PARADISE LOST

Only problem is, I think I've heard all of it somewhere before.

And the answer is, of course, that I have, and that it was on other Symphony X releases. Not that the band is a self-plagiaristic act like Iron Maiden, but that they don't really try to hard to grow and try different things. Every album since The Divine Wings of Tragedy has been a form of progressive power metal, and this release is pretty much no different. In truth, this isn't even a first time for them to tackle this story (The Divine Wings of Tragedy's title track happens to be about the exact same epic poem). The only real points of interest that set this album apart from their others is the height and depth of Sir Russel Allen's increasingly growly vocals (no longer the 80s hair metal feel) and the breadth of the intriguing noodling of the rest of the band.

Yes, that is one of the differences here between Paradise Lost and its predecessors: somehow, the boys managed to make their solos and instrumental bits much more interesting this time around. The truth is, though, that this cannot make up for the fact that there is truly very little of progression to be found here. This is just another album made for listeners to headbang to and try not to read too much into it. It's an illusion the band creates by playing off classical and scholarly themes, but the truth is, their music is best enjoyed at face value and for the kicks in adrenaline it provides.

That said, the title track is absolutely beautiful, and can be enjoyed individually as a quality song. The rest are hit or miss (hit as far as fun goes, miss as far as creativity goes).

I'm not recommending against this. Just pointing out that it isn't very progressive at all, especially not from the angle of looking at the band and its history. I really do like this release. But I have trouble rating prog albums highly when they feel like they've got absolutely nothing new to offer other than speed and Russel Allen tearing it up. Enjoyable, but average.

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