Symphony X

'Iconoclast,' (of the 2011 album of the same name) an opus of an eleven-minute opening track, leads off with convoluted, labyrinthine guitar parts that become smoothly interconnected. To comprehend its motives right away would be an achievement; this also remains true of the remaining 52 minutes of concentrated prig-power.

Whether it's the straight rock track 'The End Of Innocence,' the ponderous and doom-like 'Dehumanized,' the dynamic 'Bastards Of The Machine,' the thrashing dark 'Heretic' (the most obvious cross-reference to the previous album Paradise Lost), or the virtuosic but brutal 'Prometheus (I Am Alive),' the fusion of musicality and the fascinating richness of detail shown here will make the listener ask whether Iconoclast should be considered a straight prog rock album or a classic rock record accentuated with elements of prog.

Apart from Romeo's crazy and explosive outbursts on his six-string, one more very important ingredient shapes SYMPHONY X's eighth studio album: the incomparable delicacy and depth of feeling expressed by Allen's vocals. Paying tribute to his biggest idol, he confesses: "There is a lot of Ronnie James Dio between the lines!" The best evidence for it: the monolithic half-balladic heavyweight 'Children Of A Faceless God' (where Allen truly sings like a reincarnated Dio), the epically metallic 'Electric Messiah,' and the yearnful ache in 'When All Is Lost' with its wistful piano sounds, acapella vocals, and gorgeous acoustic guitars.

Iconoclast can definitely be referred to as a manifesto – a commanding declaration of an inventive blend of classic rock, straightforward heavy metal and ambitious prog. These are the elements albums destined for an eternity of praise are made of!