Author: Rok Klemše
Artist: Symphony X
Label: Inside Out Records
Release: 2007
Rating: 4/5
A (way too) loooong five years have passed since The Odyssey, the last release from American progressive metal masters Symphony X. The follow-up has seen so many delays and postponements that I was slowly starting to worry we were getting the “Chinese Democracy” of progressive metal. But unlike a certain egomaniac in a Scottish kilt, Symphony X are reliable and professional, and they do what they promise… even if this time we had to be a little patient.
With Paradise Lost, Symphony X have quenched a thirst that had already started to feel like a mirage of an oasis in the desert. They’ve delivered possibly the best album of their career and hit a level of perfection that, in my opinion at least, they were always just one step short of. Over five bone-dry years the American quintet didn’t rest on their laurels but worked their asses off, and that work is already paying off big time, as Paradise Lost is getting nothing but (deservedly) raving, positive reviews with top scores, slotting the record in capital letters among the best albums of the year.
Personally, I know Symphony X pretty well, more than pretty well even, and I’ve always liked them, but for me they never got further than “a really good band.” Paradise Lost, though, blew my brains out like a well-aimed shotgun blast from point-blank range! The paradise in the title may be lost, but Paradise Lost is the forbidden tree, and instead of getting you kicked out of the garden for its fruit, every apple you pluck (read: track) only makes the craving stronger and draws you in like a moth to a flame!
Paradise Lost is a magnum opus of modern progressive metal and the heaviest, most modern work of Symphony X’s career. The elements we fell in love with on the band’s earlier releases are all still here, but this time they take another step forward and make Paradise Lost the band’s most aggressive record. It’s jam-packed with furious neoclassical solos, mighty bombastic riffs, a roaring rhythm section and an aggressive Allen hovering over the whole thing. Russel shows up on the new album in a light we’re not used to. Allen has never sounded this aggressive, and at moments he gets close to a brutal thrash vocal, but he’s proven more than once that he’s an incredibly versatile singer, and Paradise Lost takes that even further. One moment he sounds like a rabid dog, the next he’s reaching for falsetto heights. Uncompromising! Symphony X have always known how to find that sweet spot between technical and melodic, without drowning in showing off their instrumental chops the way some of their musical colleagues do. On Paradise Lost the band once again proves itself a leading force in progressive power metal, but this time they wrap it all in a darker, more serious look, helped along by lyrics about betrayal, revenge, corruption, innocence, anger, … But don’t worry, Symphony X don’t fall into the trap of being heavy just for the sake of looking good. A masterpiece a little over an hour long never comes off as boring or uninspired. Thanks to Michael Romeu, who on top of his proverbially impossible guitar acrobatics also delivers excellent rhythm work (just listen to Set the World on Fire, where Romeo’s rhythm lines hold the track together like glue), incredible melodic harmonies and original riffs, the record is amazingly dynamic. Let me also mention one of my own favorite moments on the album – bassist Mike LePond usually stays a bit in the background, but the bass solo intro to Domination shows him in his best light.
But Paradise Lost doesn’t offer only brutal shredding. On the contrary, the calmer, lighter, neoclassical parts are just as good as the sawing ones. Great examples are Eve of Seduction, Seven (even Khachaturian, the guy behind the unhinged Sabre Dance, would be proud of this track’s total wildness) and Revelation (Divus Pennae Ex Tragoedia), where good old Allen shows up with an incredible, clean voice. The production is pure perfection, just like the music. All the instruments and Allen’s vocals are crystal clear, and the mix is flawless too. The choruses of practically every track are almost like subliminal messages. I catch myself humming the fantastic chorus of Set the World on Fire without even realizing it, and I’m sure it will get stuck in your head too.
Paradise Lost is a modern progressive metal masterpiece that even Dream Theater with Systematic Chaos will have a really hard time topping this year, so I can easily count Paradise Lost among the best releases of the year. Let’s hope it won’t take another five years until the next Symphony X album.
Lineup
Sir Russell Allen – vocals
Michael Romeo – guitar
Michael Pinnella – keyboards
Mike LePond – bass guitar
Jason Rullo – drums
Production
Michael Romeo, Jens Bogren
Tracklist
1. Oculus ex Inferni 02:34
2. Set the World on Fire (The Lie of Lies) 05:55
3. Domination 06:29
4. The Serpent’s Kiss 05:03
5. Paradise Lost 06:32
6. Eve of Seduction 05:04
7. The Walls of Babylon 08:16
8. Seven 07:01
9. The Sacrifice 04:49
10. Revelation (Divus Pennae ex Tragoedia) 09:17
