I just like the title. The Edge of Forever. Forever isn't a place! How can it have an edge?! I'm smart. The earth is flat.
I'm bored, so I'm going to break this song down for all of you to enjoy, since my opinion matters to everyone.
0:00 Intro
Beautiful acoustic phrase here; I love how the bass provides the chord changes. Romeo's funky chords are great, too. Love when the distortion kicks in and the piano/guitar switch off playing the main theme.
1:37 1st Verse
Ethereal vocals, and GREAT bass run.
2:03 Interlude & Solos
This is when it picks up. Great solos, although I don't really like the backing rhythm riffs.
3:16 Instrumental Chorus
Here, a version of the chorus is played with a piano lead, hinting at the greatness to come.
3:30 2nd Verse
Possibly my favorite part of the whole song. Russ's backing vocals are excellent here, providing a haunting atmosphere on top of the guitar/piano arpeggios. Great bass line, too.
4:41 3rd Verse
The backing vocals here are among Symphony X's finest. Such an interesting harmony!
5:05 Guitar Solo
A nice, simple solo in which MJR refrains from his crazy tapping stuff. Like a lot of Romeo's slower leads, it has a "soaring in the clouds" feel that I love.
5:30 Awesome Guitar/Bass Run
A signature Symphony X guitar-and-bass tapping run where the drums and keyboard remain silent. There's at least one of them on every album, and I never tire of them. Neither should you.
5:32, 6:45, 8:04 Chorus
One of Symphony X's strongest choruses. The vocals are full of feeling, and even though the riff contains simple natural minor tail ends (which is unusual for Symphony X), it still kicks ass. Everything is synched up in an old-school Metallica kind of way; the kick drum follows the heavy palm mutes and creates heavy beauty.
5:57 Interlude
The bass lead from the intro returns with all its happy glory.
6:13 4th Verse
A heavier version of the 2nd verse where the guitar doubles the original bass line. Lots of feeling in Russ's voice here.
7:10 Guitar Solo
Nice solo, but it's my least favorite part of the song due to the boring-ass backing rhythm riff. A good rhythm riff under a solo is just as (if not more) important to me as the solo itself. Chugging 16th notes on one note just doesn't do it for me.
8:27 Outro
Simple ending, restating the main theme and ending with a wicked double-bass fill.