Michael Romeo's 'War of the Worlds, Part 2' - Album Review

As a founding member of the American progressive/neo-classical metal band Symphony X, guitarist Michael Romeo has become one of the most-respected musicians and songwriters of the genre. Whilst Symphony X might not have achieved a level of fame akin to their contemporaries Dream Theater; and have been surpassed in popularity by a number of more modern progressive metal acts who followed in their wake, they are still a much-beloved band - particularly by those of us who love their progressive metal with a hint of 1980s neo-classical shredding and lyrics inspired by fantasy and mythology. As arguably the band's main songwriter, Romeo is often seen as the band's leader and spokesperson. Frontman Russell Allen is probably a more well-known figure in the wider metal scene thanks to his various guest appearances and projects, but when it comes to Symphony X Romeo dictates the direction of travel. It would be safe to assume, then, that Symphony X's recent downtime has come from Romeo. Symphony X have not released an album since 2015, when the excellent Underworld (which I reviewed here) was released, and have just started their first tour since 2019 - although that is largely down to the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to 2019, though, the band had gone two years without playing live at all - following the end of the Underworld touring cycle in 2016. I am hoping that the on-going US tour will be the catalyst that the band need to write the follow-up to Underworld. The lack of Symphony X activity of late, though, is also probably due to Romeo's decision to do his own thing for a while. Despite releasing an instrumental solo album, The Dark Chapter, in 1994 a few months prior to Symphony X's debut album coming out - Romeo had never sought to branch out on his own until 2018 when he released War of the Worlds, Part 1 - an album which was not that dissimilar to his work with Symphony X, and is also an album that, for whatever reason, I did not pick up until much later. I have sometimes wondered if there were issues within the Symphony X camp which led Romeo to do his own thing - especially as War of the Worlds, Part 1 did not deviate from his day job that much. It was an enjoyable album, however, and its sequel was finally released back in March - much to the delight of his fans. Joining Romeo, who handles the album's guitar and keyboard work, is bassist John DeServio (Pride & Glory; Black Label Society; Cycle of Pain) and drummer John Macaluso (Ark; TNT; Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force; Jorn; Labyrinth) - both of whom contributed to the 2018 album. Replacing singer Rick Castellano, though, is Dino Jelusick (Trans-Siberian Orchrestra; Animal Drive; Dirty Shirley; Whitesnake) - a powerful Croatian singer and Public Enemy #1 of Frontiers Records. No reason has ever been given by Romeo for the change of vocalist, but Jelusick's performance throughout War of the Worlds, Part 2 is excellent - if a little too similar to that of Allen's general style for comfort at times. Despite Jelusick's presence, there are still plenty of opportunities for Romeo's compositional and virtuosic guitar style to shine. The album contains four instrumental tracks, and in fact it comes with a bonus disc of the whole album played instrumentally - for those who enjoy that sort of thing.

One of these instrumentals, Introduction - Part II, opens the album though. It is part a typical progressive metal symphonic intro and part a demonstration of Romeo's neo-classical guitar prowess - but it works well as a scene-setter, with dark synths forming a great orchestral backdrop for some pin-point shredded guitar runs. It segues nicely into Divide & Conquer too, which opens with a riff that is very much out of the modern Symphony X canon. The album contains a lot of Romeo's melodic guitar playing, but much of the album is very heavy - so typical of Symphony X's sound from 2007's Paradise Lost forward. The song's verses are packed full of groove, thanks to DeServio's thick bass playing, and they introduce Jelusick for the first time. I have been familiar with the singer in name only for a while, and I assumed that he was more of an old-school hard rock singer - but he sounds very similar to Allen throughout this album, and again the gruffer, more modern Allen. There is a lot of grit to Jelusick's vocal delivery, but it does make the album sound very close to Symphony X - whereas Castellano's performance on the first album provided some separation. This is not necessary a bad thing, though, as the album sounds great - and Divide & Conquer is a great introduction to its sound. The slower chorus is packed full of soaring melodies, and a great guitar solo from Romeo showcases that he has lost none of his melodic touch over the years. Destroyer slows the pace down somewhat and goes for more a mid-paced modern groove metal approach. Romeo's guitars sound very downtuned here, and there is something djent-esque about his tone and riffing style throughout the song. The song never crosses over into TesseracT or Periphery territory, though, and Romeo's signature style is very much evident. All of his songs are rich in depth, and his keyboard work throughout adds a symphonic edge - and an Eastern-tinged breakdown, complete with acoustic instruments to add further depth, allows for some deviation from the more mechanical elements of the rest of the track. A simple chorus and a Yngwie Malmsteen-esque solo keep things grounded, too, and the track is another winner. Metamorphosis reins in the heaviness somewhat, and goes for something of a more overtly-melodic sound. The song's intro is a little bit Dream Theater-esque, with busy keyboard leads and synth stabs backing up guitar leads which switch back and forth between busy and soaring. It also reminds me somewhat of some of Symphony X's earlier work, but it still packs a punch - despite the more dynamic arrangement. The verses are slower, with something of a bluesy edge, which allow Jelusick to showcase a different side of his voice - as he delivers the lyrics with more of an emotional punch, before returning to his grittier delivery for a hard-hitting chorus that is possibly one of the album's hookiest. I really like the overall diversity of the song, and its mix of toughness and more melodic passages makes it one of the standout cuts on the album for me.

Another instrumental in Mothership follows. It opens with some marching drums from Macaluso, and generally takes more of a cinematic approach throughout. It is a piece that really showcases Romeo as a composer. He is not just a guitarist that can play some very fast solos, but he is a true musical genius that can write music that could easily back a Hollywood blockbuster. There is very little guitar showboating throughout, although there is a short closing solo, with the song generally being one to showcase his orchestral arrangement skills - and it segues nicely into Just Before the Dawn, which takes on more of a ballad-esque vibe. Romeo's Symphony X bandmate Michael Pinnella contributes the song's piano, and the long-standing working relationship between the two musicians is evident here. It sounds even more like Symphony X than the album's previous songs, and that is because of how Romeo and Pinnella team up here - with the latter's piano forming the bed that Romeo adds colour too. Jelusick makes use of his slightly more emotional vocal style throughout the track too, and this suits the more downbeat, piano-led song nicely - especially during the chorus which is another hook-led moment that will stick in the brain after only a few listens. The guitar playing is generally less in-your-face this time, too, although Romeo still contributes an excellent guitar solo - which is somewhat slower-paced than usual to fit in with the song's overall vibe. Hybrids ups the heaviness again, but it retains some of the more dynamic approach taken throughout the past couple of tracks. It is a bit of a strange track arrangement-wise as a result, but for me the mix of grooves works well. The verses are fairly low key, with occasional stabs of muscular guitar punctuating a drum and bass groove which sees Jelusick singing atop in a rather odd manner. He almost whispers the lyrics, and the somewhat mechanical grooves remind me a little bit of bands like Fear Factory. The chorus and solo section is more typical of the album's sound, however, but it is great to see Romeo going off in a bit of a different direction here - whilst still showcasing his talents as one of the best neo-classical shredders of the modern day. Hunted, the album's third instrumental piece, returns to the more symphonic and cinematic approach of Mothership - but this time the track is much more frantic and features a lot more guitar firepower. Parts of the song retain the film score-esque vibes of Mothership, but this track feels a lot more like a typical guitar instrumental than anything else on the album. It is not a continual shred-fest though, which helps to keep things interesting. I am not a fan of endless shredding, which is why I rarely listen to all-instrumental metal, but Hunted mixes great neo-classical runs with cinematic orchestral passages that pulse with strings and synths.

The heaviness then returns in a big way with Maschinenmensch. It is the album's longest song, at over nine minutes, so as such it feels like a bit of a mix of everything that has come before. Its opening sections are very heavy, and it takes a while for Jelusick to join the fray. These opening sections are filled with a mix of groove-based riffs and shredded solos, which build up towards a gritty verse backed by pulsing symphonic strings and some excellent Macaluso drumming. His double bass drumming continually pushes the song forward, and Jelusick's verse delivery is very emotive. There is a bluesy tinge to it, but he mostly retains the real grit that was showcased during the album's early stages. His best vocal performance on the whole album, though, is arguably the song's chorus. The chorus is somewhat slower than the rest of the song, which is quite typical in progressive metal, and this allows Jelusick to really ham it up. His blues-mixed-with-grit delivery really shines here, and the power that he injects into the chorus makes it another strong moment. There is also quite a bit of vocal diversity in the song, too, as a slow-paced bridge section around two thirds of the way through the song allows him to sing in a much cleaner manner - which is then followed by a fantastic Romeo solo that sits against a relatively low key instrumental backing. It is the sort of song that has a bit of everything, and it is a great showcase for Romeo as a songwriter as well as a guitarist - as well as being one of the best overall cuts here. Parasite, the last vocal-led song here, reins in the busier arrangement of the previous song and returns to the more hard-hitting style that the album opened up with. It very much feels like the companion piece to Divide & Conquer, with fast-paced, hard-driving riffs and a vocal delivery from Jelusick that pushes the grit in his voice to the max. There is little of the light and shade that has generally been present throughout the album here, with the song instead being a real metal fest with never-ending riffs and plenty more double bass drumming. This has generally been Romeo's main songwriting style of late, although he still remains a diverse composer - as much of this album demonstrates. His guitar style is suited to all-out metal though, and it is great to hear him in full flight here - especially given the lack of new Symphony X material in recent years. It is left to Brave New World (Outro) to close out the album, and the final instrumental is a very typical symphonic metal piece with choral vocals, dramatic string stabs, and a tough undercurrent thanks to Romeo's guitar rhythms. There are quieter moments, however, such as a section that sees the heaviness drop out to leave some acoustic instrumentation - although this just acts as a bit of a bridge until the next bombastic section kicks in, which also features Romeo's final guitar solo to bring the album to a close. It is also the sort of piece that helps you to reflect on what you have just heard. I was looking forward to this album, but it has surpassed all of my expectations. I enjoyed the first album in 2018, but in my opinion War of the Worlds, Part 2 is much better - and it comes close in quality to much of Romeo's output with Symphony X. The songwriting throughout is very memorable, and it is certainly an album that I am going to be playing a lot this year. Based on the strength of it, too, I really hope that a new Symphony X album is not too far away - as they are sorely missed and it is time for them to re-enter the scene in a big way.

The album was released on 25th March 2022 via InsideOut Music. Below is Romeo's promotional video for Divide & Conquer.