After 5 long years Symphony X (X) is back! With their last album, The Odyssey, X blew fans away with their unique blend of power metal and classical tastes. We were all anxious to see what was in the works for this New Jersey quintet.
To get to the point most fans want to know, does Paradise Lost top The Odyssey? In this reviewer's opinion, no, but don't go just yet. While it may not surpass it's predecessor, Paradise Lost still packs quite a wallop and is a worthy follow-up.
X continues the path of interweaving classical instrumentation into balls-to-the-wall riffs. Lead singer Russell Allen's vocals also take on a whole new level of wicked. If you enjoyed his deep growling on songs such as "King of Terrors" (2002's The Odyssey) and "Inferno" (same album) then you are in for a treat. You will be amazed how he takes his voice so low without resorting to mindless screams and growls a lá most death metal bands.
One thing I appreciate is the band's refusal to rest on its haunches and deliver the equivalent of "The Odyssey Part 2". One development is that the classical orchestrations feel more tightly integrated into the songs instead of "now it's the guitar's turn. Ok, now it's the cello's turn..." The tunes feel more coherent for it and often you won't even notice the presence of the "extra" instruments.
In my opinion, Symphony X is the best progressive metal band around (sorry Dream Theater lovers). Every member is the best at what they do, and the listener never feels like any one person is slacking (despite the attention Michael Romeo receives). This album once again showcases this. No complaints in this department. I will complain about one thing, though. Why does guitarist Michael Romeo continue to use solid state instead of tube amps? The added warmth provided by a tube amp would take his guitar sound into the heavenly realm. He may be using tube amps, but there's something in the chain that gives his guitar a harsher, slightly processed sound. This is not specific to this album, just an overall nitpick.
Paradise Lost has some great songs. "Serpent's Kiss" has been available for about a month now, and is my favorite song on the album. It's quite radio friendly for a progressive song, and often evokes sounds from yesteryear (such as Divine Wings of Tragedy). Other favorite include the growling "Domination", the epic "Paradise Lost", and the butt-kicking "The Walls of Babylon". As usual, the lyrics border on cheesy, albeit darker this time around. Before we'd hear tales of slaying dragons and swords. Now we hear strange reveries of good and evil. The reader may be used to the call "Raise your banners ever high and ravage the Babylon Whore" but it is a new experience for this reviewer. They make me chuckle. What's prog metal without some cheesy lyrics?
Again, as usual, X manages to slip between heavy metal and acoustic melodies quite seamlessly. The piano-driven "Paradise Lost" and "The Sacrifice" make up the ballad-type material here. One small gripe is the lack of a song that I would term "grandiose", such as "The Accolade" (Divine Wings of Tragedy) and "Awakenings" (The Odyssey). The closest we get is the title track. It's a great song, but didn't give me that same feeling of earnest.
To sum up, Paradise Lost is a great album and a must-have for any fan of the band. For newcomers, I would recommend other albums first. Divine Wings of Tragedy (1997) for those new to progressive metal and The Odyssey (2002) for those familiar with prog, but new to Symphony X. I give it a 4/5.
"Serpent's Kiss" is available on the bands page www.symphonyx.com so I won't include it here. Instead I'll share the song "Domination". Enjoy!