such as John Carpenter's "Halloween," "Tubular Bells" from 'The Exorcist'( retitled "Tubular Hell"), "Ave Satani" from 'The Omen' and even a rocked out version of "The Munsters". All performed by stellar musicians in ghoulish makeup, adding to the horror motif.

Speaking of musicians, with Snider acting as somewhat of an MC from Hell, narrating the story quite effectively, and musical director Mark Wood on lead electric viper, you know this isn't going to be a half assed affair right from the start. The band, which also features Twisted Sister drummer Joe Franco delivers the goods quite admirably, with searing guitars and crushing riffs entwining with devilish choral and orchestral work to cast an ominous spell over the proceedings. While the light show, due to budget doesn't measure up to TSO's lasers and pyro extravaganza, the music itself compares favorably and is first class all the way. Both the crowd and band seem to be having a great time, and with a program as good as this who can blame them. The bottom line here is that if you're a Trans Siberian Orchestra fan, but also have a taste for horror, you can't go wrong with this one. Only available from the official Van Helsing's Curse web site, and a steal at only $5, this one comes highly recommended. 8.5/10 http://www.vanhelsingscurse.com