THE DIVINE WINGS OF TRAGEDY

So far the best album I've heard by Symphony X. First I'll talk about some positive points. The best part is the lead vocal. He's energic and also operatic. Back vocals are also very good. What is bothering me are the riffs and compositions. They are very boring compared to other prog-metal bands. Riffs often get repetative and dull, using cliches... Guitar and keyboard solos are nothing more than fast scales and arpeggios that add nothing to the music. All musicans are technically accomplished but this doesn't help if the songs sound like metal etudes. There is a lot of repetition without real developement just transitions in the next repetative part. Some people may like this kind of songwriting but I'm not one of them. The only song better in my opinion is "The Accolade". There is a lot of YNGWIE J. MALMSTEEN's neo-classical influence in their music and a slight resemblance to RHAPSODY but SYMPHONY X are less cheezy. While this is a decent SYMPHONY X album it sure isn't the best place for a prog fan to start getting into prog-metal.