UNDERWORLD

Adagio's Underworld is a very tasty and crunchy blend of progressive and power metal underlined with strong influences from classical music. Although it does not bring anything new on the table what hasn't been invented yet, the design and execution is far beyond anything average in this symphony/progressive metal echelon.

The voice fits the pompeous and epic nature well. Guitars sound aggressive enough just to bend down in classical suites and even switch to acoustic guitars in a few moments. Comparing to some other progressive symphonic metal bands such as Symphony X, keyboards play a more dominant role and playing chops are at the same level as guitar shredding by Stephan Forte. The first album featuring a different keyboards already showed that all band members should be taken seriously. Various keyboards including piano, synths, and organs can be found here. Classical instrumentation is delicate and allows to breath out from heavier moments. The compositions are complex, versatile and verse from easily accessible to very pompous and complex arrangements. Yes, the band can be compared to Symphony X and there are many things in common but Adagio is more symphonic and has more balanced sound. With regards to vocals, I still prefer the rough voice of Symphony X.

This album can hold well on its own and is rightfully one of the best and most ambitious work in progressive symphonic metal.