Symphony X United States
"Okay, let's make no buts about it. If you are into Symphony X's grandiose and epic, but at the same time progressive and incredibly groovy, power metal, then you are in for a treat. The band carry on where they left of on 2007's "Paradise Lost", and that's fine by me because I think that was one of the best metal releases of that year.
There are goodies for both progressive metal fans and power metal fans on this album. Power metal fans can look forward to epic, melodic and catchy choruses as well as grandiose atmospheres with symphonic elements and all that stuff. And power metal fans can look forward to odd time signatures, complex guitar riffage and at time unconventional song structures. And, on top of that you can add Symphony X's trademark awesomely groovy guitar riffs, which might also be of interest to fans of Pantera-pioneered groove metal.
The band's vocalist, Russell Allen belongs to the group of power metal vocalists whose voices are more raw and potent than the typical European power metal vocalists and his awesome singing can be compared to that of rock and metal icons like Ronnie James Dio, Graham Bonnet, Apollo Papathanasio, and Tom Schluchter. Allen's raw and potent voice fits Symphony X's brand of power metal perfectly.
Virtually all of the tracks are awesome, but if I had to pick a handfuld of favorites, it would be the epic opener (and title track) which contains all the trademark elements of Symphony X's style) and the more straightforward "Bastards of the Machine" as well as "Heretic" with its old school midtempo thrash breakdown, and "Electric Messiah" with its Megadeth-inspired elements and epitomic American power metal chorus.
"Iconoclast" delivers prog power metal at its best. There are plenty of twists and turns and challenging stuff, but there is still an obvious catchiness and epicness to the music, and then there is all the groovy riffage which also makes this very headbanging-friendly. Fans of progressive metal and power metal should check out this release.
If they do not already hold the title of kings of power prog metal, then Symphony X surely will be enthroned with this release.
(review originally posted on metalmusicarchives.com)"
"This album features Symphony Xs Dream Theater meets Pantera meets Dio meets Dragon Force style of power metal and kicks ass from beginning to end with its combination of in-yer-face guitar riffs, complex melodic figures, odd time signatures, double bass drum power metal drums, Dio-esque vocals and symphonic keyboards. Any power metal fan should enjoy this album!"
"Nothing much to say... I was blown away at the first listen. Songs mix orchestral power metal with symphonic prog metal, and the classical interludes really blend very well with the more aggressive songs. The vocals are amazing... sometimes really strong on the power parts, sometimes really melodic on the mellow parts. A must have in any music collection..."
"This is a really excellent metal album. The discussion about it being inferior to V or Divine Wings reminds me of the Dream Theater: Train Of Thought discussions. The albums are quite similar in their effects on fans and critics.
I think that while it is not as good as V or Divine Wings, The Odyssey is slightly better than Twilight in Olympus. There are no weak tracks, but apparently some are more prog and some more metal. The epic, Awakenings and Accolade II are standout prog tracks, ALL of the other tracks are wonderful (power) metal songs.
The band is playing very tight, and - again very much like Train Of Thought - the keyboards not very prominent ... but they're there, it all blends nicely into a power metal onslaught, culminating in a symphonic epic (sadly, the classical instruments are samples).
The limited edition also features the older track Masquerade as a bonus, re-recorded with Russell Allen vocals and a nice symphonic intro."
