''The Divine Wings of Tragedy'' is the third studio album by

progressive metal Progressive metal (sometimes shortened to prog metal) is a broad fusion music genre melding heavy metal and progressive rock, combining the loud "aggression" and amplified guitar-driven sound of the former with the more experimental, cerebral ...

band

Symphony X Symphony X is an American progressive metal band from Middletown, New Jersey. Founded in 1994, the band consists of guitarist Michael Romeo, keyboardist Michael Pinnella, drummer Jason Rullo, lead vocalist Russell Allen and bassist Micha ...

, released in November 1996 through Zero Corporation (Japan) and March 1997 through

Inside Out Music Inside Out Music is a German independent record label originally based in Kleve, North Rhine-Westphalia, and dedicated to the publication of progressive rock, progressive metal and related styles. In 2009, it formed a partnership with Century Med ...

(Europe).Taylor, Robert
"The Divine Wings of Tragedy – Symphony X"
''

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

''. All Media Network. Retrieved February 4, 2015. A remastered edition was reissued on September 13, 2004, through Inside Out, and again in September 17, 2012, as part of a double-LP

vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl ...

release.

Musical and lyrical references

The album's title track contains excerpts from

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wo ...

's Mass in B Minor (1749) and

Gustav Holst Gustav Theodore Holst (born Gustavus Theodore von Holst; 21 September 1874 – 25 May 1934) was an English composer, arranger and teacher. Best known for his orchestral suite ''The Planets'', he composed many other works across a range ...

's ''

The Planets ''The Planets'', Op. 32, is a seven- movement orchestral suite by the English composer Gustav Holst, written between 1914 and 1917. In the last movement the orchestra is joined by a wordless female chorus. Each movement of the suite is name ...

'' (1914–16). Its lyrical theme was inspired by John Milton's '' Paradise Lost'' (1667) and ''

Paradise Regained ''Paradise Regained'' is a poem by English poet John Milton, first published in 1671. The volume in which it appeared also contained the poet's closet drama ''Samson Agonistes''. ''Paradise Regained'' is connected by name to his earlier and ...

'' (1671), and also includes a reference to

Dante Alighieri Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: '' ...

's 14th-century epic poem ''

Inferno Inferno may refer to: * Hell, an afterlife place of suffering * Conflagration, a large uncontrolled fire Film * ''L'Inferno'', a 1911 Italian film * Inferno (1953 film), ''Inferno'' (1953 film), a film noir by Roy Ward Baker * Inferno (1973 fi ...

''. The intro of "The Witching Hour" cites

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...

's Piano Sonata No. 1 in C Major, K 279 (1774).

Reception

Robert Taylor at

gave ''The Divine Wings of Tragedy'' four stars out of five, saying that "it was this release that propelled ymphony Xto the forefront of progressive metal bands." He went on to say "While this recording may not be quite the classic that it is often heralded to be, it is a noteworthy addition to the annals of progressive metal." Praise was given to each musician for their technical craft, but

Russell Allen Russell Allen (born July 19, 1971) is an American singer best known as the vocalist of the progressive metal band Symphony X. He has also worked with the supergroups Star One, Allen-Lande, Level 10, and as one of fourteen vocalists in the pr ...

's vocals were criticized as "a bit grating, often sounding too much like Ronnie James Dio." In 2005, ''The Divine Wings of Tragedy'' was ranked No. 433 in '' Rock Hard'' magazine's book of ''The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time''. The album ranked number 17 in the list "Top 25 Progressive Metal Albums of All Time" by '' Loudwire''. The same magazine named it in number 8 on "Top 25 Power Metal Albums of All Time". ''

ThoughtCo Dotdash Meredith (formerly About.com) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, home, food, finance, tech, beauty, l ...

'' also named it on its list "Essential Progressive Metal Albums". In 2020, ''

Metal Hammer ''Metal Hammer'' is a heavy metal music magazine and website founded in 1983, published in the United Kingdom by Future, with other language editions available in numerous other countries. ''Metal Hammer'' features news, reviews and long-form ...

'' included it in their list of top 10 1997 albums. In 2021, they ranked it as the 15th best symphonic metal album of all time.

Track listing

Personnel

– vocals *

Michael Romeo Michael James Romeo (born March 6, 1968) is an American guitarist and a founding member of the progressive metal group Symphony X. He is one of two members to appear on every Symphony X release (the other being Michael Pinnella). Romeo was ra ...

– guitar, choir arrangement (track 8) *

Michael Pinnella Michael Pinnella (born August 29, 1969) is an American keyboard player, most notably for the band Symphony X. Michael is one of two Symphony X members to appear on all nine of the band's albums (the other being Michael Romeo). He has released ...

– keyboard, choir arrangement (track 8) *

Jason Rullo Jason Rullo (born July 17, 1972) is an American drummer, who is one of the founding members of progressive metal band Symphony X. In 2003, he was featured in a readers' poll for ''Modern Drummer'' magazine, where he achieved two awards: secon ...

– drums * Thomas Miller – bass * Steve Evetts – engineering, mixing, mastering, production *Eric Rachel – engineering, mastering, production *Stephen Rajkumar – engineering assistance *John Abbott – engineering assistance *Donna Rachel - artwork

References

External links

The Divine Wings of Tragedy
at symphonyx.com

at Guitar Nine Records {{DEFAULTSORT:Divine Wings Of Tragedy, The Symphony X albums 1997 albums Inside Out Music albums Albums produced by Steve Evetts