V - THE NEW MYTHOLOGY SUITE

I had listened to all Symphony X albums multiple times except for V, before I got it in a fairly big haul. The album cover is brilliant, and I was excited to spin it instantly. After spinning it a few times I concluded that this was truly their best album, surpassing The Divine Wings of Tragedy.

The musical skills of this band are displayed throughout, and especially the independent piano and key melodies of Michael Pinella clashing with Michael Romeo's guitar is exceptional. The rhythm section holds up incredibly well too, with bassist Michael Lepond having his moments in the spotlight and Jason Rullo's drumming is excellent. Russell Allen's vocals on this album are incredible and he really gets to sing on this album.

The music is what you'd expect from a prog/power/neo-classical band, with the orchestration and all - but it's welded together perfectly for this album. Also, as noted before, there are a lot of independent melodies going on with the keys - which create an incredible atmosphere which are only enhanced by orchestrations reminding the listener of Verdi's Requiem, Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra and even an occasional Bach composition.

There are a bunch of great tracks on this album that are great on their own. Evolution/The Grand Design is an amazing metal tune, and really sets the album off perfectly, Egypt has a strong Egyptian feel that is just awesome, Lacrymosa really highlights Jason Rullo's insane drumming and the choir sections will make your jaw drop. Yet two tracks are real stand-out tracks, Communion and the Oracle and Rediscovery pt. 2. These two tracks also happen to be the lengthiest tracks, but they are absolutely fantastic. The intro to Communion and the Oracle alone is amazing, and the theme reoccurs throughout the song. The same goes for Rediscovery, which in my mind only slightly beats Communion as the best track on the album.

There is so much win in this album one MUST hear it. 5/5