V - THE NEW MYTHOLOGY SUITE

This is the second best album by Symphony X and one of the more prog-oriented ones, although it starts with a heavy rocking song, "Evolution (Grand Design)". Highlights are "Fallen", "Communion and Oracle", "Egypt" and the final 12-minute track. There are some great instrumentals here, notably "On the Breath of Poseidon" and "Rediscovery". "Death of Balance/Lacrymosa" is the most pro-classical song in the band's repertoir and features an operatic part. Romeo and Rullo succee admirably in this rather bold experiment. This album surely is a big step forward in the melodic step and is a retreat from the overall heaviness of its predecessor.

The only thing I miss here is Thomas Miller's unique bass sound. His replacement, Michael Lepond is not as aggressive or spectacular, so Romeo and Pinnella get more space for their showoffs which are even more impressive than previously, specially Pinnella has grown as a player and his solos are less shred-oriented than before. Russell Allen's voice is not always done justice by the mix, but he never lets us down. Symphony X V is truly a refreshing chapter in the history of a band who had started repeating itself and become less interesting after their fourth release, "Twilight in Olympus". Therefore I cherish this album and rank it among the best progrock albums of the last 10 years.