Symphony X – Underworld (2015)

The legendary Symphony X has returned with the band’s ninth full-length release titled “Underworld”. Perfectly mixing elements from the band’s extensive musical trajectory, this album further refines their musical pedigree and delivers 63 minutes of catchy and engaging music. Always being crowd pleasers, the fans will certainly not be disappointed by the continuity and level of quality the band’s music presents.

After the traditional warm-up intro/overture, the band gets down to business with the killer “Nevermore”. Featuring a wide variety of exciting guitar leads and an extra catchy chorus section, this song is the prefect mood setting piece for such a diverse and entertaining release. The first truly epic song in this release is the dramatic “Without You”, led by Russell Allen’s charismatic vocals; this is a very memorable epic-feeling track.

Being truly diverse, this release combines some of the lush vocal-driven Power Metal that we all love from the band with their heavier and more aggressive Progressive Metal, as “Kiss of Fire” greatly attest. The band usage of keyboards and orchestrations is quite well balanced allowing the listener to really enjoy the core of the music. The prefect example of this contrast is when you listen to “Run with the Devil” and compare it against “Without You” or the playful “Swan Song”.

Always sticking to what the band does best, tracks like “To Hell and Back” and “Legend” greatly highlight how the band delivers technically proficient music that is quite enjoyable and playful. Every single member of the band has his time in the spotlight with little elements here and there that showcase their musical talents at their instrument without being overly pretentious. Symphony X has had over 15 years to refine their sound and “Underworld” is a testament to that. If you like very well balanced Power/Progressive Metal, this is THE release to purchase this 2015.

Label: Nuclear Blast Records

Release: July 24th, 2015

Genre: Power/Progressive Metal

Country: USA