Whore Of Babylon
SILVER LINING MUSIC
Symphony X bassist goes down a more primal path
For more than two decades Mike LePond has provided a sturdy rhythmic backbone for New Jersey progressive metallers Symphony X.As implied by the name, this is the virtuoso bassist’s own project. Although commonalities between the two entities exist - metal and mythology, notably - stepping out alone allows LePond to indulge his pure metal fantasies. Bandmate Michael Romeo is a notable absentee but album number three once again features the ever-capable Alan Tecchio (Watchtower, Hades, Seven Witches) on powerhouse vocals. Save for the alarmingly flimsy Night Of The Long Knives and the equally hideous Champion, which come back-to-back, this is furious and often frantic stuff. To his immense credit Mike LePond resists showboating, shining the spotlight instead on the material, and he can be rightly proud of old-skool bangers such as Dracul Son, Ides Of March, Ironborn and Lady Bathory.