Michael Romeo
War of the Worlds, Pt. 2

While the silence of Symphony X grows long and deafening, at least guitarist Michael Romeo tries to make us relive certain moments. Almost four years after the first chapter, the virtuoso guitarist releases “War of the Worlds, Pt. 2,” which essentially imitates its predecessor's deeds. Those who appreciated the proposal of the first should have no problems with the second.

The criticism that could be made is that it has a sound too dependent on the band of origin; we are indeed always faced with a rather conventional prog-power metal. However, there are some differences. The solo Romeo tries at least to break the more recent routine of his band; if the latest Symphony X productions have leaned towards something more extreme and almost akin to thrash metal, Romeo tries to recover that balance between aggressiveness and melody that has been lost. It reinstates that old-fashioned aggressiveness — tangible but not exaggerated — while the sharper solutions are certainly not forsaken; we can say that those who had complaints about the latest Symphony X and miss the old ones might feel at home with this album. However, the aspect that is enhanced is another, consisting of orchestral sounds of a cinematic nature. In Symphony X, these bursts sometimes found space but rather occasionally; the solo Romeo, however, makes it a trademark here. Well, after all, he has never denied his passion for soundtracks. The way he blends orchestral sounds with metal ones is, however, somewhat questionable; the reason lies in the fact that, in reality, he doesn't mix them too much, and it seems that the two components operate more separately. When the guitar roars, the strings do little; when the strings take the lead, there's less guitar. The properly conducted orchestral incursions essentially occur in the instrumental connecting interludes. Practically, it never really reaches true symphonic metal; in the previous album, however, there were several tracks where the two styles combined quite well. What is generally noticeable is a slight hardening (but not so marked) and a proposition a bit closer to the band of origin.

The reflection to make, however, is another. Since it's a guitarist's solo album, one would expect something more focused on his skill, both creative and technical, and on the way he gives voice to the instrument. Here nothing happens that can truly elevate the figure of the guitarist, make him take the qualitative leap, not even in the previous chapter. Basically, it's a band album, an album with the right balance between musicians and sounds, a group album presented as solo. Romeo already had a solo album to his credit, “The Dark Chapter,” an instrumental debut released back in 1994, the same year he debuted with Symphony X, and I must say that album was in every way more sensible; he played almost everything alone, and his ego emerged well; here he has a band where everyone does their part, and that's it.

But it's well not to pay too much attention, these are all meticulous, forced observations, typical of those who love debate, nothing that can tarnish the quality of the album, which I repeat is nonetheless a solid and grand prog-power metal album with attributes. Romeo did indeed go beyond, but he didn't take a step longer than he should have and preferred to remain more or less in familiar territories, and all things considered, he hit the mark. However, I hope for a return of Symphony X, who do not reveal much about any works; they had said they would return to the studio as soon as the pandemic situation allowed, but there are no big news; we will see.