Track Listing

1. Smoke and Mirrors
2. Church of the Machine
3. Sonata [Instrumental]
4. In the Dragon's Den
5. Through the Looking Glass (Pts. 1, 2, 3)
6. Relic
7. Orion - The Hunter
8. Lady of the Snow

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #31863 in Music
• Released on: 2004-09-13
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Enhanced, Extra tracks, Limited Edition, Original recording reissued, Special Edition

Customer Reviews

Continued brilliance in power progressive metal
THE BAND: Michael Romeo (guitars), Russell Allen (vocals), Thomas Miller (bass), Jason Rullo (drums & Percussion), Mike Pinnella (keyboards).

THE DISC: Released orginally in 1998. 8 tracks clocking in at approximately 53 minutes. Recorded at Trax East Studios in South River, NJ. The new digipak contains digitally mastered sound as well as a screen saver and band interview (from a 2003 session - most of the time spent reflecting on first concerts, touring in Japan and pressure to release albums; says Allen, "We can't pump out 3 chord rock records as quickly as AC/DC." There is an 18-page booklet containing band pictures, lyrics, song credits and thank you's. This is the band's 4th major release. Label - Inside Out Music.

COMMENTS: This was the 2nd disc in my collection from this progressive/power/metal New Jersey band. In my collection, I rank "Olympus" 3rd behind "V-The New Mythology Suite" and "The Divine Wings Of Tragedy". Since their self-titled release and their sophmore effort ("The Damnation Game"), I feel Symphony X has come a long way. Their first two albums were average at best (average song writing and below average production). Something happened when lead singer Russell Allen came on board. The band really showed their chops with their 3rd release (1997) "Divine Wings Of Tragedy"... and they continued with "Olympus". Songs thrust you into a perilous new world of rock music filled with magic, power, the Gods, dreams and destiny. In my opinion, Symphony X ranks as one of the top heavy progressive rock music acts out there. It truly escapes me why Symphony X receives little or no air play, little or no promotion, and limited touring (at least in the southwest). The band has a huge following in Europe and Japan. Romeo's blistering work on the guitar is high quality stuff (Yngwie Malmsteen would be proud) and he has very few equals. Russell Allen's voice is beautiful - and he's a singer, not a screamer or growler. Miller, Rullo and Pinnella are all equally talented on their instruments. Some great songs in the 9 minute "Church Of The Machine", my favorite up and down 13 minute "Through The Looking Glass (Parts I-III), and the wonderful power ballad to close the disc "Lady Of The Snow". Check out their website at www.symphonyx.com ... Great disc.

Songs make the Album
Following The Divine Wings of Tragedy Symphony X had a hard act to follow. And they did it extremely well. While the album has a similar feeling to their previous albums, they create a new standard. Only their 2002 album The Odyssey came close to replicating their success with this album. The power metal riffs and the wailing guitars somehow blend well enough to create catchy refrains. This is one of the few albums by any heavy metal band that I found myself humming to along in the car even when the album wasn't playing. The tone of the album shifts at various points, and is capped by the exotic "Lady of the Snow" which is a nice cornerstone to the album.

While it is an excellent album overall the songs seem to blend into one another. Each song seems to be produced under the same formula that was perfected in their previous albums. While there are really no standout songs on the whole album, except for the slower "Through the Looking Glass" and "Lady of the Snow" every song tends to blur together. However the strength of the album lies in the overall cohesiveness of the album and not in the individual songs.

The hidden gem in this album is in the singing. While I wouldn't Symphony X as a "singing band", the voice on Twilight in Olympus dovetails the album nicely. Allen's voice is haunting, but never needs to scream, he actually sings his way through this album. Even if you're not a huge heavy metal fan, check out this album, you'll be glad you did.

This Album is not just one big track
This review pertains mainly to a review that states that this Special Edition cd is one giant track and doesn't allow you to rip individual songs onto your computer. The person who said that must have a really crappy computer because I own this cd, and there is absolutely nothing strange or wrong about it. I have personally ripped the tracks onto my computer for both an Mp3 cd and for my iPOD, and there were no issues whatsoever.

Anyway, if the cd did have some sort of mechanical problem, then it would be a shame because this album is amazing. Don't let rumors of poor production quality turn you away from this cd. The production quality is different and note quite as sharp as V, Divine, and Odyssey, but as anyone who listens to Symphony X knows, every one of their albums has a different production quality. Damnation Game is bass drum heavy (which I love because Rullo is a machine) and the guitar is a little more distant along with the bass. Divine has the best recording quality as far as the guitar and bass are concerned. The bass sound in sooo clear and the guitar sound is the rawest and crispest I have ever heard. The only draw-back is the drums are more in the distant in this album. V has oustanding production because the balance is the best of any SX album. The vocals are less in front and orchestral arrangement are more audible...it sounds amazing. The Odyssey features a less keyboard-heavy production which makes the guitar sound stand out above all. It is almost a toss up with Divine over which has a better guitar sound. The vocals sound the most clear, but where's the bass? I wish they'd have the same bass sound from Divine. This finally brings us to the cd this review is about. The bass and drums are more towards the front (which has been the fallback to previous albums in my mind) and as a result the guitar sound is not a crisp. The guitar solo sound, however, is probably one of the best on any album. Even though the production on this album is slightly differnt, it is still better production than most rock and metal albums.

With that off my back, I think it is safe to say that the guitar interludes and solos on this cd are some of the best Romeo has ever writen and improvised. In fact, you may think you know how good Michael Romeo is at guitar based on what you've heard on their last few, more popular albums, but you havn't heard anything until you listen to his solos on this album, The Damnation Game, and The Dark Chapter. "In the Dragon's Den" and "The Relic" have two of the best guitar interludes of any SX song, and both are followed up by some of Romeos best solos. The songs on this album are all very complicated, well writen, and contain great harmonizing vocal parts. There's no weak point throughout the whole album. This cd is a must have for any progressive metal fan and is no doubt a requirement for anyone who calls themself a Symphony X fan.