UNDERWORLD

On Underworld, Symphony X continues with the fantasy-themed, gothic-tinged, prog-lite power/thrash style of their last few albums, but tilted more toward power metal than the thrashy riffs of Iconoclast. This means there are better pronounced melodies and sing-along choruses (and references to 80s cheese metal), although to someone who is not in love with metal, all of Symphony X probably sounds the same.

The guitarist and the singer are super-talented, of course, but I feel that most of the songs follow the same predictable formula - consisting of a, admittedly, kick-ass riff, a sing-along chorus and a show- offy solo. No one should hold against Sympnony X the fact that they toned down the progressiveness and neo-classical influences of their early days, but there are literally hundreds of bands playing the same style. And even the fact that Symphony X do it better than most doesn't elevate this album in my book.