The Odyssey

The Odyssey is Symphony X's sixth album, on which they greatly widened progressive metal's scale with advanced playing and grand construction. It is also the first record recorded entirely at Michael Romeo's home studio "The Dungeon" and completed under his own production. Carrying over the previous albums' mythological bent while stepping into a heavier, more aggressive approach. Released in November 2002 through Inside Out Music, it saw the band reach their heaviest sound to that point. The 24-minute title epic, depicting Homer's Odyssey across seven movements, is one of the band's most ambitious works. From the fierce drive of the opener "Inferno (Unleash the Fire)" to "Accolade II," a sequel to the classic from The Divine Wings of Tragedy, and "King of Terrors," inspired by a Poe short story, varied songs line up. Russell Allen shows a rawer side, and Romeo's fast playing drives the whole record. Balancing technique and storytelling, it is a powerful album. The same five-man lineup continued from the previous V, and tight playing runs throughout.