Symphony X
V - The new mythology suite

THE REVIEW

The Symphony X…
First of all, who are Symphony X?

Well, Symphony X are nothing more than a group composed of a certain chubby guitarist named Michael Romeo, who possesses a solid and powerful style, as well as very personal, and is the creator of riffs and solos beyond any human conception; a keyboardist, Michael Pinella, as skilled at conversing with Romeo's 6 strings as he is at creating atmospheres that only a true master could reproduce, Jason Rullo, the drummer, whose name speaks for itself, unpredictable, varied, and pyrotechnic; the quintessential singer: Russel Allen, versatile, aggressive, and sweet, and finally Michael Lepond, the bassist, who just for being able to follow (and I dare say with a certain ease) Romeo’s scores, should be awarded 5 stars.

This creates a great album, varied and meticulous, and great little gems. How can we forget the riff that starts “Evolution (the grand design),” the oriental and epic “Egypt,” the grandiose and deeply moving “A fool’s paradise.” Symphony X style ballads are not lacking, and tracks like “Communion and the Oracle” remind of a certain “The accolade” episode; intense and powerful pieces, how can we not mention “The bird-serpent war/Cataclysm” and “Absence of light.” Also interesting are the short cinematic instrumental pieces (for those who don't know, Michael Romeo is a fan of soundtracks, as well as of Greek mythology), and the dreamy “On the breath of Poseidon” and the sparkling “The death of balance/Lacrimosa” certainly do not go unnoticed.
The album ends beautifully with “Rediscovery (Part II)–The new Mythology,” a 12-minute track that only emphasizes the good taste, superior technique, and the ability to create great atmospheres of these 5 personalities. And in the end, the dialoguing solos of Romeo and Pinella are countless, as are Rullo’s, not to mention the unimaginable and unrealistic rhythm changes.

And only in the end do you realize what you've listened to, serious and refined music, technical and emotional: adjectives that usually tend to separate but that Symphony X manages to combine so well. Symphony X are artists even before musicians, and comparisons with other bands, however subjectively or objectively better or worse, would make no sense.