"Warrior Angel Saga" DiGelsomina/Frydendall

Composer/horror author Andy DiGelsomina introduces the "Warrior Angel Saga" a series of stories set squarely in the Swords n Sorcery and Extreme Horror genres. DW Frydendall's illustrating brilliance is applied to these brutal tales and the results speak for themselves.

The first two installment stories, "Shadows of Nyarlathotep" and "The Bride" will be published early 2027.

Hail Sistina, slayer of the unlight! Hail Horror Hail!

Sistina, Warrior Angel

These are all AI but useful.

Andy DiGelsomina "Phoenix"

DiGelsomina "Mahanaim"

 Dedicated to my adored wife and chief Inspiration, Cheryl.

Palace Guard

This is an early example of my use of the Serial Vignette style, which involves the laying out of  musical "scenes" in a quasi-cinematic way. Due to this being an earlier composition, "Palace Guard" was mostly aligned with the classic heavy metal style, however it's interesting to hear how the building/lead guitar part stops on a dime and goes into a far more lush, lovely orchestral setting. At first I worried that people would be permanently put off by the abruptness of the transition, but I left it like that because...well, we're talking about black-armored Mer-men and women plunging headlong into battle, singing their song. Some degree of recklessness should be allotted :)

I've had Lyraka friends ask me about that cockeyed, abstract solo after the symphonics, and a few heard Allan Holdsworth-isms in it (maybe for its "outside" sound). Count me as a fan of Allan, but I think it was more a shared, Bartokian headspace. Bartok's compositions were really being played a lot by me at the time (String Quartets 2 and 4 in particular), and wanted to play something quirkily expressive on the guitar. I notice now that section's backing sounds a bit like the Assault Attack/Into the Arena slow arp, pretty obvious how that happened...and how strange to have such an "off" solo over that backing.

But that one, abstract solo was the foreshadow of things to come: intensified self-expression and thinking-outside-the-box.

                                                                             

                                                                               

Entombed By Choice

Quote from composer Andy DiGelsomina, composer and lead guitarist of this song: "I dedicate the lead guitar solos to my little brother Stephen Simonelli, who passed away in 2013, RIP...I'm sorry and I love you, Stevie".

All music, lead guitar, lyrics © 2020 Andrew Neires DiGelsomina. Vocals by Robert Lowe. Co-produced by Andy DiGelsomina and Andre Maquera. Mostly recorded at West Street Digital. Rhythm Guitars: Andre Maquera; Bass: Thom Carvey; Drums: Gary Spaulding.

        

"Gnashing" with Opera Vocalists

On this version of "Gnashing" we worked with opera singers Nichole (Soprano) and Brian (Tenor). Note the polytonality of the composition, with hyper-compressed harmonic layers superimposed over the original. Here the multi-layering (in the form of manifold, clashing tones) serves to emphasize the rhythm, subtly propelling the piece into a dirge.

Symphony No. 1, Mvt. 3

This isn't the final mix, but very close, and plenty enough to get the ideas across. This movement started out as a piece for a string symphony, but midway during composition I realized I needed a very large orchestra and set of synthesizers to most faithfully represent my vision. 

Forgive the overall sound, as this hasn't been subject to a final mix and master yet, it's just there to give fans an idea of the piece.

                                 All music and lyrics © 2015 Andrew Neires DiGelsomina

                                                                                 

       
                                            

Symphony no. 2 Mvt. 1

Completed May, 2018.

PER ASPERA AD ASTRA!

This is the final arrangement and orchestration of a piece I composed during Summer 2017. Lyraka fans will note that this movement is to an extent an elaboration on my "Errandia" motifs from Lyraka Volume 1.

This symphony employs the use of over 120 musicians, including not-yet traditional instruments like synths and electric guitars (much more the former). So, I doubt there's much here to interest a more casual Rock/Metal listener, but the more immersion-seeking listener will assuredly find plenty to like.

Perhaps best listened to through good headphones (I recommend Sennheiser), where you'll find it easiest to reap new rewards with each listen. 

                                                                             

                             All music and lyrics © 2017 Andrew Neires DiGelsomina

Symphony no. 1, Mvt. 4

I really appreciate Dee-ter's vocal here. At first I had a hard time getting past the use of someone else's lyrics, however Wilhelm Müller's words struck a despairing chord within me and fit the music perfectly.

Apparently Schubert felt the words too, at the time of his writing the Winterreise he had been informed of his eventually lethal syphilis contraction.

At the risk of beating the point into the ground, the famous mezzo-soprano Elena Gerhardt once said of "Winterreise" that "you have to be haunted by this (piece) to be able to sing it."

You can hear the employment of my Serial Vignette method of composition, plus the mix of traditional and electronic instruments. Though the "Lindenbaum" lyrical setting intensifies the feeling of gloom and dread during Dieter's vocal part, the movement is multi-dimensional.

The lyrics are Herr Müller's, which are public domain. The vocal melodies are chopped up samples from Diskau's old performance, while all other music is © 2017 Andrew Neires DiGelsomina. All rights are reserved, any infringement upon this copyright will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

                                                                                 

                                                                             

Symphony no. 3, Mvt. 2

Now that this movement is compositionally completed, I feel a sense of triumph. Love is the hero.

I've only come up with working lyrics for the choir beginning at 1:02 of the movement; these are obviously far from final from all perspectives; they simply illustrate what I'm aiming for with this movement as far as Weltanschauung goes (any political incorrectitude is due to my using Schiller's words to Beethoven's 9th Symphony as an inspiration). I came up with lyrics for this piece after this demo, so the choir is just vocalizing for now.

"Let's all work together toward a world-loving world and
then we'll all love each other, more than friends we're all brothers.
Let's plan a future where we all join as one then we'll
all know the happiness of bless'd nature's sons."

                                                                           

All music and lyrics ©2018 Andrew Neires DiGelsomina, plagiarists will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Symphony no. 4 Mvt. 2

Adding guitar, will be back!

All music © 2019 Andrew Neires DiGelsomina

Symphony no. 1, Mvt. 5

Note the extensively embroidered, hybrid composition here, as well as more of my Serial Vignette compositional technique. Though the instruments have been woven together, there is a strong modular side to this composition, evident not just from the overlapping (and at times exclamatorily interjecting) parts, but in how factors such as, say, effects are arranged, automated, and so much more. I paid lavish detail to those and other factors, in order to most faithfully represent what I heard in my head.

The presence of aleatoricism is evident not only in the transitions and rhythms, but to some extent in the sequencing. Of course, overall this is purposeful composition and orchestration, but happy accidents are the meat and potatoes of both the Serial Vignette and Aleatoric compositional styles (not to mention musical performance), and were as always welcomed both during the composition of the piece and its initial rehearsals.

Finally, it was important for me to express a multi-dimensioned listening experience. The sense of depth and distance is just as much achieved through predelay on a good reverb as well as hyper attention to volume and panning automation.

The initial set of themes came to me in a rush of inspiration, and from that point I couldn't stop writing.

                                                                           

All music ©2015 Andrew Neires DiGelsomina

Symphony no. 3, Mvt. 3 Scherzo (Variations on a Keim-Motiv)

The main theme (a classic Keim-Motiv)  is so familiar and friendly, but what I really liked was how much I could do with from precisely that motivic perspective. Composers like Beethoven (and Bernard Herrmann, for that matter) were masters at taking small musical statements and doing all kinds of wonderful, implosive/explosive, expansive/compressed things with them; the Keim-Motiv itself providing a distinction-engendering glue to the sound of the piece overall. 

                                                                              

All music and lyrics ©2018 Andrew Neires DiGelsomina, plagiarists will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Help For Victims of Toxic Family Members

I continue to be the victim of a toxic father, and in the interest of both purging myself and trying to do anything I can to help others I feel compelled to put this up. The most tragic part of dealing with a toxic parent is the fact that such toxicity never goes away, the person in question will always fall back on his or her ways, attempting to pull you into their own, poisonous black hole of self-unforgiveness and hate. This organization is one well worth supporting, at times it's been like a life preserver for me. One of the things I learned from it is how to try and not let my heart get in the way too much; that there is truly no other choice in the matter but to ultimately leave that person out of my life, a decision that might even work toward my father's good as well.

The last is important because I DO still love that person...even if my closing him out of my life seems cruel, even if I'm just telling myself it's for his good as well as mine,..then at least I can get on with my own life, and this site helped me understand that there's nothing wrong with that. Most of all, I hope no one has to go through the rejection and abuse my little brother and I did. It's horrible to experience contempt, vicious physical and emotional abuse, and rejection from someone who helped bring you into the world, I wish it upon no one.

http://www.havoca.org/