Symphony X-The Divine Wings of Tragedy

1. Of Sins & Shadows - 4:58 As you can hear from the ultra-intense bass work in the beginning, this is the heaviest song the band has done up until then. When the vocals kick in, you're going to be in power/prog heaven. From start to finish, the song is quite basically flawless, and contains some absolutely amazing parts, particularly the bombastic chorus and the ultra-fast keyboard solo. Lyrics seem to talk about death in a way, through the essence of the soul - "...passing through the void, the darkest grand illusion, chaos riding on the wind. Destroyed in agony, they create a maddened lair, summon all to hear their cries...innocence fading away, the dying eyes of the prey - desperate cries, hail of fire deciding all our fate in the night. Tempt in sin, shadows then begin to gather the soul they hold within...". A fantastic opening track which gives you a brief idea of just what you're gonna be in for.

2. Sea of Lies - 4:18 It took a couple of listens to get into, but now I consider this an excellent track, albeit the weakest one on the album. Very bass heavy, with some phenomenal guitar sections here and there. My main beef here is the somewhat sloppy second verse, which is just too damn soft. The lyrics are hard to understand, but if you manage to dig in there, you'll see that it's about life and the sea of lies that it really is - "...losing faith in who I am, never changing just rearranging my life again. Into eternal abyss I fall, silent screams through paper walls, I pray someday the sun will shine on me again...".

3. Out of the Ashes - 3:39 Hell yeah! An extremely fast and neoclassical track in the Malmsteen vein, which starts off very similar to the title song of the previous album, and proceeds through the intense verse and ultra-melodic chorus. "...out of the ashes of my youth, I rise a man (and through the eyes...) and through the eyes of truth I finally understand the way!...". A problemous childhood which leads into a succesful life.

4. The Accolade - 9:51 Alright now...this is the first track that is gonna truly knock you flat on your ass. The song starts off with some beautiful acoustic work before exploding into a terrific and very progressive keyboard melody. This leads into the beautiful verse, and later, the incredibly epic chorus. The song never lets down from there on, as we're treated to another verse/chorus and the mesmerizing solo which has a bit of a folk influence during some parts. Very dramatic lyrics cover the adventure of a knight who seeks his destiny. "...Across the seas, through sands of time, knight of the templar. A charging steed through lands unkind, a legend forever...". An instant classic.

5. Pharaoh - 5:28 One of the more intense tracks on the album, this is a very heavy hitter with an excellent time change in the middle. Cool Egyptian melodies are used during the first and second verse; the song then becomes really calm before exploding into an awesome bridge section. The solo has some more of those Egyptian melodies, before the song finally ends off with the chorus. Lyrics tell the myth of a pharaoh rising from his grave to kill the thieves who tried to steal his treasure - "...pharaoh's curse upon you who dares to invade his sacred ground. Gods of the nile arise to strike you down..."

6. The Eyes of Medusa - 5:26 Probably the heaviest and one of the best songs on the disc. The track starts off with some serious drumming before switching to a short keyboard melody, sounding a bit like some of the material from Dream Theater's "Awake" disc. Very mystic and tight verse, epic chorus, and a nice little suprise in the middle. "...can you look into my eyes...Tell me, now do you somehow still recognize the stare I wear through crystal tears...". I LOVE this song!

7. Witching Hour - 4:15 An excellent, neoclassical track, and an almost dead ringer for a lot of Malmsteen's work. Very melodic and tight throughout, plus a great solo. Lyrics are fantasy lore pretty much..." 'twas seven score, and sixteen more, a dreadful scene to be hold. Marbled sillouette, white statuette, forever gazed into time...caught in a web between life and death."

8. The Divine Wings of Tragedy - 20:41 Yes, the time is correct, and yes it's just one song. I don't want to bastardize this complete and utter masterpiece with words, so I'll be brief (rather ironic, really). An absolutely incredible epic telling of a war between heaven and hell, with probably the best music I have heard...ever. At times melodic, at times heavy as hell, and always beautiful and flawless. The lyrics are incredible as well - "...standing on the edge of paradise, I sacrifice my truth and loyalty. Seven deadly sins consume you all, a dance with death I taste the victoy. Rising from the north, the warrior prince, judgement without compassion, eyes of fear. Like the river Styx, the gates of hell, abandon hope all ye who enter here...". This is one of my favorite songs of all time...Just to think that the band is capable of doing something like this...wow!

9. Candlelight Fantasia - 6:45 Well, you'd think that after listening to 21 minutes of some of the best metal EVER, everything else would pale in comparison...you'd be wrong. The last track on the album is without a doubt the best power metal ballad ever written, as it's somewhat remeniscent of "Edge of Forever" from the previous album, but is indeed much better. Again, this starts off quite slowly, before progressing into several different stages, including a very bombastic bridge, great keyboard solo, and a fantastic chorus - "...from within the mirror's eyes, I'm forced to run away and hide, I feel those mystic eyes subside, and leave me blind. Through passages of time, a prisoner locked behind the door, lonely roses slowly wither and die..." - a fantastic, unforgettable track.