What did happen for the first time upon the release of this album was the first live performance of Symphony X. Having been solely a studio project up to this point in time, the band had agreed to test the open market of the band and their materiel on the live stage, with their debut performance occurring in Osaka in June 1998, which they then pushed on for a full world tour. However, following that initial tour of Japan, both Thomas Miller and Thomas Walling quit the band due to their unwillingness to go on tour. The result of this was that Jason Rullo agreed to return on drums, no doubt on the back of the departure of Miller, and they recruited Michael LePond to come in on bass guitar, and the five members that would take Symphony X to the present day had come together. Following the world tour a compilation of the first four albums titled “Prelude to the Millennium” was released, before it was time for the newly constituted line up was to return to the studio to record their first album together. It was to be an album that was to have a major label release for the first time in the band’s existence, an album that came to be known as “V - The New Mythology Suite”.
From the very beginning Symphony X has produced albums of the highest quality, that are immediately catchy and have all the hallmarks of the best musicians going around. Building this reputation throughout the 1990’s the dawn of the new millennium drew together all the best pieces of their music that they had written to this time, and began to push them in a direction that would define the future sound of the band. The album is a concept album, mixed and reshaped from legends around Atlantis and Egyptian mythology. It tells the story of Atlanteans and creatures created by them, the Children of Belial, who represent archetypes of good and evil within humanity respectively. Atlantis is destroyed, and the survivors move to Egypt where they play the good and evil roles on the population, while hope for restoration lies in a prophecy of a future planetary alignment through which balance can be restored.
Musically, the album is a step forward from what the band has offered to this point in time, and is the opening to where the band would head in future releases.
The album has been compared to an original motion picture soundtrack, of the music composed to act as the expression of what is occurring on the screen, which is a reasonable assessment given it is a concept album in its own right. Orchestrally (through the keys of Michael Pinella of course) it has very much that feel to it, which highlights the progressive nature of the music. The music fits the purpose, with the story of being told through the lyrics. Whether you are inclined to enjoy a concept album for the story or not is not as relevant as how much you enjoy the songs themselves, and once again the band has done a great job under the direction of the supreme Michael Romeo. From the opening instrumental of “Prelude” into the starting track of “Evolution (The Grand Design)”, the band has picked up a notch again in the progressive speed and arrangement of their music, and Russell Allen’s vocals and Jason Rullo’s double kick then power in to take centre stage and drive us into the heart of the song. And the first of many instances of the amazing duels between Michael Romeo’s guitar and Michael Pinella’s keys that are so characteristic of the band. It’s a brilliant opening to the album. This segues into “Fallen” which provides more of the same riffing and soaring vocals from Allen, before the instrumental segue of “Transcendence” takes us to “Communion and the Oracle”, that opens with the magnificent mix of keys and synth alongside the guitar and bass that paints the scene of the song before a word is sung. Russell’s vocals in this track are outstanding, harnessing the amazing melody he can hold, backed by Romeo and Pinella to create the beautiful mood of the track. “The Bird Serpent War/Cataclysm” is a heavier and more intense track, mirroring the tale it tells of the fall of Atlantis, wiht suitably heavier riffing from Romeo and vocals from Allen. The second segueing instrumental “On the Breath of Poseidon” takes us into “Egypt” - the song and the place. It also manages to wind in Egyptian-themed music but in a progressive metal fashion, certainly not the easiest thing to accomplish. Russell Allen soars again in magnificent fashion. The next instrumental mood piece "The Death of Balance/Lacrymosa", an extended and peaceful violent overlay, takes us to “Absence of Light” and further into “A Fool’s Paradise”, both of which explore the darker side of the story being told, of evil increasing its hold over good, and with both songs increasing in pace and intensity as a result.
As the final musical segue of “Rediscovery” transcends into the final track of "Rediscovery (Part II) - The New Mythology", Symphony X offers us their epic finale, the 12 minute closer than speaks of the planetary alignment that is hoped will restore balance to existence. Musically it combines several pieces written at the time and prior to the album. Michael Romeo confirmed after its release that portions of the final track were taken from the abandoned title track of the previous album “Twilight in Olympus” and morphed into this track along with further improvements. As with all of the epics Symphony X create, the song incorporates all of the facets of progressive metal within its construction, with each member offering their own highlight to conclude this album and story on an ‘epic’ scale.
My discovery of Symphony X came after this album, with the release of “The Odyssey” and its own epic concluding title track. I had discovered Dream Theater a couple of years earlier, and in the spirit of enjoying their music I began to look for other likeminded bands to whom I could invest some time and money, and “The Odyssey” floated across me and grabbed me by the... ears. So it was only right and proper that I then went backwards and discovered the catalogue of albums they had produced before it. And of those five albums, it was this one that grabbed me the most. Now, that is perhaps because musically it is the closest in style to “The Odyssey”. But I immediately enjoyed the... progression... of the songs and the music. I followed along with the story, but it meant less to me than the actual songs, and each is terrific. As brilliant as both Dream Theater and Symphony X are, I find that Symphony X’s albums are more song-related than technical musical pieces, which is probably completely incorrect and unobtainable, but it is my thoughts on why their albums appeal to me so much.
How accessible Symphony X’s music is will always be a matter of debate. Every single one of the band members are magnificent on their chosen instrument. Russell Allen’s vocals are quite amazing, continuing to explore regions that many cannot with their vocal cords. Because of the nature of the songs written he often has to move to higher regions which he has little trouble in succeeding to do, and for the heavier pieces he is just as adept at creating those images. These ranges would be explored further on future albums. Michael Pinnella’s keyboards and synths are a masterpiece, constantly able to create an atmosphere that defies and expands the songs as they are written. On these tracks he has managed to make each song sound fuller and packed solid just through his own musicianship, and that is quite an achievement. Jason Rullo’s drumming on his return to the band is just as fantastic, driving the album along as the pace it deserves and requires. Bass guitarist Michael Lepond joins here for his first album with the band and makes his presence felt immediately with those rolling fingers up and down the fretboard giving that bottom end a perfect base. On top of all of this is the maestro Michael Romeo whose guitaring once again is a standout, able to switch between the songs where his input is more in the background of the orchestral arrangement and the songs where he takes centre stage and shows off his wares in a flurry. All of this together sometimes can scare off the average music listener, who don’t want this kind of complexity throughout their songs. They want simple, straight to the point songs with a riff, maybe a solo, some lyrics and finish. That’s not what Symphony X do, they explore to both ends of the progressive metal elements, pushing beyond what may feel like a simple length for a song and continue where others fear to tread. In the same way that Dream Theater has done for so many years, this album gives you everything and more.
I have listened to this album all over again for the past week. And it still excites me in so many different ways. I love their music (as I guess is obvious from what I’ve just said) and I love their songs. I was fortunate enough to see them on their only tour of Australia, almost 9 years to the day from the date that this episode is released. And to stand in front of Michael Romeo as he flayed on guitar, and to hear Russell Allen sing live on stage, was one of those music moments I will never forget. This band, and this album, are very much ingrained in me, and i don’t believe they have ever failed to deliver.
This proved to be a bridge between the opening age of Symphony X and its future. Behind lay the progressive stage with those passages that sometimes sounded like a freeform metal song archive, driven in the first by the keys and synths. Coming up became the heavier definition of the band, where the music and vocals took that metal edge and began to explore what they could do with it. “V: The New Mythology Suite” is the bridge of the transformation, and the walk across is just as satisfying as the view of what is on the other side.
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