Well, just picked up this CD today, drove all around for 3 hours till I found one. Its been 5 years since Mike Romeo and the gang sat down and did a new album, a long wait (being a Tool fan I got kinda use to this anyways) and after a lot of hardship from the band (tours, LePond being very sick, and lost hard drive data just to name some of it) this CD is by far one of there best, holding its own with The Odyssey.
Mike Romeo decided to go much heavier, faster and aggressive on this album, and its a really nice change.. The entire album isn't totally like this, theres still plenty of classic symphony X in it, the Title track is pure old school SymX. Its a true roller coaster from start to finish. Mikes new Caparisons sound great, much thicker than previous albums, plus I think he's using Engl's now at least for most of the rhythm parts, the solo's are still insane, wouldn't expect anything else from Mike, as well as doing some really nice acoustic/classical work which we rarely hear him do anymore. The tone of his lead guitar work is still a bit buzzy and fuzzy thanks to the Line6, but its gotten a
lot better since ditching the EMG's all together. Sir Russell Allen really stepped it up a few notches this time and really let his vocals fly, getting darker and heavier to work with the new sound, and it really works well. Russell proves once again hes one of the top prog vocalists out there. Jason's intense drum work is still spot on, and Pinnella's key work is, as usual, the work of a true prodigy.
The only thing missing from this album is the 10-20+ min epic song, with all songs falling under the 10 min mark. Although this may disappoint some long time listeners who come to expect this from them, it makes the album a slightly easier listen in the long run.
This album is a must have for not only all symphony X fans, but all metal fans. The wait was truly worth it for this...For me, this is the album of the year. There also touring too, and I know its a don't miss event, if The Odyssey tour was anything to go by.
Check out one of the tracks:
http://www.symphonyx.com/
