PARADISE LOST

Absolutely stunnig, incredible, tasty. brutal, fast, yet very recognizable and very well mixed album. Before I sat daown and decided to write my review, which I don't do very often (either when I am just very dissapointed or very excited, I have read other reviews. Since the perception of any musical piece by everyone has been always very subjective (and so will be mine), it also tends to reveal their feel for either greatness, blind following of a name that has ceased to perform anymore, and finally, their appreciation for pure genius of music making. In the world where it is without a question almost impossible to record a music that will satisfy all the parameters for greatness, I think that Symphony X is one of the few bands who are able to understand what it takes to make an absolute masterpice. Each and every album they have ever made has gotten just better and better (except that I would put Mytholgy Suite before Odyssey in terms of perfection since I think that Odyssey, while great, did not reach the pinnacle SX V did).

Paradise Lost - I have been waiting for this one more than for any album in my history of buying music. Just two days prior, I bought Vai's new Sound Theories Vol. I and I was so disappointed that I was just horrified by an idea that SX will not deliver, either when I get it in the mail. Then, when I opened the package, I saw a beautiful, original artwork and I could not but admire the taste of the artist. Then, finally, I slid it into my Denon and played it. I literally dropped my jaw and at some moments, I screamed in joy. The album is an absolute stunner. Yes, it is much more agressive than the rest; not just in sound but in speed, walls of sounds and unbeliavably difficult playing techniques, yet incredibly well mastered . But everything comes together so compact and clock like that I think that the only album that stands comparison with it (altough a little different style and concept) is Spiral Architects when it comes to mastery of each player. It is overwhelming from the first note to the last. This is Symphony X I've always hoped I will hear one day - I could hear their potential on the previous works.

I am not going to analyze each track - I never do that. I always look at it as a whole. But if there is a guitar player other than Jeff Beck who can play as clean as God meant for guitar to be played ( I mean all the sounds), it is Michael Romeo. And trust me, I have many favorite guitar players. I know lots of you regard DT as masters of Prog. I regard them as the jump-starters of it; no more, no less. They certainly deserve their place in history. However, without hearing their last album (simply because I can't stand their last four projects; they were getting progressively worse with each attempt), I don't like them anymore and except I&W I sold the rest of them. I can't stand LaBrie, their live show in Viejas(CA) was very bad at best so I lost any interest in them anymore. Back to Romeo. He is so incredibly good, fast, melodic, clean and rhytmical that I don't think anyone on today's rock music can match his skills. Russell Allen is one of the most talented singers of a new era. He is getting better with each album. I did not really like his solo attempt that much but I understand that he was trying to do something else there. The other three - drummer, bass guitar and keyboard players are no less phenomenal than the two above. Drummer maintains smooth transitions even when at the rythm changes - it all comes out very flawless and weirdly natural (even though most of us are accustomed to 4/4 beat by nature, so anything out of that range we perceive as a distraction - in SX case, I find myself looking for hickups and there are none. It's all very well composed and performed.

It all comes into a fantastic performance on every note they hit. This is not just a raw energy - this is a very calculated effort; a very well thought out piece of incredible art, worthy of great composers of the past, only in different genre. Since I have yet to get into it more (I've heard it so far twice today), I can't dissect the entire album to details like some others could on this forum already. But just as I was shocked by their Mythology Suite and I basically could have not listened to anything else for four(!) months, which I've never done before, I dropped my jaws even lower this time in pure amazement and joy. Now, I can only give this album five starts but judging by what some people give to other bands and artists who do not deserve such a gratitude, let me just say that this album is rated by me at least by ten stars. It my collection, it will be among the five best albums I have ever owned - for sure. That would make SX my most admired band since SX V has it's place between those five already. Pure perfection....