THE ODYSSEY

An ambitious project for Symphony X, "The Odyssey" sees the band experimenting further with the progressive side of metal. The main feature of the album is the 24 minute "Odyssey" Suite. This is made up of seven sections but it is essentially one track. For such a lengthy piece, it wanders somewhat, appearing at times to concentrate more on telling the story than on the music itself.

Other than "Odyssey", there are 7 tracks on the standard release (there is also a special edition with one bonus live track). Of these, "Accolade II" is best. It's slightly slower, and contains the symphonic overtones of previous albums, combined with some excellent lead guitar. The other tracks are mainly symphonic prog metal by the numbers.

Throughout the album, heavy riffs abound, combined with ultra fast guitar solos, and backed by double paced drums, but there's a lack of originality. The symphonic pomposity which made previous albums so striking and different is largely suppressed in favour of more conventional metal. In general with this album, while it has its highlights, the band appear to have overlooked the fact that fast guitars and lots of notes do not in themselves necessarily make for good compositions. Good, but by no means their best.

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