THE DIVINE WINGS OF TRAGEDY

This band is easily what I consider to be the absolute pinnacle of power metal, with incredible technicality that can still get emotion across, a really great neoclassical edge to them, and approximately 5 times less cheese. While clearly still overblown in classic power metal fashion, the prog elements of the music really help flesh it out much more, and the band definitely doesn't indulge in excess nearly as much as the average prog metal band. This allows for a 3 minute song by the band to be just as impactful as a 7 minute one from other prog metal bands, a highly impressive feat in itself. Each member of the band does an incredible job at their respective element of the band, with Michael Romeo being able to both shred and soulfully play the guitar, Michael Pinnella giving the music a really nice tone to it, with keyboard that still sounds great by today's standards, and Russell Allen sounding very similar to Ronnie James Dio, albeit with less power.

The first three songs perfectly show the ability to create concise songs that are still very much in the vein of prog. 'Of Sin And Shadows' starts off strong, immediately bringing in a wave of energy, with a simple, yet effective riff, and some great work on the keyboards. This shifts into a small vocal section that is extremely reminiscient of 'Queen', before breaking out into a great solo. 'Sea Of Lies' manages to be even better, having an incredible bass intro, with some extremely expressive vocals. 'Out Of The Ashes' further cuts down the song length, but is also even better than the previous two songs in my opinion, starting off with an incredible pace with a frantic feeling to it, but then instead of slowing down the relentless pace of the intro like previous songs, this one just goes for it, with the entire song keeping the incredible energy, with the chorus having a certain beauty to it, accentuated by the great vocal harmonies used. 'The Accolade' is the first instance in the album where the band gets more overtly proggy, being 10 minutes long and starting with a slower, atmospheric section. The song is structured in a much more complex way that's also more sprawling, but the songwriting still feels tight as ever, as not a moment is wasted, with a great balance between the various solos and vocals, allowing the song to remain exciting throughout. The high point is definitely near the end, with the beautiful sound of bells, violins and a piano, along with other components that build on top of one another, creating an absolutely breathtaking minute of music to cap it off. 'Pharaoh'. 'The Eyes of Medusa' and 'The Witching Hour' are all somewhat of a step back from the amazing nature of the previous 4 songs, and each sound somewhat more generic, each with their own special components however. 'Pharaoh' is definitely the best of the 3, with a really cool Egyptian sound, a fun, catchy chorus and a darker tone. 'The Eyes Of Medusa' has some really nice keyboard sections, but is definitely fairly repetitive for the most part. 'The Witching Hour' has my favourite intro on the album, as I really love the reimagining of Mozart's 'Piano Sonata No. 1 in C, K. 279', and think that it is nothing short of incredible sounding in how nicely it's played on guitar. The rest of the song manages to be good, but nothing spectacular, with the chorus coming off as quite cheesy.

The spark the the first 4 tracks reignites on the final 2, kicking off with one of the greatest songs of the band's career. The self titled song begins with some Gregorian chanting that really solidifies the sort of sound the band has. The absolute power this song has is many steps above everything else here, with powerful solo after powerful solo, with climaxes spread throughout and still not a single moment wasted, despite the 20 minute runtime. The interplay at work here is particularly noteworthy, with certain sections being downright incredible. The melody throughout is also particularly great, invoking immense power without getting too hammy at any point. 'Candlelight Fantasia' closes off the album by providing some respite after the 20 minute powerhouse of the self titled track, and what a beautiful respite it is. Everything about it is nothing short of enchanting, and definitely ends the album perfectly.

Despite this album being slightly weaker around the middle, I find this to be a very solid prog metal album. In the sense of technicality, it's absolutely amazing, but it's the amount of beauty and emotion put in that really does it for me. This is definitely a band far greater than at least most power metal bands, and represents some of the best of prog metal. It's quite a shame that the middle section happens to be of somewhat lower quality, because otherwise this would be an easy full score, fortunately, the band definitely ends up going on to surpass this album a few times.

Best Songs: Out Of The Ashes, The Accolade, Divine Wings Of Tragedy, Candlelight Fantasia

Weakest Songs: The Eyes Of Medusa, The Witching Hour

Verdict: Some of my favourite power metal ever. I'd highly recommend this to fans of prog metal or power metal, along with those who are somewhat torn about either of them, as this album serves as a great display of the high points of said genres.