PARADISE LOST

It's impossible and almost ridiculous to be enthusiastic about this latest SYMPHONY X album,simply because 5 years is far too much to wait from the precedent album even for the most faithful SYMPHONY X fans!Well,I cannot say that PARADISE LOST is a bad album!No way,absolutelly not!It's just the fact that a certain feeling of dissapointing is covering me after the first 2 songs of the album!The mark of quality and the standards are always high,the compositions are good,the musicianship outstanding,top production too...that's undoubtedly,but there is something that is missing on this album!It's that spark of brilliance and excellence and I realised thet SYMPHONY X will be forver their own prisoners from the point of view of the style they play!They refuse to take risks and they always made the same mayonnaise,adding only few inspirational or new ingredients,but refusing systematically to try someting new!They are absolutelly a band of virtuosos and they are making high quality prog metal music,but I think that the evolutive process for them is an unknown expression!Some die hard SYMPHONY X fans will say...ok...ok...but what we expect from each new SYMPHONY X album?!?!It's also true that each album wasn't dissapointing or a major failure at all...and it's almost impossible with such high caliber top musicians and such a fantastic vocalist!...but I don't know why...for me,at least...being a true SYMPHONY X fan since the beginning...that I had major expectations with this new album after 5 long years of wait.....and I must confess...that I have a bitter taste,,,Maybee I am too pretentious...I don't know...personally I think that the vocal performance of RUSSEL ALLEN was more then excellent on both albums released with the fabulous JORN LANDE on the ALLEN LANDE project!That's a new vocal direction,more melodic and passionated in a much attractive music style-melodic power metal.Here on PARADISE LOST-Allen is the prisoner of SYMPHONY X's style...and "dictator Romeo"..maybee is not so generous to offer to Russel new ways of vocal and stylistic expression?!?! Anyway...a classic SYMPHONY X album,only for the die hard fans of the band...not a major musical discovery for new prog metal fans...and if the next album will be in the same monotonous register...then...brrr!...I am afraid that the future of the band will be not so shiny anymore!3 STARS for a deja vu album!