THE DIVINE WINGS OF TRAGEDY

Symphony X were the first band I really discovered for myself on the Prog Archives. They are progressive metal with symphonic tendancies and they really know how to kick up a storm. 'The Divine Wings of Tragedy' is an excellent album which is very representative of their power/operatic sound. The band members excell in their chosen instruments and the vocalist Russell Allen has a powerful voice which perfectly compliments the instrumental pyrotechnics. From the opening track 'Of Sins and Shadows' we are grabbed by the throat and rocked to the soles of our feet. 'Sea of Lies' and 'Out of the Ashes' keep up the assault and showcase the technical skill of the entire band. 'The Accolade' opens with acoustic guitar and at just under ten minutes is the second longest track on the album. It quickly becomes more uptempo and again features some quite superb guitar and keyboard passages. 'Pharaoh' is next and is my favourite track on the album. It would not have been out of place on the Maiden album 'Powerslave', however it is NOT a rip-off, it still retains the Symphony X identity. 'The Eyes of Medusa' follows and it is a solid, hard-hitting piece of prog metal. 'The Witching Hour' can be forgiven for sounding slightly formulaic, it is still better than most music of this genre. The penultimate track is the twenty minute long title track. It sounds a bit like Mars:the bringer of War near the beginning and is an epic both in length and scope. Stunning keyboards and powerhouse drumming mark this track out as an exemplar for others to aspire towards. The final track 'Candlelight Fantasia' is better than the naff names suggests. Symphony X are prime movers in the world of prog metal. This album underlines their talents and testifies to their pre- eminence.