SYMPHONY X

The eponymous debut album by SYMPHONY X came about after the release of founder and guitarist Michael Romeo's solo project called "The Dark Chapter" where he hooked up with keyboardist Michael Pinnella. The two hit it off with that project which was successful in Japan and they decided to form a real band in its wake shortly thereafter and to this day are the only two members to appear on every SYMPHONY X album. This is one of those debut albums that gets a bad rap because of the poor production. It is also the only album to feature Rod Tyler on vocals before the much more dynamic Russell Allen took the reigns.

While i have a soft spot for debut albums that don't quite live up to the better ones that follow, i can't say that i don't agree with the general consensus with this one. While the musicianship is already extremely strong on this album with sweeping arpeggios and neoclassical thunder gracing the album's duration and Rod Tyler's vocals not being nearly as bad as we are led to believe, the main problem with this one is not only the lackluster production but really the songwriting isn't up to snuff quite yet. The dynamic interplay of progressive power metal parts just doesn't quite fire on all pistons.

This very well could have been considered a much better album if it was their only release but SYMPHONY X would improve their sound significantly on the next two albums which would leave this one in the dust. While this is a decent power metal album, the progressive parts hadn't evolved to an interesting point with the12:07 minute final track "A Lesson Before Dying" being the notable exception and despite the outstanding musical talent clearly heard here things just aren't jiving together in the cohesive manner that SYMPHONY X is now so famous for. I'm also not sure if Rod Tyler had the vocal range that could have propelled the band into what they became because he seems to be struggling on some of the higher notes. Far from a bad release, it is far from a great one as well. A decent beginning that served as a launching pad for their career and one that most fans will surely encounter sooner or later.