Symphony X: "The Odyssey"

Now, I have been a fan of Symphony X for quite some time now. They are among my top 5 favorite bands list. However, since the release of The Odyssey, I think they may as well be the top contender for my #1 spot. I admit I was a bit worried before hearing the new CD. Like alot of bands, known and unknown, the style seems to drastically change overtime. Fortunately, this is not the case with The Odyssey. Now I'm not saying that the new CD sounds exactly like the others. Certain things are different from previous albums. The most notable is being the lack of attention towards the keyboards. The Odyssey is a more guitar driven album than any of Symphony X's other releases. To me this is niether good nor bad. If you want dueling keyboards and guitars, simply listen to any of the Symphony X's other releases. If you want a raw listening of Michael Romeo's precise and flawless guitar playing, just pop in this CD and let track one, "Inferno (Unleash The Fire)," floor your ass to the ground.

All the progressive power is there in all the tracks as well. Particularly in the track "Awakenings." Aside from the title track(which we will discuss shortly), "Awakenings" is my favorite trac. This is one of the few fine moments where are treated to some of Michael Pinella's exceptional keyboard playing.

Russell Allen on vocals adds to the magnificance of this masterpiece with his awesome voice. I've read someplace where a person regarded Allen's voice as one of the best in metal today. I can honestly say I agree. His voice keeps getting better and better with each release. A few awesome songs where Allen's voice shines the most would be "Wicked", "The Odyssey", and "Accolade II" (which is an amazing follow-up to part I off of Divine Wings Of Tragedy). Other highlights on the album are... are... all hell, the entire CD is awesome!!!

However, the fact that the ENTIRE CD is awesome is completely pointless when one single song justifies the purchase of this CD. That song, my friends, is the immaculate, massive, epic, brilliant, just simply downright beautiful track, "The Odyssey". A 20 plus minute ride with Odysseus and his prolonged journey home. What is so beautiful about this track is how Michael Romeo paints pictures on pictures with his brilliant musical talent. The battle with the Cyclops is particularly engaging as well as the confrontation with the Sirens. The vocal melodies on that part are great as well. You can actually feel and see the action as your listening to the music. I was simply blown away when I heard this song. Added to the fact that the rest of CD is awesome, we're treated to yet another BUY OR DIE album by one of the bands all metal fans were born to hear! -Lord Deus

Tracklist

10 out of 10