Beauty in Chaos- Signs In The Heavens Reality Upside Down

Back in July of 2024, Michael Ciravolo and the Beauty in Chaos gang released the 8 song masterpiece, Dancing with Angels. Having listened to this record six months later while driving at night, I can confirm that it is still a catchy, friendly, and endearing record. In the usual BIC fashion, Ciravolo follows the studio album with a “re-imagined” version in which he allows his friends to play with his songs. In this case, the remix album is called “Signs in the Heavens Reality Upside Down.” It is a behemoth double CD filled with 29 tracks: 27 remixes and two bonus tracks.

The bonus tracks are renditions of T. Rex’s Children of the Revolution and The Lords of the New Church’s Open Your Eyes. Uncle Al Jorgensen stops by to take lead vocals on Children of the Revolution, while Michael, himself, sings lead on Open Your Eyes.

Children of the Revolution is a classic. It was recorded at the height of T. Rex’s reign and captures the spirit of revolutionary music. Ciravolo wisely captures that feel in the video version with the familiar upside down Stars and Stripes in the background, reminiscent of the famous Rage Against the Machine vs Saturday Night Live feud. Al Jorgenson from Ministry sings those anthemic lyrics. And when I say sing, I mean sing. Jorgenson puts more lyrical harmony here than in much of his own music. It’s a nice version of a classic.

The second bonus track is Open Your Eyes by The Lords of the New Church. I was not aware of this song. As I listened, I couldn’t help but think it was a very modern song. When I asked Mr. Ciravolo for the lyrics, he sent me a link to a song from 1982. Seriously? Could the world have been in the same dire straights then as it is today. The lyrics would seem to indicate that nothing has changed.

Video games train the kids for war
Army chic in high-fashion stores
Law and order’s done their job
Prisons filled while the rich still rob
Assassination politics
Violence rules within’ our nation’s midst
Well ignorance is their power tool
You’ll only know what they want you to know
The television cannot lie
Controlling media with smokescreen eyes
Nuclear politicians picture show
The acting’s lousy but the blind don’t know
Open your eyes
See the lies right in front of ya
Open your eyes
They scare us all with threats of war
So we forget just how bad things are
You taste the fear when you’re all alone
They gonna git’cha when you’re on your own
The silence of conspiracy
Slaughtered on the altar of apathy
You gotta wake up from your sleep
‘Cause meek inherits earth six feet deep
Open your eyes see the lies right in front of ya
Open your eyes

Every time I log onto X (Twitter), this is the vibe. These lyrics truly speak to the 2025 crowd. It’s sad that we have not made progress in the last 40 years. Ciravolo’s gravely, intense voice does the job here presenting these dire lyrics with gravitas. The video is a throwback- minimalistic, putting the emphasis on the lyrics and performance. You can check it out here.

There are eight songs on Dancing with Angels. For this remix record, various artists have remixed each song anywhere from 3-5 times. The fact that each song is relatable and remixable in a very natural way speaks volumes to the wonderful structure of each song. Simply put- these songs are excellent and easily re-imagined by very capable artists. Every song is unique and well thought out, but there are a few highlights of course.

Diving for Pearls is my favorite song on the record. It hits all the right nostalgia notes, and it’s simply a really good tune. Love Letter Mix by Kevin Kipnis might actually better the original. Kipnis adds a whimsical element to the intro guitar riff and cleverly isolates Cynthia’s vocals on the second verse. In the original, Cynthia and Wayne sing as a duet; here Cynthia takes front and center and adds deeper meaning to the song. It’s truly wonderful.

Kiss Me Goodbye, the French Exit version completely changes the feel, but not the mood of the song. The main elements are there, but the feel is completely different. The listener is whisked away to a French bistro. Gorgeous saxophone tones are warm and charming. Michael Rozon’s live drums add a nice touch and cannot go without being mentioned. This is definitely the most changed and unique song on the album.

Made of Rain, Almost Acoustic Version is the star of the show. This beauty is stripped down and let’s Ashton Nyte’s vocals lead the dance. He is accompanied by Beauty in Chaos alum Whitney Tai adding angelic vocals alongside Ashton’s baritone. The pedal steel and viola are wonderful choices to create mood and a lilt to the instrumentation. This one was all hands on deck and it shows. Now, we need a duet album with Ashton and Whitney. Let’s make that happen Mr. Ciravolo.

Hollow was the surprise gem on the record for me. As I mentioned in the original review, this song is haunting and beautiful. The song is filled with imagery, sung beautifully by Cynthia Isabella. It breathes. It exists in the ether. For this one to truly work, the remix must also create a sound scape. It must allow the song to breathe; otherwise, it changes the very nature of the song. Pheonix Supernova has the perfect recipe here in his “full of emptiness” re-imagining. It’s a slow build, lots of nuance and interesting “noise.” As the song progresses, PS adds some grit, some heavy, but in a way that adds a new layer to the song rather than retracting or distracting. This is how you work within the confines of the original, but add some new depth.

There are zero clunkers on this mammoth cd venture. Every song is well thought out and adds something to the Beauty in Chaos mythos. It’s truly a community of talented musicians who love to share all the toys in the sandbox. We can all thank Mr. Ciravolo for creating wonderful albums and then letting others play with his creations. It is an honor to witness such fun and vibrant creations.

Signs in the Heavens Reality Upside Down CD Credits:

1.     “PRESENT TENSE” (Current Stress Mix)

Double CD available at Beauty In Chaos website.

featuring William and Sarah Rose Faith

created by CARLTON BOST

2.     “THE DEVIL YOU KNOW” (Collide Mix)

featuring Kat Leon

created by STATIK

3.     “DIVING FOR PEARLS (Love Letter Mix)

featuring Wayne and Cinthya Hussey

created by KEVIN KIPNIS

4.     “ECHOES AND THE ANGELS” (MGT Mix)

featuring Leo Luganskiy

created by MARK GEMINI THWAITE

5.     “KISS ME GOODBYE” (Asteron Mix)

featuring Julian Shah-Tayler

created by TOMMY HATZ

Tommy Hatz – guitars, keys, additional bass and vocals

Static – bass

Drums – Christopher J. Olivas  

6.     “HOLLOW” (Lost Gems Version)

featuring Cynthya Isabella

created by CYNTHIA ISABELLA and BEAUTY IN CHAOS

Cynthya Isabella – voices and acoustic guitars

Michael Ciravolo – electric guitars and percussion

Tish Ciravolo – acoustic bass

Michael Rozon – synth, percussion

7.     “HOLY GROUND” (Kitty Mix)

featuring Patrik Mata

created by KITTY

8.     “MADE OF RAIN” (Frontal Boundary Mix)

featuring Ashton Nyte

created by BRENDIN ROSS and KRZ GREENHAW

9.     “PRESENT TENSE” (Future Mix)

featuring William and Sarah Rose Faith

created by ROMAN MARISAK

10.  “THE DEVIL YOU KNOW” (JST Mix)

featuring Kat Leon

created by JULIAN SHAH-TAYLER

11.  “ECHOES AND THE ANGELS” (Combichrist Club Mix)

featuring Leo Luganskiy

created by ANDY LaPLEGUA

12.  “KISS ME GOODBYE” (French Exit Version)

featuring Julian Shah-Tayler

created by JULIAN SHAH-TAYLER

Julian Shah-Tayler – lead voices

Brent Meyer – acoustic guitars and backing voices

Carmine Rojas – fretless bass

Katja Reickerman – saxophone

Michael Rozon – live drums and percussion

13.  “HOLLOW” (Bristol Mix)

featuring Cynthya Isabella

created by BRENT MEYER

14.  “HOLY GROUND” (Stygian Mix))

featuring Patrik Mata

created by ALEX CRESCIONI

15.  “MADE OF RAIN” (Almost Acoustic Version)

featuring Ashton Nyte and Whitney Tai

 created by ASHTON NYTE and BEAUTY IN CHAOS

Ashton Nyte – voices, acoustic guitars, piano

Whitney Tai – voices

Michael Ciravolo – electric guitars and percussion

Tish Ciravolo – acoustic bass

Michael Rozon – pedal steel, percussion

Heather Lockie – viola

——-DISC 2——-

1.  “PRESENT TENSE” (The Bellwether Syndicate Mix)

featuring William and Sarah Rose Faith

created by WILLIAM FAITH

2. “THE DEVIL YOU KNOW”(The Devil You Thought You Knew Mix)

featuring Kat Leon

created by NICK PEREZ

3.     “DIVING FOR PEARLS (Bates Motel Mix)

featuring Wayne and Cinthya Hussey

created by TYLER BATES

4.     “ECHOES AND THE ANGELS” (JST Mix)

featuring Leo Luganskiy

created by JULIAN SHAH-TAYLER

5.     “KISS ME GOODBYE” (JST Mix)

featuring Julian Shah-Tayler

created by JULIAN SHAH-TAYLER

6.     “HOLLOW” (Crimson Cupid Version)

featuring Cynthya Isabella

created by BEAUTY IN CHAOS

Cynthia Isabella – voices

Michael Ciravolo – guitars and textures

Michael Rozon – bass, synth, live drums

7.     “HOLY GROUND” (Exploding Star Mix)

featuring Patrik Mata

created by KEVIN KIPNIS

8.     “MADE OF RAIN” (Kitty Mix)

featuring Ashton Nyte

 created by KITTY

9.     “DIVING FOR PEARLS” (JST Mix)

featuring Wayne and Cinthia Hussey

created by JULIAN SHAH-TAYLER

10.  “HOLLOW” (Full Of Emptiness Mix)

featuring Cynthia Isabella

created by THE PHOENIX SUPERNOVA

11.  “HOLY GROUND” (Fluid Alchemist Mix)

featuring Patrik Mata

created by Fluid Alchemist