Perhaps no other guitarists in the metal genre has been as influenced by Yngwie Malmsteen as Symphony X leader Michael Romeo.
That has proved to be both a blessing and a curse for this gifted guitarist.
His chops are certainly comparable, but his sound and style are often identical to his idol.
Therein lies the problem with this recording and, for that matter, most of the post-Malmsteen shredders.
Some of the music and themes here are all too familiar, as is Russell Allen's macho vocal style.
This is not meant to imply that the music here is not admirable, in fact, there are some remarkable moments that show a maturity in both the band's composing and playing.
The session's most interesting moment comes during the "Communion and the Oracle," a selection that finds the band introducing a less heavy, more harmonically intriguing sound.
As a whole, V: The New Mythology Suite works and proves that Symphony X has chosen to expand, rather than repeat, history in a genre that appeared to have peaked both creatively and technically.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prelude | Symphony X | Play | 01:07 | 2 MB | 7 MB |
| 2 | Evolution (The Grand Design)Russell Allen, Michael Pinnella, Michael Romeo, Jason Rullo | Symphony X | Play | 05:21 | 12 MB | 40 MB |
| 3 | FallenRussell Allen, Mike LePond, Michael Pinnella, Michael Romeo, Jason Rullo | Symphony X | Play | 05:51 | 13 MB | 45 MB |
| 4 | Communion and the OracleMichael Pinnella, Michael Romeo, Jason Rullo | Symphony X | Play | 07:45 | 17 MB | 55 MB |
| 5 | EgyptRussell Allen, Mike LePond, Michael Pinnella, Michael Romeo, Jason Rullo | Symphony X | Play | 07:04 | 16 MB | 52 MB |
| 6 | Death of Balance/LacrymosaMichael Romeo, Jason Rullo | Symphony X | Play | 03:42 | 8 MB | 25 MB |
| 7 | Absence of LightRussell Allen, Michael Pinnella, Michael Romeo, Michael Rooker | Symphony X | Play | 04:58 | 11 MB | 38 MB |
| 8 | Transcendence | Symphony X | Play | 00:38 | 1 MB | 4 MB |
| 9 | The Bird-Serpent War; Cataclysm | Symphony X | Play | 04:02 | 9 MB | 30 MB |
| 10 | On The Breath Of Poseidon | Symphony X | Play | 03:01 | 6 MB | 19 MB |
| 11 | A Fool's Paradise | Symphony X | Play | 05:48 | 13 MB | 44 MB |
| 12 | Rediscovery | Symphony X | Play | 01:25 | 3 MB | 7 MB |
| 13 | Rediscovery (Part II): The New Mythology | Symphony X | Play | 12:01 | 27 MB | 90 MB |
| 62 mins | 143 MB | |||||
| 62 mins | 461 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Russell Allen | Composer |
| 2 | Alan Douches | Mastering |
| 3 | Kazuo Hakamada | Illustrations |
| 4 | Tomoko Hakamada | Design |
| 5 | Richard Krauss | Photography |
| 6 | Ginger Kunita | Liner Note Translation |
| 7 | Mike LePond | Composer |
| 8 | Michael Pinnella | Composer |
| 9 | Eric Rachel | Engineer, Producer |
| 10 | Michael Romeo | Composer, Engineer, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Orchestral Arrangements, Producer, Vocals (Background) |
| 11 | Michael Rooker | Composer |
| 12 | Jason Rullo | Composer |
| 13 | Symphony X | Primary Artist |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |