The Divine Wings of Tragedy

The Divine Wings of Tragedy is the third studio album by progressive metal band Symphony X, released in November 1996 through Zero Corporation (Japan)[1] and March 1997 through Inside Out Music (Europe).[2] 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 release.

The Divine Wings of Tragedy
Studio album by
Symphony X
ReleasedNovember 1996 (1996-11)
StudioTrax East, South River, New Jersey; The Dungeon
Genre
Length65:23
LabelZero Corporation
ProducerSteve Evetts, Eric Rachel
Symphony X chronology
The Damnation Game
(1995)		 The Divine Wings of Tragedy
(1996)		 Twilight in Olympus
(1998)

Musical and lyrical references

The album's title track contains excerpts from Johann Sebastian Bach's Mass in B Minor (1749) and Gustav Holst's The Planets (1914–16).[2] Its lyrical theme was inspired by John Milton's Paradise Lost (1667) and Paradise Regained (1671), and also includes a reference to Dante Alighieri's 14th-century epic poem Inferno.

The intro of "The Witching Hour" cites Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 1 in C Major, K 279 (1774).

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Rock Hard9/10[3]

Robert Taylor at AllMusic gave The Divine Wings of Tragedy four stars out of five, saying that "it was this release that propelled [Symphony X] to 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'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.[4]

The album ranked number 17 in the list "Top 25 Progressive Metal Albums of All Time" by Loudwire.[5] The same magazine named it in number 8 on "Top 25 Power Metal Albums of All Time".[6] ThoughtCo also named it on its list "Essential Progressive Metal Albums".[7] In 2020, Metal Hammer included it in their list of top 10 1997 albums.[8] In 2021, they ranked it as the 15th best symphonic metal album of all time.[9]

Track listing
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Of Sins and Shadows"Thomas MillerMichael Romeo, Michael Pinnella4:58
2."Sea of Lies"Russell AllenRomeo, Pinnella, Miller4:18
3."Out of the Ashes"AllenRomeo, Pinnella, Miller3:40
4."The Accolade"AllenRomeo, Pinnella, Miller9:51
5."Pharaoh"AllenSymphony X5:28
6."The Eyes of Medusa"MillerRomeo, Pinnella, Miller5:26
7."The Witching Hour"Allen, RomeoRomeo, Pinnella4:15
8."The Divine Wings of Tragedy"
  • "(Part I) At the Four Corners of the Earth"
  • "(Part II) In the Room of Thrones"
  • "(Part III) A Gathering of Angels"
  • "(Part IV) The Wrath Divine"
  • "(Part V) The Prophet's Cry"
  • "(Part VI) Bringer of the Apocalypse (Eve of Sacrifice / Armies in the Sky / Dies Irae)"
  • "(Part VII) Paradise Regained"
.
  • Romeo, Pinnella
  • (instrumental)
  • Romeo
  • Romeo, Miller
  • Romeo
  • (instrumental)
  • Allen, Pinnella
Romeo, Miller, Pinnella20:42
9."Candlelight Fantasia" (moved to track 8 on the vinyl release)MillerRomeo, Pinella6:45
Total length:65:23

Personnel

Technical personnel

  • Michael Romeo – choir arrangement (track 8)
  • Michael Pinnella – choir arrangement (track 8)
  • Steve Evetts – engineering, mixing, mastering, production
  • Eric Rachel – engineering, mastering, production
  • Stephen Rajkumar – engineering assistance
  • John Abbott – engineering assistance
  • Donna Rachel - artwork

References
  1. https://img.discogs.com/F6CujS2sUmRbSqKdAZAcOc8n6Mk=/fit-in/600x469/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/R-7140918-1485563383-1496.jpeg.jpg
  2. Taylor, Robert. "The Divine Wings of Tragedy – Symphony X". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  3. Rensen, Michael. "Symphony X – The Divine Wings Of Tragedy". Rock Hard (in German). Retrieved March 8, 2019.
  4. Best of Rock & Metal - Die 500 stärksten Scheiben aller Zeiten (in German). Rock Hard. 2005. p. 36. ISBN 3-89880-517-4.
  5. Hill, John (August 2, 2017). "Top 25 Progressive Metal Albums of All Time". Loudwire. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  6. DiVita, Joe (July 5, 2017). "Top 25 Power Metal Albums of All Time". Loudwire. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  7. Marsicano, Dan. "Best Progressive Metal Albums". ThoughtCo. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  8. "The Top 10 best albums of 1997". Metal Hammer. Future plc. July 31, 2020. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  9. Davies, Hywel; Dome, Malcolm; Goodman, Eleanor; Chantler, Chris; Gordon, Connie; Grady, Spencer; Rees, Adam; Selzer, Jonathan (November 17, 2021). "The 25 best symphonic metal albums". Metal Hammer. Future plc. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
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