Home  News  Photos & Bio  Merchandise  Music  Contact  Essays  Links  FAQ  Reviews & Interviews


 
This is a page where I have collected reviews and interviews for the "Divine Right Of Kings" CD. Check out the Merchandise page and read all about it. Listen to some of it on the Music page.

 BABYLON MYSTERY ORCHESTRA  "Divine Right Of Kings"

REVIEWS & INTERVIEWS

And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate. -Revelation 18:19
 

INTERVIEWS

An interview I did with Christine of BEHIND THE VEIL WEBZINE

A Man And His Catastrophe!!

An interview with Michel of METAL CRYPT

Click to read

Interview with Brett VanPut at Transcending the Mundane

Click to read

REVIEWS

METAL CRYPT  (click for review)

BEHIND THE VEIL WEBZINE

"Divine Right Of Kings"
(Self-financed)

I will begin this review in an unorthodox way. YOU ALL OUT THERE MUST HAVE THIS CD!!!! Ok, now! Since I said what I wanted, I think I should relax and take things one by one. Step by step...So, Babylon Mystery Orchestra is one man's work. Behind everything (music, lyrics, performance, production and all kinds of arrangements) can be found one and only man and this is no other than Sidney Allen Johnson. There are some promos like this, that when they get into my hands and listen to them I really feel honoured for having the chance to present it in public. Their music? Easy...how do you think a mixture of Sisters Of Mercy with Kiss would sound? That's exactly what we have here. The music is closer to Sisters Of Mercy musically and the solos and a little bit more hard rock/heavy sounding. Don't worry! the CD is metal from the first till the last minute. Don't get any weird ideas that we are talking for a gothic band here. nothing like that. From whatever aspect if we look and "examine" this CD only positive things we can find. It's a self financed release, however many official releases from labels would be jealous of its quality. A very professional and hard work was done here. the production is very good and clear as well. the last thing I want to point out is the lyrics... I have to give my sincere congratulations and express my admiration to Sidney, because he has done a terrific job! They are very caustic and they hit the root of the problem. He is not afraid to express his ideas and he is a skeptic. What else is there to be said? I can't stop listening to this release...So, my advice? GO AND HAVE IT!!!!
 

*9.5/10
Christine "Azriel" Parastatidou

SEA OF TRANQUILITY (click to read)

METAL OBSERVER (click to read)

AMBOSS MAGAZINE   (click to read in original german)

AMBOSS MAGAZINE ( here's a transcription in english)

 Not easy to categorize is this solo project from American Allen Johnson. To
listen is to hear strong acoustic metal with mixed with folk-style guitar.
Particularly in the quieter moments this album shows his strengths. With
ballad-like charm and a dark voice, Allen slips through and allows the
guitar, here and there, to almost have a life of its own and frequently
binds itself to the melody. Wandering between the dark rock and white metal
is a message in the package. To every song he weaves a message and involves
the listener with the message and with a question or introspect. "Mourning
Glory" moves the listener through his thorough/complex/involved depression.
The ending piece "Crestfallen" is alternatively pleasantly instrumental. In
"We are Power" he exhibits and unloads a frantic doom-like energy. Light
tones mix themselves in a haunting refrain. "Whore" or "It's My Right" are
really pure Goth-like style reminscent of the American bands of the 80's.
With "Savages With Cash" and its haunting keys, one can draw comparisons to
Cassandra Complex and also timely to "Granade". Mystic elegance and dark
melody parts highlight and make this CD stand out. Alone the massive guitar
arrangements exhibit dark pop. "Save My Soul" is a wonderful ballad with light overtones and
brings the listener to capture his own feelings in response to this
outstanding work.    Andreas   http://amboss-mag.de

 

OBLIVEON (click to read in german)

METAL GUIDE

BABYLON MYSTERY ORCHESTRA : DIVINE RIGHT OF KINGS 9/10 5/10
 This is a band that really has something to say. The band comes from the USA, and is playing music that is mostly inspired and based on Gothic, but also enriched with enough Metal flavorings, something that leaves a very good taste. This is an one man project, and Sidney Allen Johnson has taken care of all aspects of this album, from arranging and recording to the production and final mix. First thing we notice is the fine quality of the music, which is based on Gothic forms but also contains enough Metal stuff, it's slow and melodic at times, faster and more catchy at others, but always good, full of negative emotions and this works for the album. Another thing that has to be mentioned is the subject of the lyrics, which deals with society, and his native country in general. Some keyboards here and there are simply enriching the atmosphere and make the album even more interesting. The production is also very good, clear and powerful enough, and this is another big plus for the album. Definitely an album that has to be listened a couple of times before you reveal all it's secrets, and read the lyrics thoroughly  LEFT Ranking: Vic Tzougrakis,
RIGHT Ranking: Manos Fountoulakis

(note: 2 people reviewed the CD. That is why there are two ratings. Apparently the reviewer with the highest rating wrote it)

UNRESTRAINED! (click to read)

TOMBSTONE WEBZINE

BABYLON MYSTERY ORCHESTRA - Divine Right Of Kings /

Basically this is a one man project, since most of the work is done by Mr. Sidney Allen Johnson. The music has its roots set in Gothic (with the most notable influences being Sisters OF Mercy and Tiamat) but there are also influences from bands such as Therion, The Cult or even Blue Oyster Cult. The music is very orchestral and there’s a classical feeling in the arrangements, while the whole album is dark and very ominous. The album is a concept one with the theme being truly interesting and with lyrics who manage to be more than just words sung by the singer. It’s an interesting story and a story very fitting with the music. The production is good enough and it’s professional despite being a self financed project. Although a few touches here and there were needed, these are minor things and not something that would ruin the experience of listening to the album. The same can be said for the songs, since there are things that could be improved, but the majority of them is satisfactory. If you want more info about the band you can check out their official site at www.babylonmysteryorchestra.com        7/10

HARD BEYOND DRIVEN (click to read)

VAMPIRE MAGAZINE (click to read)

SKYLIGHT (click to read)

THE CHRISTIAN EDGE (click to read)

TARTAREAN DESIRE (click to read)

LORDS OF METAL (click to read)

UROTSUKIDOJI'S PAD (click to read)

TRANSCENDING THE MUNDANE (click to read)

METAL STORM (click to read)

METAL JUDGEMENT (click to read)

STONERROCKCHICK  (click to read)

MUSIC EXTREME

Sidney Allen Johnson is the brain behind Babylon Mystery Orchestra. And despite the name of this musical outfit, it is the work of this man who has composed all the songs here and performs all the instruments. The music is pure heavy metal with heavy guitar riffs and mid tempo rhythms full of energy. Here we have some acoustic beautiful moments such as the ones in "Road to Madness". And there are keyboards orchestrating many of the compositions adding majestuosity to them. The combination of the heavy guitar riffs and the keyboards is one of the main ingredients of the music here, and the other one are Sidney´s vocals. The vocals are in the middle range and fit really well the music that Sidney delivers here (much better than using higher pitched vocals). The sound is really powerful, specially on the guitars that are the center of the compositions. A powerful release. Favorite tracks: "Road to madness", "Whore" and "Mourning Glory"

SACRED ANGEL WEBZINE

Really strange band...I have never heard anything like this before. I cannot find any bands like this to compare. Very strange vocal was on this band. Allen's voice is very bossy and it gives its own influences to the band.Well whole CD was really slow...But of course nice played. Very good guitar solos. Of course nice layout of cover. Really great designer work. Well this band I cannot name as a metal band , because there dominates acoustic guitars and slow playing, but there were tracks with fuzzy sounds. So I think if you like slow hard rock with its own mind and influences you will like this band.