So I’ll be honest, I spent a bit of time looking for things to write about in this week’s #tbt, and…there’s not a lot going on. We’ve got album anniversaries from Whitesnake, Cinderella and Alice Cooper, which…no, thanks. Mike D. from the Beastie Boys turns 49 today, which is awesome, but not remotely “metal.” So yeah, November 20 is clearly a black hole on the metal calendar. Oh well, what’s to be done?

I’ll tell you. It’s cold outside, and since this thing just turned 10 years old a couple of weeks back, we’re going to take a look back at Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s epic instrumental, “Wizards in Winter.” Check it out:

(Ignore the random anime character on the right hand side of the video screen)

This gem is off TSO’s double-platinum (!!!) 2004 album, The Lost Christmas Eve, and you’ll likely remember it from the litany of Christmas light show videos that used the song as a musical backdrop. (Hell, even Miller Brewing Company got in on the fun!) And I’ll admit, it was all kinda fun at the time. It even compelled me to part with $0.99 of iTunes gift card money to be able to own the song, back when iTunes was still a thing I did. (And back before I had a credit card to use on iTunes–because I was in high school at the time.)

But honestly, my favorite development to arise from this song’s existence is the fact that the band’s orchestra members used FLYING-V-SHAPED VIOLINS while performing the song on “Good Morning America.” No, really. Check it:

Game over–TSO wins. They could never record another song as long as I (or they) live and I’ll still treasure them for this moment of absolute cheese. So yeah, there’s your Throwback for the week! Hope this makes the cold weather a little more tolerable. Check back later on for Quickies!

-Dan

Live. Love. Plow. Horns Up.