Symphony X   ‘The Damnation Game’
Zero Corporation , 1995
Lord Pale :
The Damnation Game, Symphony X’s second full-length album, presents a decent fusion of straightforward heavy metal riffing and progressive rock leanings. Vocalist Russell Allen has a unique clean power metal voice that straddles the more aggressive side of the genre similar to Jag Panzer’s ‘Tyrant’ but with a wider scope and range. Keyboards accompany most of the tracks as is typical of this style of music, and offer soothing harmonies, and less frequently blazing solo’s that rival the expertise demonstrated by the guitars. Adequate and interesting percussion round of the music adapting to the shifting styles of the music from the jazzy bass lines and prog styling in ‘The Edge Of Forever’ and ‘The Haunting’, to the more mellow passages in ‘Whispers’ and ‘A Winter’s Dream’. Most of the songs are short and well structured with catchy memorable choruses performed with a decent level of technical proficiency and variation. However the title track is the one that stands out most to me due to it’s unsettling other dimensional carnival atmosphere in the vocal melody leading up to the chorus, or is that just me? Overall The Damnation Game is a highly intriguing and very solid album that many similar bands in the rather pretentious genre strive for but fall well short of. Recommended.
Favourite Tracks – The Damnation Game , Savage Curtain , A Winter’s Dream Pt2
Mark – 8.5/10


Symphony X   ‘The Divine Wings Of Tragedy’
CNR Music , 1997
Lord Pale :
Symphony X return again with a new opus ‘The Divine Wings Of Tragedy’ sporting a new more powerful, superior, production. At first glance ‘TDWOT’ is little more than a refined version of it’s predecessor The Damnation Game, but upon closer inspection it shows some distinct differences. Most noticeably the more dramatic epic atmosphere presented thanks to more backing choirs for choruses and interludes, as well as a more abundant and successful incorporation of synth. Russell Allen’s vocals are again top notch, varying from slightly graveled, to deeper, to clean and soaring all in the passage of a single song, and sometimes verse. The songs this time around are slightly lengthier, especially the sweeping odyssey that is the title track which clocks in at just over twenty minutes capturing some of the bands finest orchestration to date. There seems to be a slight departure from the jazzier elements of the bands previous work in favor of a more distinct development of their own progressive ‘sound’. Still the album is as solid and varied as ever with harder hitting songs like ‘Pharaoh’ and ‘Of Sins And Shadows’ coinciding with lighter more mellow tracks like ‘Out Of The Ashes’ and ‘Candlelight Fantasia’. However a majority of The Divine Wings Of Tragedy sits comfortably in the middle ground offering symphonic melodic hymns most fans of power metal and progressive music will embrace and admire. Overall, highly recommended.
Favourite Tracks – Pharaoh , Out Of The Ashes , The Divine Wings Of Tragedy
Mark – 8.5/10


Symphony X   ‘Twilight In Olympus’
CNR Music , 1998
Lord Pale :
Twilight In Olympus again sees Symphony X’s average song length getting slightly longer but fails to produce another 20 minute epic ala The Divine Wings Of Tragedy. Utilizing all of their usual tricks: blazing solo’s ( keyboard as well as guitar ); slightly off kilter stop start riffing; brutal heaviness; melodic, symphonic synth; and Russell Allen’s dramatic vivid vocals , Symphony X have written another worthy installment in their discography. Although little outward progression is visible, Twilight In Olympus deviates slightly from its predecessors mainly in its tempo, it is a much faster album than the band have done before whether by design or the bettering of their own technical ability I am unsure. Although delivering another classic track to add to their collection in the form of ‘Church Of The Machine’, ( the albums undoubted highlight ) Symphony X seem to be just playing it by the numbers rather than exerting the their creativity. Tracks like ‘Smoke And Mirrors’, ‘Into The Dragon’s Den’, and ‘Orion – The Hunter’ are all good but safe, whilst ‘Through The Looking Glass Pt 1, 2, & 3’ ( all a single track ) and ‘The Relic’ return to the jazzy noodlings of yore. That just leaves the short musical ‘Sonata’, and the excellent closer ‘Lady Of The Snow’ to provide the required lighter melodic moments which they doe very well. Overall a rather formulaic but entertaining release from this highly talented band.
Favourite Tracks – Church Of The Machine , Lady Of The Snow , Through The Looking Glass
Mark – 8/10


Symphony X   ‘V’
Metal Blade , 2000
Lord Pale :
Symphony X’s fifth opus ‘V’ is the power/progster’s heaviest and most grandiose album to date. ‘V’ continues the same orchestral developments of sound as its predecessor Twilight In Olympus did with larger amounts of pompous synth and choir style backing vocals than even that album contained. All of this development has finally enabled the band to capture some of the emotion in V’s music that the passionate vocals of Russell Allen have been demonstrating across the course of Symphony X’s career, and it is an important development. The mood of V is much darker than the rest of the bands back catalogue largely due to the emotive journey of the lyrics. V is a concept album largely based in Atlantean mythology about the evolution of mankind, it’s struggles, and its future. It is an epic, thought provoking story line that concludes with a rousing message of hope amidst mayhem for our species. My Favourite track on V would have to be the excellent ‘A Fools Paradise’, with its dueling guitar synth solo, engaging lyrics, and fantastic melody lines. Once again Symphony X have provided a strong, varied album from softer songs like ‘Communion And The Oracle’ and ‘Rediscovery’, through to more powerful tracks like ‘The Bird Serpent War’ and ‘Egypt’. The only other thing to note is the albums superb artwork which manages to capture the feeling of the music and offers a welcome visual accompany for the story line. Overall another fine release for fans and new comers alike.
Favourite Tracks – A Fools Paradise , Evolution – The Grand Design , Rediscovery Pt 2
Mark – 8.5/10


Symphony X   ‘The Odyssey’
Inside Out , 2002
Lord Pale:
Half pompous groove, ‘Wicked’, ‘The Odyssey’, ‘Masquerade’, and half seething aggression, ‘Inferno’, ‘King Of Terrors’, ‘The Turning’, would be the best way to describe Symphony X’s latest effort The Odyssey. This would have to be the bands most easy listening and accessible album to date with a total length of over 70 minutes it is sure to win them new fans. Russell Allen’s vocal performance is one of his best as he shifts from growled bellows through to soaring and back again whilst experimenting some milder melody lines as well. Michael Romeo’s ever improving composition skills really shine on The Odyssey which successfully conveys all of the epic atmosphere of its predecessor ‘V’ without its overly complex arrangements. The middle of the album provides some more familiar Symphony X material with ‘Accolade II’ a romantic fantasy song following in the tradition of ‘The Accolade’ from The Divine Wings Of Tragedy, and ‘Awakenings’ a lengthier piece following the emotional fortitude of its main character. The grandiose title track clocks in at an impressive 24 minutes detailing the classic story of Ulysses’ epic voyage in seven complimentary yet varied parts. Excellent cover art compliments the thick vibrant booklet with liner notes with the band members’ thoughts on the track on the album which is an interesting addition. Overall another worthy album from the American powermetallers, and my personal favourite.
Favourite Tracks – King Of Terrors , Inferno , Awakenings
Mark – 9/10
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