Symphony X
The Divine Wings Of Tragedy

One of the best progressive metal albums. After the first listen of "The Divine Wings Of Tragedy" this was my first impression. And I have listened to albums that have made history in this genre, from Shadow Gallery's Room V, to Dream Theater's Images And Words, to Royal Hunt's Paradox. But this album has something special, something sublime. Something that can only be grasped and touched by listening to it. Not literally touched, but the listening makes you brush the infinite, the sweetness, the poetry.

The band is formed by musicians who have few equals on a technical level. Michael Romeo, Russell Allen, Thomas Miller, Michael Pinnella, and Jason Rullo form a perfect quintet, in every way. The instruments merge together creating a vast work. Particularly noteworthy is Russell Allen's powerful voice, which also manages to be extremely sweet at the same time, and Romeo's guitar virtuosity, one of the best guitarists around.

Within the album, there are constant mythical and epic references, but never trite or clichéd. Far from those bands that make this aspect the focal point of their music, to captivate the listener. Here the only protagonist is the music, the melody, the power, the harmony, and what incredible music. The album strikes for the group's ability to span within a stunning sonic space created by the instruments. Especially for the musicians' ability to shift from aggressive and powerful parts to moments of overwhelming melody. Not all bands in the prog-metal field succeed in this, and in my opinion, this is where a band's true skill lies. The album's title perfectly matches the music and the atmosphere created by the group. "The Divine Wings of Tragedy." Listening to it is like embarking on a fantastic journey, from which you don't know if you will ever return.

The album starts captivatingly and directly with "Of Sins And Shadows," characterized by a guitar that is heard from afar and suddenly bursts out with all its power. Russell Allen's powerful voice, together with the other members, creates really beautiful and epic choruses. A thrilling start. "Sea Of Lies" is also a powerful piece, and very engaging. Goosebumps from Allen's voice in the central part, which shows the extreme versatility of his sublime voice. There is also great use of keyboards that interact with Romeo's guitar. "Out Of The Ashes" is a very beautiful track, but more direct and less prog compared to the previous ones. It feels more oriented towards power, which is understood by its directness and speed. The first gem of the album is "The Accolade," which starts with a splendid guitar arpeggio that prepares for the entry of all other instruments, starting from the keyboards and ending with Allen who breaks into the track. A typical prog song with tempo changes and melodies that create a fantastic atmosphere. Unique. "Pharaoh" best synthesizes the band's style, a powerful track with incisive riffs. Inside the song, there are references to ancient Egypt and the pyramids. A dive into the past perfectly created by the group members, a perfectly successful experiment. Very thrashy is "The Eyes Of Medusa," which combines power and anger with melody and elegance. Again, a mythological reference, to the island of Medusa, an island of death. Really an original theme tackled by the group. "The Witching Hour" is a rather fast piece, with Rullo's relentless drumming throughout the song's duration. Now we have finally reached the 20-minute suite that takes the name from the album's title, "The Divine Wings Of Tragedy" indeed. One of the most successful and fascinating suites in the history of prog-metal, with beautiful melodies and many tempo changes that together create a highly articulated piece. The song also has epic tones with Russell Allen showcasing all of his skill and mastery. "Candelight Fantasia" concludes the album and is the real masterpiece of the album. A track of unique sweetness where the band's most melodic side and Allen's voice shine. A better conclusion could not be had for this journey into the Infinite. Watch out, you merely brush it, because the music touches the Infinite, while we, the listeners, can only graze it.

"The Divine Wings of Tragedy" is the masterpiece of a band with a distinctive and unique sound that stands out significantly from other prog-metal bands. Symphony X succeeds like few others in being both aggressive and melodic at the same time. They combine truly powerful parts with sweet parts in their pieces; this is the beauty of this group. With this album, they have done something important, historic, immense, as immense as the Infinite that we can only brush, not touch with our hands.