Symphony X - Divine Wings of Tragedy
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Music CD Cover
Artist: Symphony XEdition: Music CD
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Limited Edition, Original recording reissued
CD Release Date: 2004-09-13
Music Label: Inside Out U.S.
Soundtracks:
- Of Sins and Shadows
- Sea of Lies
- Out of the Ashes
- The Accolade
- Pharaoh
- The Eyes of Medusa
- The Witching Hour
- The Divine Wings of Tragedy
- Candlelight Fantasia
- Enhanced Element: Screensaver & Band Interview, Pt. 3
Free Music Notes for Divine Wings of Tragedy
Free Music Review: Who's Better: Dream Theater or Symphony X? Hard Choice...
Hit: 5 Stars
Divine Wings of Tragedy(1997). Symphony X's Third Album.
In the 90's, when you typically say the words "Progressive Metal", you will immediately think of bands like Dream Theater, Queensryche, and Fates Warning. Unless you happen to be imaginative and willing to discover relatively unknown bands, you wouldn't have heard of Symphony X( they do have a fairly large following in Europe). An intense mixture of Power Metal and Progressive Metal, albeit with thundering guitar melodies, imaginative keyboard flourishes, melodic vocals, fever-pitch drumming, audible(and cool) bass, not to mention lyrics and melodies that will make anybody who hasn't listened to the album complain that they are "Dream Theater rip-offs". Although they have the same distinct sound, that assumption would be wrong, since Symphony X sounds completely different when it comes to the *music*, not just the *approach*. While their previous two releases, 'Symphony X' and 'The Damnation Game' were relatively unknown, 'Divine Wings of Tragedy' broke them through to a larger audience in Europe and the U.S. Since I'd heard many good things about the band, I expected this album to be a blast. Was that the case? Read on to find out!
Track Ratings-
Of Sins And Shadows- Symphony X hits all the right notes on "Of Sins And Shadows", with Michael Romeo's dark, pulsing guitar lick setting the song up for Russel Allen's melodic, epic, and mystifying vocals. Symphony X utilizes backup keyboards and choirs for an *epic* feel, and the end result is quite simply beautiful. An album's opener should always interest the listener, and this certainly does!
Sea of Lies- A beautiful, epic, melodic, and metallic rocker, "Sea of Lies" sees Michael Romeo switching from a haunting, dark guitar riff to a mystifying rhythm guitar melody, and vocalist Russell Allen shines with his tales of "good and evil". Absolutely insane guitar and keyboard interplay here, and each musician plays like their possessed by the devil. Amazing.
Out of the Ashes- Right from the opening, Symphony X is obviously trying to get the "medieval" and "dungeons and dragons" sound, and on "Out of the Ashes", Symphony X blends an unbelieveable mix of chugging guitar licks, medieval keyboards, dark vocals, and insane backup choirs to create another epic that sounds totally original. Imagine Dream Theater on steroids.
The Accolade- The Divine Wings of Tragedy's other epic, "The Accolade" is a 9 minute epic, starting with an eerie opener that beckens back to medieval times, with a slick rhythm guitar melody and a flute opening. The song soon moves on to an upbeat, rhythmic, melodic Prog-Rock song, combining the epic keyboards, the wailing guitars, and the heart-breaking vocals to create another song that's brilliant, beautiful, and epic. The song never stays the same longer than 10 seconds, and for that reason, Symphony X leaves me speechless.
Pharoah- The perfect ode to a pharoah's curse, "Pharoah" is a thrashy power metal rocker, combining the fever-pitch drumming, the guitar pyrotechnics and wizardry of Michael Romeo, and the decidedly dark, foreboding vocals of Russell Allen. What's amazing here is how Symphony X plays exactly what you'd imagine a song about Ancient Egypt to sound like. It may sound weird reading it, but once you listen to it, you'll see for yourself. I'm beginning to like Symphony X more than Dream Theater...
The Eyes of Medusa- From the opening guitar chords to the symphonic keyboard melody, "The Eyes of Medusa" is a creepy, challenging Prog-Rock song that begs the question, "Can you look into my eyes?". Russell Allen's vocals are creepy and angry, and Michael Romeo shreds like a madman, not only on his solos but during riffs. Great musicianship, great song.
The Witching Hour- Beginning with a rather cheesy(but still crazy) keyboard/synthesizer solo, you get the impression this is an upbeat, passionate ballad, but you'd be wrong! Michael Romeo's haunting, dark, creepy guitar arpeggios, not to mention Russell Allen's daunting vocals, make "The Witching Hour" a dark, mystifying epic even though it clocks in at a little over 4 minutes! Incredible musicianship, brilliant songwriting, and magnificent vocals. Can you take a hint? This song rules.
The Divine Wings of Tragedy- There are no words. From the opening choir, to the hopeful ending, "The Divine Wings of Tragedy" lays down a story of love and adventure, using long musical interludes, passionate vocals, and incredible songwriting to blend a 20 minute masterpiece. Michael Romeo, from his emotional rhythm guitar to his symphonic electric guitar, remains forceful and creative throughout. Micael Pinella's keyboards provide an excellent backup, giving the music an added flavor, and keeps the music moving. Russel Allen, as always, is amazing. The bass is exceptional. Quite possibly, the best 20 minute epic ever made, and that's saying something around Rush, Yes, Dream Theater, and Pink Floyd.
Overall, 'The Divine Wings of Tragedy' is a Progressive and Power Metal masterpiece, easily equalling or out-doing Dream Theater, while keeping a sense of creativity that sets them far apart from Dream Theater. All the instrumentalists are brilliant, with Guitarist Michael Romeo, Keyboardist Michael Pinella, Drummer Jason Rullo, and Bassist Thomas Miller each playing their instruments to their absolute best. Symphony X vocalist Russell Allen is all you could ever ask for, blending the vocals of James Labrie with Matt Barlow to create an amazing, melodic voice that stands out among other musical artists. The album's magnificent, but fair warning, the music is very cheesy, with Symphony X trying to sound medieval(at times) and a constant backup choir(Imagine Catholic church choirs circa. 1200 A.D.) always backing up the music. I don't think it takes away from the songs, but some might. Worth the title track alone, but the other tracks easily hold their ground!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TO FANS OF POWER METAL, PROGRESSIVE METAL, HEAVY METAL, AND SYMPHONY X! DREAM THEATER, WELL, YOU JUST AREN'T AS GOOD! SORRY!
Killer Kuts- Everything
Also Recommended-
The Odyssey- Symphony X
Images And Words- Dream Theater
Night of the Stormrider- Iced Earth
Thanks For Reading!
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