V: The New Mythology Suite

Symphony X – Underworld Review

Symphony X – Underworld Review

Symphony X is New Jersey’s answer to Yngwie Malmsteen. That’s not just a funny blurb: the more I think about it the more I realize that that’s actually a surprisingly good description of the band. My relationship with the band started in 2000 with the release of the band’s absolutely perfect V: The New Mythology Suite. At the time, I described them to friends as being “Malmsteen—if he could write songs and had a good vocalist.” Since then the band has released some excellent records, but they’ve also taken a turn for the heavier, and edgier, moving further away from the traditional progressive/power wheelhouse and straight-up neocassical stylings. The orchestral approach on V never quite disappeared—they’re a ‘neoclassical’ progressive/power band ffs—but from Paradise Lost on the band’s heavier attitude has continued to develop; embodied by Allen’s full-throated Jersey rasp.” Angry Metal Guy weighs in on Symphony X’s newest release.