This is the fourth album of this band and the third with the almighty Russell Allen. Like all the albums from Symphony X it requires time to fully appreciate it.

Each member of the band is an expert of their craft including new (for this album) member Tom Walling, they exude confidence to get the job done. But I am a fan of this band not for their musical abilities, but for their songwriting abilities. Don't let this statement fool you; they display great musicianship on this record (impressive guitar and keyboard dialogues you come to expect). However, songs like "Smoke and Mirrors", "Church of the Machine", "Through the Looking Glass", "The Relic" and the epic closer "Lady of the Snow" prove that they are better composers than all the bands in the genre.

Production wise you can hear every instrument perfectly and it gives the musicians room to breathe. No sound is predominant over another which enhances every song as a whole.

The only reason that I knock half a point is because of "Orion — The Hunter" which in my opinion is the only weak song on the album. To me this song sounds like it has a lack of direction and the chorus needed a little bit of work, if they have cut one minute it would have helped tremendously.

This is not the best record of their career and it should not be treated as such. Having said that, this is a Symphony X CD that is worth having, in fact all of them are. If you are a fan of this band you already have this, if you are not, this is not a bad place to start in their discography.