It has been a long time since I was able to spend hours scouring the Internet for new music, and longer that I had money to spend frivolously on new CDs. That is why, when I recently had the opportunity to listen to Symphony X's Paradise Lost, I jumped.
And I reeled. In the first track is all the curious and impeccably skillful songwriting of Divine Wings of Tragedy and The Odyssey, now coupled with a full-on orchestra. What more could one ask?
Apparently quite a bit, though I wouldn't have guessed. Following 'Occulus Ex Inferni" (track one) is "Set the World on Fire (Lie of Lies)" (check out the video here), exemplary of a broader and more powerful Symphony X than might be generally recalled. The guitars are downright snarling (as is Russell Allen's voice), the lyrics scorching (to borrow the word), and the orchestration powerful. And the chorus is a great treat, as well--an oasis of clear-as-water vocals and harmonies, which will be seen again and again throughout the album.
And there's more. The vocal style in the chorus of "Lie of Lies" is repeated and expounded in two ballad-like tracks that lead us for an emotional walk through Eden, and following the lyrical paths, we may find ourselves in the middle of Milton's Paradise. Throughout the album there is mourning, hatred, love, and downright evil, enlivened by intelligent and seemingly thought-out lyrics (thank heavens metal is not all the same), and brought together with technical brilliance and truly amazing songwriting. But then, from Symphony X, how could we have expected anything less?
Final Verdict: Truly epic. A must-listen.
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