Riff Police! Pull Over! #149: Time Requiem Vs Symphony X!

Going well in Japan, Time Requiem had toured the country the after the release of their self titled debut album and recorded a live album which premiered some new material including “Visions of New Dawn“. 2004 saw the sophomore album from the project Master minded by former Majestic keyboard player Richard Andersson unveiled in “The Inner Circle of Reality“. Having earned a reputation for blending Power Metal with the more Progressive with neoclassical touches the new band was very much seen as an extension of the old, which seemingly only imploded for business reasons. But for all its shimmering gold in the throne room, something stands out like a blood stain on a white sheet. Album opening cut “Reflections” bares a striking resemblance to “Evolution (The Grand Design)” which appears on “V: The New Mythology Suite“, released in the year 2000 by Symphony X. Perhaps the influence of Michael Romeo is a subliminal one by with the very same song also implanting something into the brains on Killswitch Engage. Afterall, in 2016 the record appeared on Metal Hammer Magazine’s “The 10 Essential Symphonic Metal Albums” list. Symphony X, take a bow.