Customer Reviews

Twilight in Olympus

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

THE BAND: Michael Romeo (guitars), Russell Allen (vocals), Thomas Miller (bass), Jason Rullo (drums & Percussion), Mike Pinnella (keyboards).

THE DISC: Released orginally in 1998. 8 tracks clocking in at approximately 53 minutes. Recorded at Trax East Studios in South River, NJ. The new digipak contains digitally mastered sound as well as a screen saver and band interview (from a 2003 session - most of the time spent reflecting on first concerts, touring in Japan and pressure to release albums; says Allen, "We can't pump out 3 chord rock records as quickly as AC/DC." There is an 18-page booklet containing band pictures, lyrics, song credits and thank you's. This is the band's 4th major release. Label - Inside Out Music.

COMMENTS: This was the 2nd disc in my collection from this progressive/power/metal New Jersey band. In my collection, I rank "Olympus" 3rd behind "V-The New Mythology Suite" and "The Divine Wings Of Tragedy". Since their self-titled release and their sophmore effort ("The Damnation Game"), I feel Symphony X has come a long way. Their first two albums were average at best (average song writing and below average production). Something happened when lead singer Russell Allen came on board. The band really showed their chops with their 3rd release (1997) "Divine Wings Of Tragedy"... and they continued with "Olympus". Songs thrust you into a perilous new world of rock music filled with magic, power, the Gods, dreams and destiny. In my opinion, Symphony X ranks as one of the top heavy progressive rock music acts out there. It truly escapes me why Symphony X receives little or no air play, little or no promotion, and limited touring (at least in the southwest). The band has a huge following in Europe and Japan. Romeo's blistering work on the guitar is high quality stuff (Yngwie Malmsteen would be proud) and he has very few equals. Russell Allen's voice is beautiful - and he's a singer, not a screamer or growler. Miller, Rullo and Pinnella are all equally talented on their instruments. Some great songs in the 9 minute "Church Of The Machine", my favorite up and down 13 minute "Through The Looking Glass (Parts I-III), and the wonderful power ballad to close the disc "Lady Of The Snow". Check out their website at www.symphonyx.com ... Great disc.

Symphony X's third album, The Divine Wings of Tragedy, was a carnivorous progressive metal masterpiece with classical influences abound (the title track was based on Holst's composition "Mars - The Bringer of War"), although the neoclassical influences which dominated their first two releases were trimmed. For the band's fourth album, Twilight In Olympus, the neoclassical trademark makes a grand return, this time _without_ the horrible studio production on the first two albums. As such, it does what the first two releases tried to do, but it does it better. Is it better than Divine Wings? On the whole, no... DWOT's high points are some of the greatest of all progressive metal songs. One place Twilight In Olympus does beat its awesome predecessor, however, is song diversity. This album serves up a tasty dish of heavy speed metal, neoclassical metal, symphonic interludes, power ballads, and majestic epics.

What's good about Twilight In Olympus is that every song is a standout, a highlight. Again, I attribute this to the range of styles found on the disc... all of which are siphoned through the band's crushing metal approach, of course. "The Church of the Machine" is one of their best songs, with its ominous synth work, soaring chorus, and epic structure. "In the Dragon's Den" has one of the most meticulous and fastest riffs I've ever heard, and the incredible solos are all that's required to affirm that Michael Romeo is one of the best metal guitarists alive... or dead, I guess. "Through the Looking Glass," based on the story "Alice Through the Looking Glass," gives the tame, magical story an powerful metal reiteration, with one of the band's most majestic choruses in part 3.

The speedy neoclassical songs, "Smokes and Mirrors" and "The Relic," are most similar to the band's work on their self-titled debut and The Damnation Game, although the songwriting is incredibly more intense and the production is about a hundred times better. "The Relic" especially is one of their most exciting songs, with Romeo's unique riffing hammering out smoking rhythms over which keyboardist Pinnella dances with traditional neoclassical speed metal synths. What's amazing here is the heroic chorus, with the awesome lines, "Carry on into the horizon | Wielding courage, staff in hand." Even though the lyrics are just fantasy/mythology-type things, Symphony X does it in a way that isn't corny. Also, the mechanics of their lyrics are pretty clever, with intelligent rhythms, powerful imagery, and internal rhyming. "Radiant lady in white." Think about it.

That brings us to "Lady of the Snow," the haunting power ballad based on a spooky Japanese legend. Allen and Miller paint vivid images with their words, and the composition is so strong, chilly, and evocative you can truly imagine the "garden of ice." Vocalist Russell Allen's ghostly delivery of the first verse is bloodcurdling in its dark beauty. There is also "Orion the Hunter," a mid-tempo metal cut anchored to a corrosive, steady guitar riff and a truly sinister chorus ("Oh, the hunter looks at you with eyes to kill.")

The only way to fault Twilight In Olympus is to address its ineffable feeling of incompleteness. I didn't quite understand it at first, but I later discovered that the band had been forced to drop the album's title track because they were unable to finish it in time. It's not a total loss, however... "Twilight In Olympus" was dissected and many of its ideas were used for the band's latest -- and I'd say best -- release, V.

If you're one of the unlucky or hesitant or foolish progressive metal fans who've yet to take the dive into Symphony X's world, I suggest you do it.

Like most fans of Symphony X, I was a bit worried that this album could not compare to Divine Wings. However, after a careful listen to this album I can say that those fears were unfounded. The focus of this album is on beauty. With the piano really shining among the ever-excellent guitars, the music takes on a different tone (sometimes Kansas-like). The best tracks on this album are Through the Looking Glass, Orion the Hunter, Lady of the Snow, and In the Dragon's Den--respectively. I cannot say enough about this band. They fulfill all of my hopes for the future of music. I shall always look forward for their next release.

After having worn the gooves (?) off my CDs of V and Divine Wings of Tragedy, I decided to try another SymX. This one is also quite good, though not as stunning as either of the other ones. Church of the Machine is very strong, though, with lots of church-organ-y keyboards, and some unexpected twists and turns.

So if you have V and Wings, go for Twilight, otherwise, what are you wating for, get the other two!

Following The Divine Wings of Tragedy Symphony X had a hard act to follow. And they did it extremely well. While the album has a similar feeling to their previous albums, they create a new standard. Only their 2002 album The Odyssey came close to replicating their success with this album. The power metal riffs and the wailing guitars somehow blend well enough to create catchy refrains. This is one of the few albums by any heavy metal band that I found myself humming to along in the car even when the album wasn't playing. The tone of the album shifts at various points, and is capped by the exotic "Lady of the Snow" which is a nice cornerstone to the album.

While it is an excellent album overall the songs seem to blend into one another. Each song seems to be produced under the same formula that was perfected in their previous albums. While there are really no standout songs on the whole album, except for the slower "Through the Looking Glass" and "Lady of the Snow" every song tends to blur together. However the strength of the album lies in the overall cohesiveness of the album and not in the individual songs.

The hidden gem in this album is in the singing. While I wouldn't Symphony X as a "singing band", the voice on Twilight in Olympus dovetails the album nicely. Allen's voice is haunting, but never needs to scream, he actually sings his way through this album. Even if you're not a huge heavy metal fan, check out this album, you'll be glad you did.

This review pertains mainly to a review that states that this Special Edition cd is one giant track and doesn't allow you to rip individual songs onto your computer. The person who said that must have a really crappy computer because I own this cd, and there is absolutely nothing strange or wrong about it. I have personally ripped the tracks onto my computer for both an Mp3 cd and for my iPOD, and there were no issues whatsoever.

Anyway, if the cd did have some sort of mechanical problem, then it would be a shame because this album is amazing. Don't let rumors of poor production quality turn you away from this cd. The production quality is different and note quite as sharp as V, Divine, and Odyssey, but as anyone who listens to Symphony X knows, every one of their albums has a different production quality. Damnation Game is bass drum heavy (which I love because Rullo is a machine) and the guitar is a little more distant along with the bass. Divine has the best recording quality as far as the guitar and bass are concerned. The bass sound in sooo clear and the guitar sound is the rawest and crispest I have ever heard. The only draw-back is the drums are more in the distant in this album. V has oustanding production because the balance is the best of any SX album. The vocals are less in front and orchestral arrangement are more audible...it sounds amazing. The Odyssey features a less keyboard-heavy production which makes the guitar sound stand out above all. It is almost a toss up with Divine over which has a better guitar sound. The vocals sound the most clear, but where's the bass? I wish they'd have the same bass sound from Divine. This finally brings us to the cd this review is about. The bass and drums are more towards the front (which has been the fallback to previous albums in my mind) and as a result the guitar sound is not a crisp. The guitar solo sound, however, is probably one of the best on any album. Even though the production on this album is slightly differnt, it is still better production than most rock and metal albums.

With that off my back, I think it is safe to say that the guitar interludes and solos on this cd are some of the best Romeo has ever writen and improvised. In fact, you may think you know how good Michael Romeo is at guitar based on what you've heard on their last few, more popular albums, but you havn't heard anything until you listen to his solos on this album, The Damnation Game, and The Dark Chapter. "In the Dragon's Den" and "The Relic" have two of the best guitar interludes of any SX song, and both are followed up by some of Romeos best solos. The songs on this album are all very complicated, well writen, and contain great harmonizing vocal parts. There's no weak point throughout the whole album. This cd is a must have for any progressive metal fan and is no doubt a requirement for anyone who calls themself a Symphony X fan.

I just wrote a review in which I gave 3 stars to V because of one thing: Although each individual song is amazing, V seriously lacks diversity because all its songs sound the same. TiO is quite the opposite. While not as heavy as V, DWOT, or The Odyssey, it's diversity and variety is what makes this album my favourite (I have them all, of course). The composition and musicianship are astounding and it is their most solid album. Church of the Machine, Orion, and Through the Looking Glass are wicked pieces. I believe too much credit is given to their other albums because this is truly a masterpiece. (The others are great too...) But what's with the boring cover art???

I have every Symphony X album. As another reveiwer stated, this album is just as good as any of the others are far as the songs go. The production is not quite as sharp as Divine..V...and Odyssey, but the songs are awesome. Michael Romeo shows that he is world class player. Check out his amazing solos on Smoke and Mirrors, Church of the Machine, and Dragon's Den. His playing is incredibly clean. I still do not see the similarity with Malmsteen. Romeo plays with a lot more emotion and is more melodic, plus he does a lot more sweeping and tapping than Yngwie, and their tone is nothing alike. There are a lot of classical influences on this album, which gives it a more power than prog feel. But there are still plenty of time changes to keep you on your toes. Each song is supreme, but Smoke and Mirrors, Church of the Machine, Into the Dragon's Den, and Orion- The Hunter are my favorites. This album is beloved to all true Symphony X fans. This album is a good choice after your hear V, Divine, and Odyssey. You won't be dissappointed.

Just in case you didn't quite realize that Michael Romeo is the best electric guitar player, he lets you know right from the get-go. Symphony X are a fantastic band but they are occasionally guilty of repeating themselves; thus, if you've heard the other Symphony X albums, you already have a pretty good idea of what this one sounds like. The production is not quite as thick as it was on Divine Wings but the material is just as good as anything they've ever done. It's a shame drummer Jason Rullo isn't on this; he's one of my favorite skinsmen in metal. Everyone in the band is in top form; but this is particularly an electric guitarists' romp in heavy metal heaven. I like it better than V myself, but not quite as much as The Odyssey.

Symphony X is starting to show more of their unique style on this album -they are truly an amazing band with great musicianship-and more importantly-great songs. All Dream Theater and Rush fans should give his band a listen. But-this band is different-not a copy of anyone. They are best best band to come along in very many years-you will not regret giving them a try!