Review by Death8699 on May 30, 2019.

These Swedish natives have been existence since 2008 and this is their first full-length death/doom metal release. The lineup here is as such: Niclas Ankarbranth on vocals, Wilhelm Lindh on guitars, Francisco Martin on bass, and Juan Pablo Donoso on drums. The main beef that I have with the release is the production quality, but this is the band's first full-length effort and I think that they did a good job in the songwriting department, though it took repeated listens to in order to get into the music. Some Opeth influence here on the guitars.

The music isn't blindingly fast, but there are some tracks that are pretty memorable. The tempos to the them are moderate and I'd consider the band to be more of a doom metal act than a death metal one. The leads are fantastic, and Wilhelm can really shred. His writing on the guitars riff wise feature complex overtures with palm muted outputs mixing in some clean tone guitar with it. I think that the vocals ruin the guitar though because Niclas can't really sing too well. His vocals range from low burly segments mixed in with screaming outputs.

I really dug the music despite the vocals however. The band needs to get someone that can augment their melodic sound to better fit the music. Niclas just needs to have better vocal segments than anything else. The guitar riffs were interesting and moderately tempo based. There aren't any songs on here that were fast and furious. They were mostly slow paced and fit the doom metal genre more so than the death metal one. The vocals make the band into being a dual genre act.

The production was decent, though the snare drum sounded flat. That's the only negative really to say about the album in this department. The guitars featuring the clean tone, heavy distortion and bass were all mixed into this release pretty well. The vocals suited the music, but I just couldn't get into Niclas's voice. It could be that it's because I'm not a huge fan of doom metal. It pretty much bores me. The guitar melodies make up for the boredom that I experienced listening to this album.

I wouldn't say to run right out and purchase this release ASAP and before you make any kind of conclusion as to whether or not you like the band just give it a listen. I think that they're decent like Moonspell just not as much quality as that band. The melodies were amazing though. Wilhelm really put forth rock solid guitar work both on the rhythms and leads. I think that because of his efforts it got me more into the band on a whole scale. If you want decent death/doom metal, this album does cut it.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Review by Allan on April 2, 2002.

God damn I hate reviewing Symphony X albums. It’s quite a difficult feat for me, honestly. But damnit, they deserve to be reviewed. Their power/progressive mixture and uniqueness is great. They combine freakin’ awesome musicianship without sacrificing great song writing, and “Divine Wings of Tragedy” is arguably the bands defining moment.

For the unacquainted, Symphony X plays a unique brand of progressive power and thrash. Their music goes unparalleled by their competition, particularly Dream Theater. These two bands are in fact very similar. The difference, you ask? Symphony X can actually compose the structure of a song well. While I say they are in fact very similar, at the same time they are quite different. First off, the keyboards are a bit different. Symphony X keyboardist Michael Pinnella definitely does a bit more interacting with the guitars, shredding, and also does a lot more for the atmosphere of the record. Symphony X’s music is also very classical influenced, while still sticking to metal. To sum it up, Symphony X play well structured, classical influenced metal with a tinge of theatrics to it.

There really is no weak link in this band. The guitars, the vocals, the bass, the drums, everything is incredible. Let me say, vocalist Russell Allen is phenomenal. He has a nice range, his vocals seem very natural, and he isn’t annoying. He’s got a nice voice and doesn’t try to steal the show, something of which vocalists of progressive music really shouldn’t do. He knows his place in the band, and sticks within his boundaries. The guitars are amazing. Excellent riffs, and the guitarist isn’t masturbatory. Michael Romeo has a great sense of melody and knows what to play, and when to play it. The rhythm section usually keeps the instrumental chaos together, but at times is still able to take the spotlight. Bassist Mike LePond is awesome, and is not buried in the mix. To do that would be a shame, for he’s awesome and really contributes to the songs. Last, but not least, keyboardist Michael Pinnella is as equally talented as his band mates, and does an excellent job of showing of his talent when it’s called for, but always strengthening the band, particularly the atmosphere. Basically, the band has no weaknesses talent-wise, and that includes both technical ability and song writing ability.

The album opens with ‘Of Sins and Shadows’, a song with a quite thrashy rhythm, and very melodic leads, also showcasing Russell Allen’s excellent vocal harmonies. Following that song is ‘Sea of Lies’, which definitely gives the bass a lot of room for some awesome breaks. ‘Out Of The Ashes’ starts great and ends great. The intro has a great interplay between the keyboardist and bassist. It’s a shining moment of the album, and almost comes across as popish, but is very honest. ‘The Accolade’ starts off with a great pastoral clean guitar, and a laid back atmosphere. It’s on this track where Pinnella really shines. ‘Pharoah’ has a monumental chorus and is very catchy and memorable. The next track, ‘The Eyes of Medusa’ has a lot of great keyboard atmosphere on it. It also has some very heavy guitar lines, tossing in some interesting pinch harmonics to make it more interesting. ‘The Witching Hour’ is very classically influenced, with a great chorus. The title track is twenty minutes of pure Symphony X. It’s very epic and classical, with great features from everyone in the band. It kicks ass almost the entire way through, and is a great song. The albums closes with ‘Candlelight Fantasia’, a track that is somewhat a ballad. It’s very melancholic, and an excellent way to end.

Like many people, if you were introduced to the band with their 2000 release, “V”, don’t think that that record is the only highlight of the band. “The Divine Wings of Tragedy” basically slapped every progressive metal fan in the face and told them to wake up and listen to what the band had to say.

Bottom Line: “The Divine Wings of Tragedy” is a progressive metal masterpiece that needs to be experienced by all!

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Originality: 7
Musicianship: 9
Atmosphere: 9
Production: 8
Overall: 8

Rating: 8.2 out of 10