PARADISE LOST

With this album, Symphony X give a spin to more accesible straight heavy/power metal. Their result is their heaviest album to date, but in my opinion the music is not as challenging as on previous works. This CD is very metal, but, as happened with Dream Theater, they've become pretty predictable. I can even guess how the solos will be, or what kind of riffing will follow certain structure. Another problem I found is the production: it's chaotic, and it seems every instrument was recorded at top volume. Sometimes it's hard to know what's going on. And that problem is frequent with the most recent albums, doesn't matter the genre (1995 onward).

However, if you're in the mood you'll likely enjoy this album. The greatest aspect about this album are the riffs, many of them are very good, and the metal lover will find himself headbanging to them. The music is more accesible, with some great choruses. The highlights are the amazing opener Set The World On Fire (great one!!!), Domination, The Serpent's Kiss and The Sacrifice.

This album is good, but not as great as other SX's recordings, and fans of straight metal will love this one. A non essential work on the band's discography, to my taste.

Rating: 3/5