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Symphony X - The Damnation Game

Artist:	Symphony X
Title:	The Damnation Game
Label:	Inside Out
Length(s):	46 minutes
Year(s) of release:	1995
Month of review:	12/1995

Line up

Michael Romeo - guitars
Russell Allen - vocals
Thomas Miller - bass
Michael Pinella - keyboards
Jason Rullo - drums
Contact them at:
Symphony X
357 Bordentown Ave.
South Amboy, NJ 08879
USA

Tracks

1)	The Damnation Game	4.32
2)	Dressed To Kill	4.45
3)	The Edge Of Forever	8.59
4)	Savage Curtain	3.31
5)	Whispers	4.48
6)	The Haunting	5.22
7)	Secrets	5.42
8)	A Winter's Dream - Prelude (Part I)	3.04
9)	A Winter's Dream - The Ascension (Part II)	5.40

Summary

I know absolutely nothing about their history. In their thanku's they mention Mike Varney and Testament so that should just about tell you what we have here: progressive metal or...what?

The music

Well, the first few bars tell us what it is: Yngwie Malmsteen; the music is so much like the stuff on his earlier Bach influenced tracks. The music is of course very up-tempo, with a lot of scales being played by the guitar (up and down, up and down) and a double bass drum. The vocals of Allen are very muscled and not as high as I'm used to in this line of music (Queensryche), but also more in the line of the vocalists Malmsteen uses.

A large difference with Malmsteen is that this is a band instead of just one person trying to show everybody his guitarplaying. Also the fact that harmonies are used a lot make me think more and more of American metal bands.

It is obvious that we have skilled musicians here and that this a band worthy of a budget, but whether it is progressive is still a questionmark after two tracks.

The third track brings us a little ease and quiet and after getting a little more hard edged it still sounds like progressive rock. This changes more or less however after 2 and a half minutes after which fast paced drumming and the guitararpeggios take over, yet again. Still it turns out that this is one of the better, more melodic tracks of the album.

Another track worth of mention is the ballad Whispers which is quite alright. The first part of A Winter's Dream is very good, acoustic and at the end majestic, while the second part is more or less like the rest.

Conclusion

Well, take a lot of Malmsteen, a little of Dio, some progressive influences and harmonies and this should add up quite nicely to Symphony X. Personally I think the music on this album is not progressive enough to be called progressive metal all the way, but maybe I'm just not that good at home in this line of music. It is true however that the keyboards and piano add a little taste to the whole affair. For the rest, there are many solos (arpeggios) on guitar, rather obvious and similar vocal melodies and a lot of double bass drum, making it sound rather plain.