Paradise Lost

Inside Out

After an extended absence from the scene, New Jersey based Progressive Power Metaler’s Symphony X have returned with what is easily their most aggressive and prominent album to date. Having faced various distractions over the last few years one of which was the bands successful stint on the 2005 edition of Gigantour the guys have now reconvened to deliver their latest masterpiece Paradise Lost, the much anticipated follow up to 2002’s landmark release The Odyssey.  

At first listen I have to say that frontman Russell Allen really took me by surprise this time around with his beefed up vocal attack. He’s sounding more and more like Ronnie James Dio than ever before and less like Lou Gramm (Foreigner). Truth be told though, I’m not so sure that I’m digging it as much as his past work. Allen has such a powerfully melodic voice it seems a shame to have it lost beneath so much gruff dexterity. Nevertheless he still shines brightly and I’m sure his new found aggression will only open up the bands music to an entirely new dimension of fans. On a musical level the band has also moved on in a much heavier direction while not sacrificing the melodic and virtuosic capabilities they are known for thanks largely to the Yngwie influence of guitarist Michael Romeo. Holding tight to their prog roots while broadening their creative expertise to include a taste of the past as well as a look to the future Symphony X are definitely a band never to be taken lightly.

Paradise Lost contains ten blistering cuts that are hammered out in just the right manner of perfection promising to capture the attention of Metal fans everywhere. Stand outs include the title track which in this case happens to more or less a power balled very akin to the classic sound that put Symphony X on the map. The first single “Serpents Kiss” which I believe was absolutely the best choice as it is easily one of the strongest songs on the CD and showcases the bands abilities at their best. Other tracks to pay special attention to would be “Set The World On Fire (The Lie of lies)”, “The Walls Of Babylon” and the divine epic “Revelation (Divus Pennae ex Tragoedia), all in all an album that was well worth the wait.

-Priest