THE ODYSSEY

A reasonably good release. As usual with Symphony X the musicianship is flawless with blistering solo work from guitarist Michael Romeo throughout. There are some fantastic tracks, most notably the opener "Inferno". The problem for me with this release is that the songs start to sound a little similar - heavy verse leading to melodic chorus leading to neo classical inspired midsection. The epic "Odyssey" suffers from a rather convoluted structure, and although there is some fantastic writing it tends to wander a little.

If you like your prog heavy with lashings of neo classical guitar heroism, then this is the band for you. Worth checking out if you are curious...