“Chapter III” will get attention for its all-star guestlist - - Marty Friedman, Alex Skolnick, Jeff Loomis, Nuno Bettancourt, Angel Vivaldi, David Ellefson, Jimi Bell, Matt LaPierre, Joey Concepcion, Oli Herbert, Matt LaPierre and Ryan Formato. All of them earn their paychecks here (especially Friedman and Loomis, in this reviewer’s humble opinion); they deserve to have their names in lights. But save some respect for brothers Benny and Brian Goodman; they’re responsible for the Lost Symphony compositions and arrangements - - as well as for putting this all together.
Haters will dismiss Lost Symphony as a wankfest, but you know what they say about what haters gonna do. Shredding abounds, for sure, but the guitars also go all in on the melodies. They sing with all of the beauty, nuance, exuberance, pathos, emotion, and power of great vocalists. Listening to this, I don’t often think of Testament, Nevermore/Arch Enemy, Megadeth, or Extreme. . . “Chapter III” most closely resembles the incredible, criminally-overlooked Jeff Loomis solo albums.
While we’re discussing virtuoso performances, I’d be remiss if I overlooked Siobhán Cronin, whose strings (violin, viola, electric violin) stand equal in every song to the powerhouse guitars on the other tracks. Her parts are unbelievably good.
But it all comes down to listenability and enjoyment, and “Chapter III”.provides both in spades. Sure, the technical proficiency is impressive, but that only scores you so many points. It’s the gorgeous, emotionally resonant songs that make this one of the best albums of 2021.
Bring on Chapter IV!
