Symphony X, Underworld

Symphony X is one of those bands I can never make my mind about. On one hand, they have the amazingly talented Russell Allen and that alone would be enough to get me interested in them. And it's not just Russell, they're all extremely talented musicians, able to create some of the most impressive modern prog instrumentals and able to wow you with their prowess. On the other hand, they're so freaking frustrating, with this whole "anti-climactic is my middle name" act.

Compared to their previous works, Underworld is pretty much standard Symphony X, with their mythological themes, never-ending prog solos and of course, Mr. Russell Allen's captivating vocals. What I do appreciate about it (the album) and them (the artists) is that while they stay true to their already consecrated style, they do have the courage and inspiration to try out something new. They don't settle for the already known safe recipe, they are bold and badass and probably more aggressive than ever and I always admire artists who know how to keep themselves fresh and relevant, but without ditching everything that their fans appreciate them for. 

That being said, it was pretty obvious that I would mention Kiss of fire as one of the best songs of this album. Aggressive, powerful, creepy and underworldly, with a magistral Allen that fits in like a glove, Kiss of fire is a great mix between the extreme metal riffs and a melodic vocal line that beautifully ties everything together. It's also a great mix between the old (with the ominous choir punctuating perfectly the dramatism of the refrain) and the new (with the electronic keyboard solos and of course, the guitar shredding).

Another song worthy of mention is Charon, which falls neatly in line with Kiss of fire by combining the contrived riffs and rhythm breaks with the long melodic vocal notes on top. And speaking of long notes, I can't help but notice the Deep Purple shout out with that chorus ending that reminisces Perfect stranger. 

If Charon and Kiss of fire are heavier and darker than the rest of the album (and probably than Symphony X in general), then Underworld, despite of the title, is progressive metal in all its might and glory. I just love love love the instrumental, if the voice of Symphony X weren't Sir Russell, I'd actually think they could go without a voice alltogether. But thankfully, Russell's here and this time he reminds me of Jon Oliva, both with his voice and his style of singing. In fact, the whole songs sounds like something straight out of a dystopian movie OST and a Jon Oliva album at the same time. And then it immediately moves on to something straight out of Rhapsody of fire. I mean it's impressive how fast and sudden, but still cohesive the atmosphere changes are.

And enough with the good things now, as it's all downhill after Charon. To hell and back is supposed to be the epic of the album, but quite frankly, it leaves me number than a brick. I'm a huge huge progressive fangirl, I absolutely adore this genre, but if there's one thing I hate about it is all the showing off. Give me long winding guitar solos and intricated keyboards any time of the day, but please make it seem like you put them in there with an actual purpose. You know, other than showing everyone what talented musicians you are. Don't pour all that virtuosity on me and keep the music cold and impersonal and unappealing. Basically, don't be Yngwie Malmsteen! 

The other thing that bothers me about this album is this whole... cheesing out. It's something that a lot of bands do and it's probably the thing that annoys me the most when it comes to music. Yes, it annoys me even more than bad music, because I can always  ignore bad music or laugh at it or say that's the best these people can do. But this... this is a whole other level of frustration. The verses are powerful and have complicated instrumentals and aggressive singing from Russell and then the choruses are so bright and light and joyful. And then there's the intriguing and captivating verse again and then brightness and cheese once more. It's like a hot shower followed by a cold one and then another hot one. You enjoy it, you are fooled by it, you are excited and then all of a sudden... ploof, it goes flat like a cake taken too soon out from the oven. And it would've been such a delicious cake and now it's spoiled and the disappointment is a thousand times worse than knowing it was going to be shit to begin with. 

The same thing happens with the atmosphere and the way the lyrics are brought to life. Sometimes I could actually guess the theme by listening to the music (I usually check out the music first and the lyrics and stories later), I didn't need any lyrics or song titles to tell me it's about Hades' inferno, the music told me everything I needed to know. At other times, it sounds straight out of 20th century USA. And they're singing about the bloody inferno. And again the disappointment is so tough to swallow. 

There's not much to say in conclusion to this review - basically Underworld is a 64 minutes Scottish shower, like the whole Symphony X discography is. Brilliant on one side and then falling short on the other. I keep coming back to them and I keep giving them chances, but I sometimes wonder, isn't 20 years enough time to live up to your potential?