DGM aren’t exactly ones to downplay their links to brothers in arms Symphony X. Beyond the sonic similarities, they’ve supported them in the past and have collaborated with singer Russell Allen, but this time around, it’s guitarist Michael Romeo’s turn to cameo. The flame-fingered axeman appears on the riff-frenzied Dogma, but the X’s influence runs far deeper.
They share the same gung-ho power-meets-prog chutzpah, displayed through the stonking Ghost of Insanity and the breakneck Portrait, although Italian quintet DGM are more inclined to cool things off for some fist-clenched, impassioned downtime, which, of course, would be perfectly accompanied by a video of the band perched on top of a mountain, luscious locks fluttering in the wind. Try The Secret Part 2, for instance, if you like your chops cheddary, choruses more X Factor than exceptional.
The Passage is DGM’s ninth studio album to date, and its glossy production and notable consistency shows why this band are able to stand alone and, at their most enthralling, transcend their peers. Their roots may stem back to 1994, but over two decades later, it seems DGM are still packing the punches.
Q&A: Symphony X's Michael Romeo On Prog Metal And Lucky Numbers
