For the better part of the past decade, New Jersey’s Symphony X have been wowing international audiences with their modern take on neo-classical metal. On their sixth album (and first for the US division of the venerable Eurometal label Inside Out), the band continue to wed Dream Theater’s harmonic and conceptual rigor to Pantera’s primal stomp.

The subject matter is appropriately ambitious: the album takes its name from Homer’s epic, and "The Odyssey" closes the disc with 24 minutes of hair-raising riffs on the high seas with Odysseus. Guitarist and producer Michael Romeo is an incredibly fluid player, but his Yngwie Malmsteen–inspired virtuosity takes a back seat to his equally impressive compositional skills. The opening "Inferno (Unleash the Fire)" is a forceful cry to look within when times are tough; "King of Terrors" is a nightmarish gallop that borrows its plot from Edgar Allan Poe. Like Dream Theater’s John Petrucci, Romeo surrounds himself with talent to burn: frontman Russell Allen’s haunting sneer does Ronnie James Dio proud, and keyboardist Michael Pinnella matches Romeo’s ferocious leads note for note.

(Symphony X perform this Saturday, March 15, at the Palladium in Worcester, MA. Call 508-797-9696.)