TWILIGHT IN OLYMPUS

This was my first SX purchase, back in November '98, and boy, what an experience it was! From the initial guitar arpeggios of the amazing opening track 'Smoke and Mirrors' up to the final Beethoven-like closing climax, my mind was already blown and my heart, won. According to my own personal experience, "Twilight" certainly is a recommended entry into the musical world of SX, since what we find here is a mature band (this was their 4th album) that flaunts their major influences while showing off their original overall style. Romeo's Malsteem/Blackmore-oriented stuff plays a crucial role in the band's global sound, and so do Pinnella's keyboard orchestrations and multi-textures: the former keeps the band well rooted in the vintage heavy metal approach which had been revamped for the early 90s under the 'neo-classical' label; the latter recreates the essence of the most pompous side of symphonic prog (ELP, Kansas, Wakeman-era Yes) - these two forces combined sets the pace for the band, adding obvious elements of late 70s Rush, early 80s Iron Maiden, the extravagant harmonies and rockier side of good old Queen. Now, it may sound as if the mixture of these ingredients would result in something "too noisy" or "over-the-top pretentious"; but at the end of the day, you can tell that these guys have managed to create something well organized, including all that 'mandatory' technical display, but never getting too over-indulgent, always keeping a large amount of space for the ordained conveyance of the melodies and harmonies, cleverly sustained so it is not overshadowed by the soloing that takes place at some time or another. Lead singer maestro Russell Allen, who is pretty much influenced by Dio, delivers his demanding vocal duties with both wild energy and amazing versatility all throughout the record. Now sooner is the opener ended than the first machinery sounds start to roar in an ethereal manner, which lay the prelude to 'Church of the Machine', a most impressive mini-epic that reaffirms the qualities and virtues of SX's style that 'Smoke and Mirrors' only partially allowed us to envisage. Romeo's and Pinnella's virtuosity and not-too-exaggerated excesses find the perfect find a most solid ground in the foundations laid by Miller and Witling. This mini-epic ends abruptly, segued into the synthesized woodwind and string arrangements of Beethoven's Sonata 8 in C Minor, whose sober beauty turns into a slight dramatic twist provided by a Romeo explosive guitar solo, until the hardest rocking 'In the Dragon's Den' brings us back to the realms of contemporary metal. Not for too long, since the progressive stuff returns with a vengeance in the neckbreaking 13-minute suite 'Through the Looking Glass', lyrically inspired by the psychological aspect of Alice's travels in Wonderland. Somewhere near the end there is a quotation from the military climax of Rush's 'Jacob's Ladder' - a tribute that makes sense among the whole bombast displayed in this part of 'Looking Glass'. So far it has been a continuous musical journey that has taken the listener along a roller coaster ride of unceasing power and inventiveness. The rockers 'The Relic' and 'Orion' have to do the dirty job of coming next: the latter does it more effectively, thanks to the clever tempo shifts and tasteful soloing that take place in the instrumental interlude. But the remaining dose of grandeur is reserved for 'Lady of the Snow', a captivating, eerie rock ballad, full of Far Eastern flavours and evocative vocal lines. Sandwiched between SX's most celebrated (deservedly so) opuses, "The Divine Wings of Tragedy" and "V", "Twilight of Olympus" stands the comparison quite well. My personal rating: 4 - 4 ½ stars.

(Review respectfully dedicated to Thomas Miller and Mike Lepond, two great bass players for a great band)