War of the Worlds, Pt. 2

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This article is about the 2022 album by Michael Romeo. For other War of the Worlds topics, see The War of the Worlds (disambiguation).
War of the Worlds, Pt. 2
Cover art of the album
Studio album by
Michael Romeo
ReleasedMarch 25, 2022 (2022-03-25)
GenreProgressive metal, neoclassical metal, symphonic metal, power metal[1][2]
Length66:24
LabelInside Out Music
Michael Romeo chronology
War of the Worlds, Pt. 1
(2018) 		War of the Worlds, Pt. 2
(2022)
Singles from War of the Worlds, Pt. 2
  1. "Divide & Conquer"
    Released: January 7, 2022[3][4]
  2. "Metamorphosis"
    Released: February 16, 2022[5]

War of the Worlds, Pt. 2 is the third solo album by Symphony X guitarist Michael Romeo, released on 25 March 2022 via Inside Out Music. It is a sequel to his previous album released in 2018, War of the Worlds, Pt. 1.[4] It was originally scheduled for a February 4, 2022 release.[6][7]

Romeo retained the same line-up of the previous release except for the vocals, which are now handled by Dino Jelusick.[6][4] Like its predecessor, the album is inspired by the homonymous novel by H. G. Wells and, according to Romeo, "it takes the first record deeper into the journey. It's H.G. Wells with modern-day sci-fi, and there's a lot of super-heavy cinematic music and, obviously, lots of guitars".[4][3] By the time Romeo released the first part, he already announced that a sequel was at the final stages of recording, but would take a while to be released because he wanted people "to absorb the first one for a while, and then we'll put out the second record. They'll complement each other, but they'll also be a bit different".[8][9]

The first single and video, "Divide & Conquer", was released on January 7, 2022, with the video directed by Wayne Joyner.[4][3] The second ones, "Metamorphosis", came on February 16, with the video also directed by Joyner.[5]

The album was released as 180g black double LP gatefold, a limited double CD PocketPak with the instrumental version of the album and as a digital release.[3]

Track listing[edit]

War of the Worlds, Pt. 2 track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Introduction - Part II" (instrumental)2:37
2."Divide & Conquer"4:46
3."Destroyer"5:34
4."Metamorphosis"5:53
5."Mothership" (instrumental)2:23
6."Just Before the Dawn"5:01
7."Hybrids"6:14
8."Hunted" (instrumental)4:32
9."Maschinenmensch"9:03
10."Parasite"4:33
11."Brave New World (Outro)" (instrumental)3:36
12."The Perfect Weapon" (bonus track)7:41
13."Alien DeathRay" (bonus track, instrumental)4:31
Total length:66:24
Japanese edition bonus track[10]
No.TitleLength
14."Godzilla"3:59
Total length:70:28
Japanese limited edition bonus CD (Disc 2)[11][12]
No.TitleLength
1."Introduction - Part II"2:37
2."Divide & Conquer" (instrumental)4:46
3."Destroyer" (instrumental)5:34
4."Metamorphosis" (instrumental)5:53
5."Mothership"2:23
6."Just Before the Dawn" (instrumental)5:01
7."Hybrids" (instrumental)6:14
8."Hunted"4:32
9."Maschinenmensch" (instrumental)9:03
10."Parasite" (instrumental)4:33
11."Brave New World (Outro)"3:36
12."The Perfect Weapon" (instrumental)7:41
13."Alien DeathRay"4:31
14."Godzilla"3:59
Total length:70:28

Personnel[edit]

Reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Sonic Perspectives9.3[2]
Metal Hammer (Germany)6/7[1]

On the German edition of Metal Hammer, Matthias Mineur described Romeo as "a master of a style hybrid of power, neo-classical and prog metal and [...] compositionally savvy". He said Jelusick "lifts" the album "to an even higher level" than that of its predecessor and finished his review saying that the release "inspires on two levels, so that the listener can hardly decide which of them is the more important."[1]

On Sonic Perspectives, John Kokel also thought this album was better than the previous one. He praised Romeo for remaining "an Olympic gold medalist in lead guitar, but more importantly, he continues to fine-tune and push his skills as a composer." He conceded that the album bears some similarities with Romeo's main band Symphony X, but compared it favorably to other contemporary symphonic metal efforts. He summarized his review calling the album "a world-shaking fusion of cinematic symphony with the very best of modern progressive metal".[2]

Charts[edit]

Chart performance for War of the Worlds, Pt. 2
Chart (2022) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[14] 129
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[15] 62
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[16] 22

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Mineur, Matthias (25 March 2022). "Michael Romeo WAR OF THE WORLDS PT. 2". Metal Hammer (Germany) (in German). Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  2. ^ a b c Kokel, John (March 20, 2022). "Michael Romeo – War Of The Worlds, Pt. II (Album Review)". Sonic Perspectives. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d "SYMPHONY X Guitarist MICHAEL ROMEO Releases "Divide & Conquer" Music Video; War Of The Worlds, Part 2 Album Details Revealed". Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles. January 7, 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d e Maxwell, Jackson (January 7, 2022). "Symphony X guitarist Michael Romeo announces new solo album, War of the Worlds, Pt. 2, premieres anthemic lead single, Divide & Conquer". Guitar World. Future plc. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
  5. ^ a b Bauer, Simon (January 7, 2022). "MICHAEL ROMEO - 'Metamorphosis'-Video ist online". Rock Hard (in German). Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  6. ^ a b Michels, Alexandra (18 October 2021). "MICHAEL ROMEO - "War Of The Worlds, Part 2" erscheint im Februar". Rock Hard (in German). Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  7. ^ "SYMPHONY X Guitarist MICHAEL ROMEO To Release 'War Of The Worlds, Part II' Solo Album". Blabbermouth.net. October 18, 2021. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
  8. ^ "SYMPHONY X Guitarist MICHAEL ROMEO To Release 'War Of The Worlds / Pt. 1' Solo Album In July". Blabbermouth.net. May 30, 2018. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  9. ^ "Symphony X Guitarist Michael Romeo Announces First Solo Album, 'War of the Worlds, Pt. 1'". Guitar World. NewBay Media. May 30, 2018. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  10. ^ "ウォー・オブ・ザ・ワールズ Pt. 2" (in Japanese). Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  11. ^ "ウォー・オブ・ザ・ワールズ Pt. 2【初回生産限定盤】" (in Japanese). Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  12. ^ "Michael Romeo / ウォー・オブ・ザ・ワールズ Pt.2＜初回生産限定盤＞". Tower Records.com. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  13. ^ Slavković, David (March 31, 2022). "Symphony X's Michael Romeo Explains Challenges Performing a Cello on New Solo Album, Details Various Instruments He Played on It". Ultimate Guitar. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
  14. ^ "Ultratop.be – Michael Romeo – War of the Worlds - Pt. 2" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
  15. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Michael Romeo – War of the Worlds - Pt. 2" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
  16. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Michael Romeo – War of the Worlds - Pt. 2". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
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