After their long hiatus Romeo, Allen, Pinella, LePond and Rullo have returned to create a stellar release that has transformed into their newest epic Paradise Lost. Originally released in 2007 this new 5.1 version of the CD is amazing all the way from the cover art to the crystal clear production and screams excellence from all aspects.
Paradise Lost picks up right where Odyssey left off opening with “Oculus Ex Inferni” which sets the pace for the next fifty plus minutes to the concluding “Revelation (Divus Pennae Ex Tragoedia)”. From the get go one would think that this is a concept album but Romeo adds that “It’s not really a concept, although a lot of the lyrics have a thread throughout that might touch on Milton’s Paradise Lost.” This one common theme (Paradise Lost) however does link all of the songs together to produce a dark and aggressive feel to it.
Some of the highlights include the “experimental” track “Serpent’s Kiss” as both Romeo and Allen shine brightly on this one and it shows a little bit of a different side to the diversity of Symphony X. “Domination” is probably the most brutal of all the songs as Allen belts out the lyrics with all of his gusto and it is backed up with some of the heaviest sounds that SX has put on CD. “The Walls of Babylon” is another exceptional song which puts it in the category as another one of the darker and aggressive songs on the CD. The second disc contains two videos “Serpents Kiss” and “Set The World On Fire” and a version of the full CD in 5.1 surround sound.
All in all it is my opinion that Paradise Lost is clearly the best CD Symphony X has in its discography. You can certainly see and hear a maturity that has put the X-ers in the same league as prog greats like Dream Theater and Spock’s Beard. Paradise Lost is an excellent CD and is a must for all progressive metal fans and if you aren’t really a fan of prog I think that you may still find that this is not just a great prog release, but it is a great metal album that is bound to give Symphony X a platform to reach old and new fans alike.
Reviewed by Jeff Holton
