PARADISE LOST

The band took a 5 year long leave of absence from the studio which might not be a big deal unless its put in the perspective of the previous 6 years were Symphony X recorded a whooping total of 4 studio albums! This 2007-release from Symphony X was originally hailed by the majority of fans as a great release, but after just a couple of month most of the hype faded away and what we had left was a very different kind of Symphony X album.

On Paradise Lost the band has lost most of their neo-classical elements trading them off for a more power metal-approach. A rumor has it that the band had outdone themselves on The Odyssey and they felt that a change of phase was in order. Well we can't blame them for that but now that I think about my joking remarks in The Odyssey-review I kind of hope that they would have taken them under consideration.

I remember seeing their live performance during Dream Theater's Chaos in Motion tour and thinking to myself that this can't really be the same band I enjoyed so much in my teens! This remark might have been slightly unfair considering that their performance lacked in the technical sound department. What is it with Dream Theater and their supporting acts anyway (read my review of Unexpect)? Sometimes the amplifiers made it almost impossible to distinguish the number they were performing and I had to rely entirely on Russell Allen's vocal intonations to figure it out.

I really hope that Symphony X will return to their neo-classical roots because that's what makes their music work for me. Until then I'll probably have to restrain myself from purchasing any new material.

**** star songs: Set The World On Fire (The Lie Of Lies) (5:55) Eve Of Seduction (5:04) The Sacrifice (4:49) Revelation (Divus Pennae Ex Tragoedia) (9:17)

*** star songs: Oculus Ex Inferni (2:34) Domination (6:29) The Serpent's Kiss (5:03) Paradise Lost (6:32) The Walls Of Babylon (8:16) Seven (7:01)