Details: Limited 180gm vinyl LP pressing in gatefold jacket. Best known as the bassist for progressive metal giants Symphony X, Mike LePond stepped out on his own to front his own project, Mike Lepond's Silent Assassins in 2014. The band is set to return in 2018 with the long awaited follow up to his highly acclaimed self-titled debut release. The sophomore effort, Pawn And Prophecy shows an onslaught of true heavy metal in it's purest form. A full hour of head-banging riffs, kick ass vocals, and lyrics telling epic tales drawing influences from the classic metal bands of the '80s to the viking/folk metal of today. As an example of the range of metal styles here, the title track is a 21 minute opus based on William Shakespeare's "MacBeth", where Mike and company have essentially written a heavy metal soundtrack to this classic tale and features guest appearances from Symphony X bandmates Michael Romeo and Michael Pinella.