Symphony X - The Divine Wings Of Tragedy (1997)

1997 was when power metal really started to take off, with such leading bands as HammerFall, Rhapsody, Edguy and Primal Fear (they're kind of leading, aren't they?) making their debuts, along with many others who would embark upon long power careers.
But we start the year with something more progressive, Symphony X's third album. It's the one that really put them on the map, and deservedly so, for it is a very impressive effort, from the excellent opener "Of Sins And Shadows" onwards. Like most progressive albums, it takes a while to get into it, and there are slow moments, but not very many. The centrepiece is the twenty-minute title track, based on Gustav Holst's "Mars: The Bringer of War", which starts with a stunningly beautiful choir, before moving into various sections, highlighted by some lovely instrumental passages that sound similar to classic Yes. There's one more song after that, "Candlelight Fantasia" which, why quite good, still ends up being one song too many, making the record overlong (just over an hour), but, overall, The Divine Wings Of Tragedy is well worth the indulgence.

****