THE CRUSADE OF EPICS: Results -> A Change Of Seasons wins!

I love A Change of Seasons, it is a perfect #2 for this competition.

But The Odyssey is simply on another level all together. It is a musical journey and everything fits, despite some minor production flaws. Allen's delivery during the acoustic early verses (and final coda) and especially his performance during Champion of Ithaca is nothing short of astounding. Also, catchy as all get-out.

Both of these songs have massive, belting vocal sections at the peak of their energy. LaBrie's "preparing for her flight" is a bombastic moment, and powerful for sure, with Portnoy's snare drum build and the following musical eruption really carrying the piece. Allen's "triumphant! champion of Ithaca!" is a melodic soar, a perfect explosion of vocal energy that seals this deal incredibly easily.
 
This one is a true conflip; these are the 2 songs that most deserve to be fighting for the championship, and whichever wins will absolutely deserve it.

I almost don't want to decide, but in the end I guess I'll give it to A Change of Seasons.

Tomorrow I'd be likely to change my mind, but as a wise man once said, "It is what it is."
 
I just really don't get The Odyssey.

ACOS on the other hand is definitely my favorite 15+ minute song. The song just hits hard with its message. LaBrie's performance might be my favorite by any singer in any song ever.

I'm pretty curious about how Octavarium would've fared in this game, since it typically beats ACOS in 1vs1 votings held by the fandom.
 
MrKnickerbocker said:
But The Odyssey is simply on another level all together. It is a musical journey and everything fits, despite some minor production flaws. Allen's delivery during the acoustic early verses (and final coda) and especially his performance during Champion of Ithaca is nothing short of astounding. Also, catchy as all get-out.
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Minor? Whoever did the production nearly destroyed the song. Or better: YouTube version in my MacBook is unlistenable, it gets much better as lossless in the car via Apple Music.
The intro makes zero sense musically though after reading LC’s post I get why all this fanfare. But still it doesn’t bring images of Ancient Greece at all the way Alexander the Great clearly brings Greek and Persian themes.

But yes, a worthy final. Wish the intro was more appropriate and production less polished.

LooseCannon said:
My thoughts on The Odyssey can be found here:

Symphony X

Discussion on a discussion forum! Who would have thought!
forum.maidenfans.com
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Nice read. I was impressed by the lyrics and how they make use of titles of the various parts plus music to tell the story from Ulysses POV instead of narrating. “King’s lament” is particularly touching.
Missed opportunity maybe to mention the descend of Ulysses to Underworld and meet with his dead allies from Troy plus his dead mother (Ulysses didn’t know she died until then). The underworld part would make a nice piece of music.
And maybe nitpicking but I‘d like a mention to Ulysses’ father. Homer follows some clear patterns in his poems, one of those is that both poems end with a generational meeting: Achilles meets father of dead Hector Priam in the end of Iliade, Ulysses meets his father in the end of Odyssey.
Another nitpicking the use of Minerva instead of Athena and I’d like a mention to Mentor. Athena rarely appeared to Ulysses in her true form I think only once or twice. Usually it was via a dream or she was talking to him via a human form, some times taking the form of his friend Mentor. And Ulysses been Ulysses he could recognize the divine advice from the human voice and following her guidances. Since then we are using the word “mentoring” to describe not just an advice but a guidance, just as Athena did in the case of Ulysses.
As a matter of fact the very last verse of Homer’s Odyssey mentions how Athena had taken the form of his friend Mentor as she was talking to him.

Ω 547 -548
Παλλὰς Ἀθηναίη, κούρη Διὸς αἰγιόχοιο,
Μέντορι εἰδομένη ἠμὲν δέμας ἠδὲ καὶ αὐδήν.
 
____no5 said:
Hmm yes could be. Have they admitted that or you just guessing?
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That's how I interpret the song. The orchestration is fake, the production is weak, and the keys sound cheap. But I fucking love this song because of how completely Symphony X committed to a retelling of The Odyssey. It's not like it's perfect in every musical level, it's perfect because every single second of it is gold. It's not some high-production, 4 hour film, it's an hour-long VHS adaptation from the '90s and yet the performances our actors give are just out of this world. That's what I love about this song. It doesn't have to be super polished to be amazing.
 
Top 10
01. Dream Theater - A Change Of Seasons
02. Symphony X - The Odyssey
03. Opeth - Blackwater Park
04. Dream Theater - In The Name Of God
05. Rush - La Villa Strangiato
06. Rush - Xanadu
07. Metallica - ...And Justice For All
08. Opeth - The Moor
09. Helloween - Keeper Of The Seven Keys
10. Savatage - Morphine Child

This went on for way too long, and the winner is undeserved, but it was kind of fun in the end :) Thanks to all the voters!
 
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