Thursday, March 27, 2008

Symphony X - Paradise Lost - CD Review


My question is – When is this album going to become a movie – full length?

This album f-in’ rocks
(makes your chops kinda feel like tidbits)

When I picture these guys, I see five warriors on white horses blazing through the sky, much like the Knight of Swords in the tarot. And ya know what?.... they are warriors and seers, of the modern day sort. There are many changes going on here on earth and I think that they are picking up on this. Most of us are not paying attention, but here comes Symphony X getting us to in one way or other. What better way than through chops and meters. I am listening….

Okay, with the esoterics, this is an amazing album and it really does sound like a soundtrack in many of its parts. Someone has got to make this into a film.

Oculus Ex Inferni – 4/4, 2/4 - very syncopated
Set the World on Fire – 4/4, 7/4, 9/4, 14/4
Domination – 4/4, 7/4, 5/4
Serpent’s Kiss – 11/8, 4/4, 12/8, 9/8
Paradise Lost – 13/8, 6/8, 12/8
Eve of Seduction – 4/4, 15/8, 12/8, 10/8
The Walls of Babylon – 4/4, 6/4, 8/8, 6/8, 14/8, 7/4
Seven – 4/4, (7/8 +6/8), 7/4, 8/4, (7/8 + 8/8)
The Sacrifice – 7/8, 8/8, 4/4, 3/8, 6/8
Revelation – 3/4, 5/4, 4/4, (5/8 + 13/8), (13/8 + 14/8)

Well that was fun to figure out. I can imagine trying to write it. HA.

It looks like they have covered most of the quarter and eight meters on this album and they manage to do it ever so naturally. The highlights to me on this album were: the 13 of course in “Paradise Lost”, the almost 13 (6+7) pattern in “Seven”, bass intro and trans to the verse in “Serpent’s Kiss” and I find it particularly cool that they ended with a song mostly in 3/4. That was a great feel for the last song and I even think they went past their own boundaries for it.

There are so many cool moments in these songs, its just filled with parts that make you rewind and say to yourself or who ever is listening.. “what was that?”, “cool, I wish I thought of that”, “yeah, yeah, I can play that too, just gotta freshen up my chops”, “man these guys are bad ass” …. And on and on.. Check out these masters, I think this is their best effort yet.

A MUST FOR YOU.

Keep on counting,
-BetZe

for more reviews go to OddTimeObsessed.com/Reviews

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Did they really use all those timings?

Anonymous said...

Yes they did. Pretty amazing eh? Some of their early albums were mostly in 4, but this one they went for it.