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General => General Music Discussion => Topic started by: Scorpion on August 19, 2014, 03:56:36 PM
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I've been delaying this for a while, unintentionally, but I have finally gotten my shit together, so let's commence. Behold, the Symphony X discography discussion thread (brought to you by Scorpion).
Arguably the two of the three most important members of what would later become Symphony X met in early 1994, in a music store the Michael Romeo somewhat frequently visited. One employee there, who was teaching piano and keyboard in the store was his future colleague Michael Pinella. Both were influenced by metal and progressive music in their playing on their respective instruments – Pinella on the keys, Romeo on the guitars, so it was no wonder that, later that year, Romeo asked Pinella to play keyboard on his solo album The Dark Chapter (well, only one track, but still), and the interplay between the two makes it the best track on the otherwise rather mediocre album (in my opinion). Obviously, the two thought that they could work together in the future, and after recruiting Thomas Miller on bass, Jason Rullo on the drums and Rod Tyler on the vocals, Symphony X was born and released their debut in the same year. Which leads us too…
Symphony X (1994)
(https://www.qpratools.com/gallery/0003/symphony_x-symphony_x-front.jpg)
01. Into the Dementia (1:01)
02. The Raging Season (5:01)
03. Premonition (5:37)
04. Masquerade (4:28)
05. Absinthe and Rue (7:16)
06. Shades of Grey (5:41)
07. Taunting the Notorious (3:20)
08. Rapture or Pain (5:05)
09. Thorns of Sorrow (3:54)
10. A Lesson Before Dying (12:07)
Being the only album to not feature what would later become an integral part of the bands sound in the vocals of Russell Allen, this album is often regarded as the black sheep in the Symphony X discography, and frequently listed at the bottom in rankings. I can't say that I disagree, but I do feel it gets somewhat overlooked and unjustly dismissed as not a proper Symphony X album. Okay, Rod Tyler isn't a great vocalist, and vastly inferior to his replacement, but he's not awful either, and most of the songs on this album are either pretty good already, or at least show hints and promises of the greatness that was to come.
My relationship with this album is a weird one. If I remember correctly, the first Symphony X song that I ever heard was "Taunting the Notorious". Don't ask me how that happened, but I'm quite sure it did. I liked the song, but I never explored further for a few years – until I later stumbled across... I think it was "Smoke and Mirrors"? Anyway, I did start listening to Symphony X from that point on, and I loved them, with them even replacing Dream Theater as my favourite band for a short while. However, since pretty much everyone said that the debut wasn't up to scratch, I never bothered with it until, like, two and a half years ago or so – which was when I noticed that that one song seemed quite familiar. I needed a while to make the connection, but when I did, this album received the weird status of being both my first exposure to the band and the last album of theirs that I heard in full. Like I said, complicated.
Looking back, that connection I have with the album might cause me to view both the production values and Rod Tyler's voice on this album a little more favourably than I normally would, but I'm quite sure that I'd probably enjoy this album regardless, because, it is, as I have already said, really quite good.
With that lengthy introduction out of the way, let's get to the meat of this album, shall we? And with the meat, I mean the music on this album. It opens with "Into the Dementia", which is a pretty standard-fare opening track for a progressive metal band. Romeo shreds like nobody's business, and you have some bombastic stuff, but on the whole, it's a pretty forgettable track, something that's probably due to the fact that it doesn't really have any melodic theme or anything - just Michael Romeo saying hello to the world, really. It leads abruptly into...
"Raging Season", which opens with a pretty cool riff, which is very reminiscient of the main riff on "Evolution" (though that probably should be the other way around, but eh). I like the riff, and I like the verses and their melodies (though I'm no fan of the fills that Romeo throws in every four bars), and the pre-chorus is pretty good as well, but I really dislike the chorus. While I don't exactly mind Rod Tyler, his two vocal lines sound almost comical to my ears there. Luckily, that is quickly offset with a brilliant middle section, with some great piano, and nice guitar melody and some cool bass work. The guitar solo isn't that good, but I like the bass shredding under it - Thomas Miller is such an underrated bassist. After a very abrupt transition (that's clearly one aspect they hadn't perfected quite yet), we're back in the pre-chorus/chorus, the latter annoying me again. Honestly, if the chorus weren't what it is, I'd like this one a lot more, but as it is, it's pretty bad, even though I like some parts of it.
"Premonition" opens with some great piano playing by Michael Pinella, and it's a lot calmer than "Raging Season". Again, we have some sweet bass work and some nice guitar lines, before it goes into a heavier riff around the 1:30 mark. What one immediately notices is that the transitions on this track are a lot better, making it a far more pleasant listen. Plus, Rod Tyler doesn't annoy me in this song, that's always a plus. Especially in the chorus, the melodies are very close to something that later-day Symphony X would write, though it would have a greater impact with Russel Allen, of course. But I'm getting ahead of myself. I really like the lead-up into the instrumental section in this one, and while this isn't one of Romeo's greats either, his solo is far better than that garbled mess in the previous track. Going back into the chorus and then into the outro (with a slightly awkward transition, but oh well), this one is immediately better than the opening song.
"Masquerade" is probably one the best-known track off this album, mainly because it's the only one that they have re-recorded with Russel Allen. And that makes it rather hard for me to appreciate this version. This is actually one of Tyler's best perfomances in Symphony X, but it still doesn't hold a candle to Russel. Musically, this is definitely one of the most mature tracks on the debut, with some great riffing, strong classical influences that don't feel overdone, and a really good solo section (dat bass!). It's no wonder that this is the song that they chose to represent the debut on their best-off, and the Russel Allen treatment only improves it. Still, everyone should listen to this version of the song at least once. I actually prefer the outro on this version to "Masquerade '98".
"Absinthe and Rue" starts out as a more mid-tempo track, with what might just be my second favourite riff on the album and then leading into my favourite riff. This is one song where I really like Rod Tyler's vocal contribution, instead of being ambivalent towards what he does at best, like on many other tracks. The chorus is very latter-day Symphony X again (read: awesome), and Romeo delivers a sweet little solo after the first chorus, like he does on many later tracks. I really like bridge on this song, and that calmer part is really good, with an amazing guitar solo, which shows off Romeo's skill at crafting non-shreddy guitar solos. I've never been a big fan of Pinella's solo patches in most cases, and this song is not exception, but other than that, I don't really have anything to complain about on this song. Definitely one of my favourites on this album, if not my absolute favourite (except for another awkward outro).
"Shades of Grey" is my least favourite real song on this album, even though the piano beginning is pretty great, but everything else about this song is just really bland. Plus, Rod Tyler's voice REALLY doesn't work for ballads, and that chorus is one of the worst choruses that Symphony X have ever inflicted upon on my ears. Ugh. The short post-chorus bridge is very good (very "The Edge of Forever"-ish), as is the solo later on in the song, but it's not enough to save this song from the fact that every vocal passage on this song makes me want to punch the computer violently, right on my iTunes icon. Oh well. At least their ballads got a helluva lot better on later albums.
Next up, "Taunting the Notorious", my favourite song on this album. It's the fastest song on this album, and Tyler's vocals work better on the more aggressive stuff, I find. Plus, all the other members are completely on fire here, especially Michael Romeo and Thomas Miller (dat intro!). Honestly, this song wouldn't be out of place on a later-day Symphony X album - maybe Iconoclast? I can see it really gaining from Russel harsher tone. But I digress. That instrumental section, with the guitar - bass solo trade-off is one of my favourite Symphony X moments ever, and really makes me miss Thomas Miller. I also love how short this song is - at only 3:20 in length, the ridiculously high energy can be kept up throughout, and it works splendidly - except for, again, an unfitting outro.
After that, we have the bland, but not "Shades of Grey"-bad "Rapture or Pain". Honestly, I find it hard to remember anything from this song outside of when I'm listening to it, but it's not bad. Just... unmemorable. Romeo has some cool playing, but the transitions and tempo-changes feel really awkward, Rod Tyler is kinda bad on this track and it's just generally bland. The one exception would probably be the chorus, which is actually quite decent, though somewhat repetitive, but wasted on such a mediocre song. The one thing that I really like about this song is Pinella's harpsichord stuff, but it's not enough to save this from being a snooze-fest.
"Thorns of Sorrow" is probably the song on this album that grew on me most. Initially, I put it about on the same level as "Rapture or Pain", but listening to it now, I'm actually genuinely perplexed as to why. The intro with that organ is great, the main riff is amazing, and Rod Tyler sounds as good as he could ever sound on this track, especially in the verses. The chorus isn't quite up to scratch, but I still like it, just not as much as the rest of the song. The solo section is a real highlight here, with it being the first of the many guitar - key trade-offs, and a really good one as that, mainly because Pinella's solo patch is actually quite decent. Also, FINALLY a song with a decent outro. That wasn't too hard, was it?
Finally, we have reached the album's epic: "A Lesson Before Dying". It's probably my least favourite of their epics, but it's not really all that bad, and I might even prefer it to "Iconoclast". The first part is probably the only time that Rod Tyler sounded good in a calm context, delivering what I'd consider to be his best contribution to Symphony X. Sadly, once we leave the calm, acoustic-guitar-driven part, the song rather quickly becomes a lot more pedestrian - the first distorted riff is actually quite good, but after the second chorus (which is awesome), when the song enters the second calm part, it takes a noteable turn for the worse and never quite recovers. It doesn't help that the song could probably be shortened by about two to three minutes, though there are no explicit parts that I'd cut - it just feels a little lengthy. While parts of this song are really good, it feels a little like they thought "We play progressive metal, we need a 10+ minute song!". Which you don't, as evidenced on the follow-up album. Anyway, this song is middle-of-the-pack for me, which is a shame, because the first five minutes are really good, and there are some moments of brilliance in the second half.
What else can be said about this album? Not much, I suppose. It wasn't really a success in the US, but it was - much like Romeo's previous solo album - quite big in Japan, but then Symphony X have never been really successful domestically, so that's not a big surprise. Oh yes! The production is pretty pants, but that's the case with most debut albums, so I won't rag onto them to much for that. I don't really like the drum sound, but the guitars and the bass don't sound TOO bad, and it's not completely awful, so I guess that's fine. Also, I really like the cover art for its simplicity - it's actually one of my favourite Symphony X covers.
On the whole, I can definitely see why so many people consider this to be the odd one out in Symphony X's discography, and I won't argue with that. Rod Tyler is pretty bad in places, but has some surprisingly good parts as well (like the intro to "A Lesson Before Dying"). But I do think that it shouldn't be written off without listening to it at least once, and it has some killer tracks like "Absinthe and Rue", "Taunting the Notorious" and "Thorns of Sorrow" which give glimpses of the brilliance that was soon to follow suit.
1. Taunting the Notorious
2. Absinthe and Rue
3. Thorns of Sorrow
4. A Lesson Before Dying
5. Premonition
6. Masquerade
7. Rapture or Pain
8. Raging Season
9. Shades of Grey
10. Into the Dementia
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I'm a major Symphony X fan, so maybe I should revisit this one. When I listened to it, the vocals just threw me for a loop when you are used to Russell.
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Yeah, it's hard coming from Russell, because he's such a great vocalist and Tyler... isn't, but it's still worth checking out.
Also, just noticed how long my write-up got. If it's too much, just say so and I'll shorten it down for later albums.
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I think I may have listened to this album all the way through once. I own it for collection purposes, but the last time I did listen to it was probably when I bought it in 2006. Just for this thread (since there's finally one of these threads I can participate in) I'll do my best to make it through the album again.
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Following. I'll try to listen through this one tonight.
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Ok, I'm not the biggest SX fan, though on paper I should be. I don't know all the discog but have 3-4 (?) albums at least. My first SX album was V TNMS which I enjoyed. I find SX lack the "songs" - lots of great stuff iin there but not coherent songs. They're not alone in that in the genre, its my biggest gripe with prog metal. I guess I need "hooks".
I love Russell Allen's voice when he sings but doesn't always get the best material to work with in SX.
Maybe this journey will change my opinion.
Never heard this album before and I'm finding it difficult mainly because of the vocals. Strip them away and I'd enjoy it much more. The signs of what they would become are here on the debut.
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If you think Symphony X doesn't have hooks, you are clearly listening to the wrong band.
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One could compare the first Symphony X album with the first DT album. Both have production problems and the lack of a better singer (not that they don't sing well, but their voices don't fit the sound of the band very well). Although I am not a fan, I enjoy Symphony X and Russell Allen is one of my favorite singers.
Back to the album: I never listen to it for the same reason I don't listen to WDaDU. I don't even remember the songs, I just remember that when I listened to it I didn't like it at all.
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I'll be following along (and shit). My knowledge and exposure to this band is woefully inadequate so I'm looking forward to listening while following along with this thread. Tonight's out of the question, but I'll have time to listen tomorrow.
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Following. I cant really contribute discussion until DWOT though. The first two albums do nothing for me.
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Following. I cant really contribute discussion until DWOT though. The first two albums do nothing for me.
+1.
Although "Edge Of Forever" is one of the band's best songs.
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Well this isn't terrible (only on Premonition), but it just isn't my cup of tea. I only like a few songs on Damnation Game, so for me Symphony X didn't connect until Divine Wings, and there are even songs on that one that are a little iffy sometimes. Except The Witching Hour. That one is just awful.
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The Damnation Game is an awesome record. I might like it more than Divine Wings even. But I'll save my love for later. :D
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Well, I made it through, and there was actually some cool stuff going on at times, and a full re-record could make it a really great album, but as is, it doesn't hold up to the best of 'em. Tyler is grating at times, and there aren't that many hooks, unlike the rest of the discography, excluding TDG which suffers the same problem.
I prefer When Dream and Day Unite.
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...I actually kind of like Shades Of Grey. :lol
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...I actually kind of like Shades Of Grey. :lol
I already forgot how it goes, but I know I didn't care for the chorus.
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I tried to listen again.
It would be cool if they re recorded this album with Russell; Tylers vocals just are too distracting for me.
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Just finished it. Overall, pretty decent. I suppose it helps that I went into it expecting for it to suck. If I'd expected it to be good, I probably would have been disappointed.
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I like this album a lot. The only downside for me whatsoever is Rod Tyler but, fortunately, I consider the majority of prog/power/wailing-in-general singers to be absolute shit (despite their obvious level of talent) so that minus is instantly forgiven since it ain't Wachtower bad. I love how ferocious and unleashed Romeo is on it. No restraint whatsoever and it sets the album right the fuck on fire. Also, there seems to be a heavier emphasis on melody which, while mostly retained on TDG, gradually slipped away over time. I could care less about production. People who didn't start seriously listening to music until after 2000 seem to be less aware of the fact that making a debut back then that didn't sound like shit was nearly impossible unless you had connections or money. For a prog band releasing an album a year or two after grunge's peak, they were probably just lucky to find one producer who didn't tell them to go fuck themselves.
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This album is decent but the vocals are just terrible IMO, ruins the album. This is something the band should re-record with the current lineup, I think that would be awesome.
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I doubt Russell would have the restraint to not go all latter-day-SX gravelly on it.
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Following - but I don't get really interested until DWOT which made my Top 50.
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I doubt Russell would have the restraint to not go all latter-day-SX gravelly on it.
IMO, whatever he does, it's gotta be better than the original vocals.
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I'm not much of a Symphony X fan (love Paradise Lost, don't mind bits and pieces of Odyssey), so I'm going to follow this. I'm familiar with PL, Odyssey, Iconoclast and V and heard bits and pieces of the other albums (not sure which if any I've listened to all the way through), so there's some stuff in here I need to give a proper chance. Although I have my doubts that going through the discography properly is going to change my mind on the band as a whole, there's only one way to find out.
This album, I couldn't even listen to all the way through, and I don't think I ever have. :lol Absinthe and Rue is alright, but it's really the only thing that stands out on this album to me..
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Following. I cant really contribute discussion until DWOT though. The first two albums do nothing for me.
Wow! The Damnation game does nothing for you? I find it good.
On a related note, I listened to SX 1st album only once and nothing stood out for me except the fact that I didn't like the production and the singer.
B.Lee
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Following. I've heard TDWOT, The Odyssey and Paradise Lost, but somehow never bothered to check out the rest of SX albums. Might as well start doing that now. I'll give a listen to their first one today.
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Following! I'm not a big fan of SymX but TDWOT is great. My favourite song though is The Edge Of Forever.
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The only song Rod doesn't suck on is Taunting the Notorious... he actually has moments of sounding almost Allen-esque. Agree with the comments that essentially state musically it's very good, vocally.... well, I'd almost rather listen to Chris Collins. It is kind of tantamount to WDADU in the DT hierarchy of things, but Charlie is a way better singer than Tyler. I can't remember the last time I listened to this, and probably won't go back to it. The awesomeness of Allen just makes this album that much more unappealing.
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I enjoyed that much more than I anticipated based on the opinions expressed above. Perhaps that's because it seems highly derivative of other music that I like. There were several moments where I thought, "Hmmm, sounds just like Savatage." and not in a bad way, mind you.
In fact, the singer sounds quite a bit like Zachary Stevens to my ear. That being said, the 'Tage discs with Stevens singing are my least favorite...give me Oliva every time! Still, I'm not sure Rod Tyler is as bad as all that. There were moments in "A Lesson Before Dying" that I thought he channeled Dio quite nicely.
The guitar tones and playing are kind of a mixed bag, or so it seems to me. The crunch for riffing is pretty heavy and quite nice, and the riffing itself was pretty imaginative. I like being surprised when riffs go somewhere I'm not anticipating and Romeo seems to have a real knack. His lead tone sounded so Ygnwie-ish I thought it startling and not well paired with the crunch tones but I got used to it and I'm looking forward to how Romeo's tone develops going forward. His full-on shredder licks don't do much for me but I really, really, like when he dials it back a bit--the note selections seem more appealing when he does. He's obviously a very talented player.
I was all kinds of impressed with the bass on this album. Great playing, good tone and I'm always a big fan of when the compositions allow the bass to take the lead or drive the melody forward. There were a few moments like this that I thought were really well done.
I was quite turned off by the drums. I thought them to be annoying in tone and distracting in execution.
The keyboards were nice and well played in spots but nothing too memorable. I may be spoiled by the stellar keys from other bands though.
All in all, I like where this is going. The symphonic/broadwayesque metal idea has always appealed to me but I think it's a difficult thing to pull off. There seems to be a fine line between epic-awe and unintentional comedy. This album walks the line very closely in a strong left-to-right breeze.
I'll listen a few more times before deciding on a purchase or not. At this point I'd probably only buy the individual songs in the top three of Scorpion's list.
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Wait 'til you hear Allen on the mic. Then you'll know what we're talking about. Maybe not the next album, but for sure on The Divine Wings of Tragedy.
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Gave a listen to their self-titled, and I actually enjoyed it a bit. Quite a solid material for the debut. I don't think I'll be revisiting this album much, but I do think it's quite good.
I enjoyed the epic, Thorns of Sorrow and I also thought Shades of Grey was a nice track. Taunting the Notorious, however, felt mediocre to me.
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Going to do the next write-up tomorrow. If anyone wants to say anything about the debut, now would be a perfect time.
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Didn't know this had started. Yay. Anyway, the debut album is perfectly decent, but Rod Tyler just comes off as a poor-man's (aka really fucking shitty) Freddy Mercury. I mean sure, he has moments of not-suck, but on the whole he's borderline intolerable. This album could seriously benefit from a When Dream and Day Reunite treatment. The hollow production doesn't help anything either. New folks, don't let this album turn you off. Symphony X took a while to become awesome.
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Like When Dream and Day Reunite, I don't think redoing it would fix this album. It'd be a slight improvement, but the songwriting is still poor on this album imo. Like WDADU, the band is still finding their sound and don't really have the traits that make them so great on the following albums. A redo would be cool and it'd certainly sound better, but it wouldn't redeem the weaknesses in the songs themselves. If the actual songs were better, I'd listen to this album as it is a lot more often. Even despite the bad production and singing.
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Finding information on what went down is difficult, but after the release of the debut album, Rod Tyler left Symphony X, and pretty much nobody has heard of him since. No other releases, no website – nothing. Ironically, he was the one to introduce the band to his replacement, and the final key member of Symphony X – Russell Allen. Again, there’s little to no information as to when that actually happened, if it was while Tyler was still on the band or not, but what is known is that Tyler knew Allen and introduced him to Michael Romeo. When the gig opened, Russell quickly abandoned his previous job – a jouster at a Medieval Times Dinner Theater. Fronted with his powerful voice, Symphony X would be going places, and it all started with…
The Damnation Game (1995)
(https://www.metal-archives.com/images/3/2/0/9/3209.jpg)
01. The Damnation Game (4:32)
02. Dressed to Kill (4:44)
03. The Edge of Forever (8:58)
04. Savage Curtain (3:30)
05. Whispers (4:48)
06. The Haunting (5:21)
07. Secrets (5:42)
08. A Winter’s Dream – Prelude (Part I) (3:03)
09. A Winter’s Dream – The Ascension (Part II) (5:40)
For a while, this was my favourite Symphony X album. It has since fallen in the rankings, but it’s still stupendously great, and light years ahead in quality of its predecessor. Allen hits the ground running, and unlike the first album, there is not one bad vocal moment to be found on this album. But let’s begin at the beginning.
Right from the get-go, this album doesn’t shy away from displaying its neo-classical roots – the opening guitar/harpsichord unison to "The Damnation Game" is pretty much the epitome of neo-classical metal. The track on the whole is pretty great, but fairly straight-forward. No matter, because it features a killer guitar solo and some awesome vocals by Russell – especially in the outro.
"Dressed to Kill" continues in a similar vein, though this one is slightly less neo-classical – though it does feature a guitar/harpsichord unison in the middle instrumental section. On the whole, however, this song is far more riff-driven than the title-track, and it works splendidly. Some great vocals in the chorus again – after only two songs, Russell Allen is already a better Symphony X vocalist than Rod Tyler had ever been over one album.
"The Edge of Forever" switches things up. While not as long as later songs, this is most definitely an epic, if not in length, then most definitely in scope. Opening up with some pleasant guitar and piano playing, we are delivered the first ballad-esque moment on the album, and Russell Allen shines here just as much as he did on the more intense moments of the first two tracks. From there, the whole song develops into a sprawling and unconventionally-structured journey, filled with time changes, acoustic breaks and guitar solos, tied together by a central chorus that it always comes back to – which is splendid. This is what I consider Symphony X’s finest moment – nine minutes of perfection, with each member given a chance to shine, be it Romeo in his amazing solos, Pinella with some tasteful piano, Jason Rullo with some great creative drumming and a nice (albeit short) drum break, or the amazing bass playing of Thomas Miller, everything comes together here.
Unfortunately, it’s all downhill from here. "Savage Curtain" boasts an intense riff and a great instrumental section, complete with some furious bass shredding, but on the whole, it’s pretty bland. Yes, Russell is a great vocalist again here, but the material he’s working with is so weak that the best he can manage to do is to make it "not bad".
"Whispers" follows and it's the only true ballad on this album. Aside from the backing vocals in the chorus, this one is a real winner, both Russell's powerful emotional performance and the guitar solo that shows that Michael Romeo is just as able to craft a beautiful solo as he can shred up and down the fretboard. I've seen this one get a bit of disdain, and I guess I can understand some of it, as it's hardly very original, but I've always loved it, and it's what I'd consider Symphony X's first good ballad.
"The Haunting" takes a while to get going, opening with some drum and bass work, but then it explodes into a furious guitar riff, followed by a keyboard solo and a guitar solo, and we're back in familiar territory. It's not a bad song, and Russell does some awesome vocals in the verses, but on the whole, it's a rather bland song, not helped by a rather lackluster chorus. Like "Savage Curtain", this feels to safe and straight-forward to offer any real excitement. Plus, that ending feels really lackluster.
"Secrets" doesn't exactly switch things up either, but it's a better executed song, in my opinion - especially the chorus, which is just the right amount of infectious without being annoying. This, Symphony X, is how you do a straight-forward song without the result being bland and boring.
Plus, the intro is one of my favourite Symphony X moments ever, with the keys building up a great atmosphere that leads perfectly into the opening riff. The instrumental section is good as usual, though what sets it apart from others is the fact that Pinella isn't using a patch that annoys me on this one and it makes the trade-off solos work pretty well. My only complaint is that the outro drags on a bit longer than it would have to, but in the grand scheme of things, this one's a winner.
Closing the album, we have the two-part epic "A Winter's Dream", which is notable for its gorgeous first three minutes, featuring some gorgeous clean playing by both Romeo and Pinella and some awe-inspiring vocals. The second part, once the distorted guitar enters isn't nearly as great, but it still has some great stuff all the same, and Russell Allen shines once again. It's a nice way to close out the album, and that trade-off solo near the end is one of the best in their entire career.
On the whole, this is a great album. Yes, you have some duds ("Savage Curtain" and "The Haunting"), but even they are nowhere close to the bad songs on the debut, and the good songs on this one would set the bar high for future Symphony X releases. Noteworthy is the fact that this is probably the album where Michael Pinella's keyboards annoy me the least - I've always found them a little hard to deal with, mainly because of the patches that he uses, but that's never an issue on this album. Both his harpsichord playing and his keyboard playing are top-notch and a definite step-up from the debut. Also gone rather unmentioned has bassist Thomas Miller, but he's absolutely on fire here, especially on "The Edge of Forever" and "Savage Curtain". Michael Romeo, I'd say, is the member who exhibits the least amount of improvement here, but he was already on fire for the debut, so that's no knock.
One paragraph has to be dedicated to Russell Allen. I think Symphony X is the only band that I know where I have never, in my whole life, heard someone express the opinion that the original singer is better, and while that might have something to do with Rod Tyler's general... badness, it's also a testament to Russell Allen's vocals. They are powerful and emotive on this album, and he hits high notes without sounding whiny in the least. While I can understand that his later work is not everyone's cup of tea, you can't hear this one and say that he's a bad singer.
In summary: The Damnation Game is a great album and a massive improvement for this young progressive metalheads, but there are even greater things to come, and the world wouldn't have to wait long for them.
1. The Edge of Forever
2. A Winter's Dream
3. Dressed to Kill
4. Secrets
5. Whispers
6. The Damnation Game
7. Savage Curtain
8. The Haunting
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I think Symphony X is the only band that I know where I have never, in my whole life, heard someone express the opinion that the original singer is better
That would apply to Dream Theater for me - never once have I heard anyone say that they'd prefer Charlie.
Whispers and A Winters Dream were the only songs off this one that really got me on board. I found it a disappointment as I worked my way backward from DWOT which is quite divine.
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Great album, really a step up from the debut. The Edge Of Forever might be my favourite song by them.
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Excellent write up Scorp
This was my first SX album and I was blown away and subsequently bought everything else from them. Fantastic album.
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Love this album. It's very different from the following albums (a little more baroque?) but just as good really. I think every Symphony X album has a couple clunkers, so while The Haunting and Savage Curtain aren't great, it's not like the other albums don't have their weak moments and this album more than makes up for it with every other song. The first three song is glorious and I'd say it's their best 3 song run (unless you want to count Smoke and Mirrors/Church Of the Machine/Looking Glass). I think the rest of the album has some really underrated moments though. Secrets in particular is one of my favorite SX songs. I also really love both parts of A Winter's Dream. A perfect way to close this album.
I think this album is pretty far removed from their other early albums in that it doesn't have a big epic to act as a centerpiece. It has Edge of Forever and Winter's Dream, but nothing of the magnitude of Divine Wings or even Through The Looking Glass. However, I think the album's shorter songs are much stronger than the shorter songs appearing on the next album, which isn't quite as good IMO.
By the way, does anyone hear bits from The Accolades in The Edge of Forever? The whole song almost seems like a prelude to The Accolade.
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Perfect time for me to join the thread. I think if i'm not mistaken that TEOF was the first song I heard by SX but DWOT was the album that had me sold though. Anyway that's a future story. TDG is definitly a step up from their debut. Russell man what can you possibly say that hasn't been said before, don't know but he definitly was a breath of fresh air. Such a clean and powerful voice, never heard anything like it in metal.
When I compare the album to their disco TDG dosen't reach very far though but it's still a great album and to be honest I do prefer the neo classical stuff over the more crunchy metal sound they have today, it sounds a bit generic at times. I have nothing against it per se but I feel it sounds a bit blend today and would like them to infuse more of the neo classical stuff.
Top 3:
The Edge Of Forever
The Damnation Game
A Winter's Dream - The Ascension
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The Damnation Game, Dressed to Kill, The Edge of Forever, and A Winter's Dream I & II were the only songs from this album I ever liked, but I'll give it a full go. Also, I've always liked AWD Part 2 more.
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I only like "The Edge Of Forever" from the album, the rest is from average to bad.
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It has been a while since I listened to this one. The only tracks that stood out were "The Edge of Forever" and "A Winter's Dream". I may give this one another spin today.
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The Damnation Game is definitely a big step up from the debut, I like title track, The Edge of Forever, Whispers; and both Winter's Dream tracks are alright too.
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This is better. I love the neo-classical side of SX. Vocals are so much better here. The original singer was hard to listen to and put me off enjoying what was some decent stuff on the debut.
TEOF is a pretty good album. Does lose its way a bit, true.
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Maybe I am just an idiot, but TEOF? ???
Edit: Oh, The Edge of Forever :facepalm: Speaking of which, is the live album of a similar name any good? Is it worth getting for those who prefer to have video for live releases?
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The Damnation Game, Dressed to Kill, The Edge of Forever, and A Winter's Dream I & II were the only songs from this album I ever liked
Still true.
Maybe I am just an idiot, but TEOF? ???
Edit: Oh, The Edge of Forever :facepalm: Speaking of which, is the live album of a similar name any good? Is it worth getting for those who prefer to have video for live releases?
I've only listened a couple times. I really only have it for collection purposes. Not to say it's bad, but the track list is a little lackluster. They do play some of their best songs, but left out some important ones as well.
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Yeah. And it's a fucking tease that they don't actually play, you know, the song The Edge of Forever.
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I've had a few runs through The Damnation Game and it's just not my thing. I'm sure there was a time in the '80's that I would have been all over this but...I don't know...
It's probably better if I keep my mouth shut.
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I listened to the album again last night. This may be Michael Romeo's best album in terms of solos. I really like almost all of them.
I've only listened a couple times. I really only have it for collection purposes. Not to say it's bad, but the track list is a little lackluster. They do play some of their best songs, but left out some important ones as well.
Alright, thanks.
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Also, that "enter the damn damn damn damnation game damn damn damn damn damn" by Russell in the title track is kinda hilarious. :lol
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I always liked that part. Not the lyrics themselves, but the way that RA delivers them is great.
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Well, I don't disagree, I quite like his angry approach here. That's what makes those damns even more hilarious to me. In a good way.
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Been a long time since I listened to this one. Enjoyed the opening three tracks for sure. I didn't find the rest of the album to be either bad or good, it just was. No issue with any of the songs, but nothing compelled me to take notice. Pretty much how I've always felt about this album, and the reason that, despite the significant improvement over the debut, it's still at the bottom of my S-X rankings. Compared to the rest of the discography, it's quite pedestrian in the writing and overall performance.
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This one spends its time mostly at #2 in my SX rankings and occasionally takes #1 when TDWOT gets caught slippin. The mood and atmosphere throughout this album just makes me feel so happy and immersed in it. TEOF is fucking spectacular: the intro's beauty, the flawless execution of the buildup, the thrill of that first solo tradeoff section, Russell's vocals' emotiveness, the powerful chorus, the tense bridge, and that rippin jazzy outro solo. This song is the tiramisu of the world of epics.
The opener ruptures my ovaries with its diabolical energy and Romeo just goes around kickin everone in the dick in this song. Whispers is just ballad perfection and the solo's harmonized sliding section is an all time great part in SX history for me. AWD is just more melodic excellence leading into a fantastic main riff in part II.
Not a weak track to be found here. Secrets is my least favorite and I still love it.
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Really looking forward to your TDWOT writeup :tup
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Anyone who anything left to say on this one, please do so now or in the immediate future - TDWOT update incoming on Monday.
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Anyone who anything left to say on this one
Nope. We're ready for you to accidentally the next writeup.
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After the release of The Damnation Game, Symphony X slowly started working on their follow-up to their first album with Russell Allen. Unlike with their previous albums, they recorded at least parts of it in Michael Romeo's home studio, affectionately nicknamed The Dungeon, which they would use again in the future for numerous other releases. It was the first time that the band had done so, and while it is never explicitly stated, I do believe that the fact that they could take as much time as they wanted is one of the reasons of the sudden increase in quality between the album that they went on to record and its two predecessors. This album was released in 1997 - two years of The Damnation Game - and was titled...
The Divine Wings of Tragedy (1997)
(https://www.metal-archives.com/images/3/2/0/5/3205.jpg)
01. Of Sins and Shadows (4:58)
02. Sea of Lies (4:18)
03. Out of the Ashes (3:40)
04. The Accolade (9:51)
05. Pharaoh (5:28)
06. The Eyes of Medusa (5:26)
07. The Witching Hour (4:15)
08. The Divine Wings of Tragedy (20:42)
09. Candlelight Fantasia (6:45)
Popular reception for their previous two albums had been poor to mediocre, with relatively few albums being sold and 1.5 or 2 star reviews being given by popular sites and magazines such as AllMusic. This album was different, with it receiving almost unanimous praise and boasting higher sales than any of their previous releases. Eventually, it would go on to be heralded as one of the best albums in the progressive metal genre, with the magazine Rock Hard even giving it a place on their list "The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time" (#433).
While this isn't my favourite Symphony X album, I will say that all the credit that it receives is more than earned. Everyone in the band was firing on all cylinders - Russell Allen is at the top of the vocal game, especially on the two long tracks, Romeo has dialled the shredding back a bit to become even better at working his riffs, solos and licks into the song - there is not one of his many guitar solos here that feels like showing off or out of place, and given how fast he shreds, that's truly an achievement - Thomas Miller is at the top of his game as one of my favourite bassists ever, especially in the title track and Michael Pinella lays down some gorgeous piano playing in places, and his synth patches are pretty bearable. The only member who I don't think it a lot better on this release is drummer Jason Rullo, but he's always been good, so that's no knock.
The album opens up with the ferocious riffing of "Of Sins and Shadows", with a great verse melody, an awesome chorus, a brief choral interlude an a nigh perfect trade-off section, where both Romeo and Pinella get their first of many chances to shine on this album. It's one of the band's most popular songs and has been played at pretty much every show the band has played since this album has come out, and it's easy to see why - the ferocious energy and the chorus make it an ideal candidate for a live setting.
"Sea of Lies" follow, and yet again the band ups the tempo. Opening with a great bass lick, it isn't long until the full band enters and Allen belts his way through a great verse and an awe-inspiring chorus. The instrumental section here isn't as good as the previous one, but it's still one that other bands would kill for. I'm not a big fan of the outro, but the rest of the song is stellar.
"Out of the Ashes" is a similarly fast-paced number, which features one of my favourite Allen performances ever, especially in the chorus. On the downside, the riffing is a little pedestrian, but three scorching guitar solos (one in the intro, one after the first chorus and one in the instrumental section after the second chorus) more than make up for that. The ending is pretty much perfect as well - many Symphony X songs have, I feel, a slightly awkward outro, but this song shows that the band can do a lot better than that.
"The Accolade" is the first of two long-tracks on this album, clocking in a nearly ten minutes. It's also considerably slower than the opening trio of songs and has a more unconventional structure - even though there is a clear chorus, this song has abandoned the traditional verse - chorus structure in favour of a more winding structure with plenty of turns, breaks and instrumental sections. A special mention has to go to Russell Allen here - the chorus might just be his best vocal performance of his whole career, which is not a claim to make lightly. For quite a while, I preferred "Accolade II" to this one, but it has recently grown on me quite a bit and it is definitely one of the standouts on a great album.
With "Pharaoh", we have one of two songs that prevent this album from being my favourite Symphony X album, which is a shame, because this song does so many things right - awesome vocals, some great bass playing and an astounding instrumental section, but somehow it doesn't work together quite as well as I'd hope. It probably doesn't help that I'm no big fan of the vocal melodies in the chorus, they just sound... off to me somehow.
Luckily, "The Eyes of Medusa" brings things back on track quickly. Like many songs on this album, this one deals with mythological or historical topics, and while there are few Symphony X songs where I actively enjoy the lyrics, this is one of them. The music is brilliant as well, especially the main riff and the guitar solo, which is one of Romeo's less shreddy solos and all the better for it. The middle section took a while to grow on me, as I found the transition quite abrupt the first few listens, but it doesn't bother me now, and the actual section is brilliant - it's just the transitions in and out of it that are a little iffy.
The opening of "The Witching Hour" is quite good, but feels a little like "been there, done that". It's also the best part of the song. I can't pin down very well why I don't like the rest of the song - it might be the awkward vocal melodies - but this is the only song on this album that I would not sweat it, where I never to hear it again. It's not bad, per say, but quite bland and boring.
A 20-minute epic is something that pretty much every self-respecting prog band has to attempt at least once, but few bands manage create something as good as the title track here, and even fewer manage to do it on their first attempt. "The Divine Wings of Tragedy" is a journey into John Milton's "Paradise Lost", the tale of Adam and Eve's fall from paradise. It is also brilliant. Opening with a choirs that will send chills down your spine, only to transition into a "Mars, Bringer of War"-ish intro, from where it twists and turns over catchy vocal passages, guitar solos, mellow sections, bass leads into a calm an serene finish that is a worthy ending to such a glorious track. I won't describe every aspect of this song, because I doubt I can, but suffice to say that this song is absolutely magical in a way that only few tracks are.
The album closes out on a quieter note with "Candlelight Fantasia", a beautiful and haunting song about an artist, living in a world that doesn't appreciate his works. It's slow and simple and all the more powerful for it, especially when Allen reaches the chorus that he belts out, charged with emotion. The instrumental work here is good, but for me, Allen is the star of this one, and it's one of his finest vocal performances.
In summary, I'll say this: Symphony X proved with The Divine Wings of Tragedy, beyond all doubt, that they would become one of the big names in progressive metal, and deservedly so. If it weren't for two unfortunate songs, this would be a 5/5 album for, and definitely my favourite Symphony X disc. I can easily understand it when people herald this as the band's best. Anyone reading along to this thread looking for an introduction to Symphony X - this is where you start out. If you don't like this (though I don't understand how anyone could), then Symphony X isn't the band for you. If you do, they totally are.
1. The Divine Wings of Tragedy
2. Candlelight Fantasia
3. The Accolade
4. Of Sins and Shadows
5. Out of the Ashes
6. The Eyes of Medusa
7. Sea of Lies
8. Pharaoh
9. The Witching Hour
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Oddly, I'm not a big Sym X guy, but if I do have one go to album for them it would be Divine Wings.
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Either this or Twilight is my favorite SX album. Most likely the latter. The first four tracks and final two are amazing, and while the other three have their moments, they are not nearly as good. I consider the title track of Paradise Lost to be Russell's finest performance, though The Accolade comes somewhat close. Also, this title track is SX's best song. Love it from beginning to end.
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Oddly, I'm not a big Sym X guy, but if I do have one go to album for them it would be Divine Wings.
Tim, that's surprising. Symphony X is a top ten band for me
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Oddly, I'm not a big Sym X guy, but if I do have one go to album for them it would be Divine Wings.
Tim, that's surprising. Symphony X is a top ten band for me
I know. You'd think they'd be right in the TAC wheelhouse.
I just don't connect with Allen as a vocalist, and I feel like if the guitars were tuned a step or two higher, I'd like them a lot more. Great band, great singer, but they are really a "just miss" for me.
Like I said, I don't usually Sym X, but when I do, it's Divine Wings.
(https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/TheMostInterestingManInTheWorld_1426.jpg)
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Made my Top 50 - although they've come close , nothing they've released since has matched this album for me.
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this was my introduction to the band. Magical album.
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this was my introduction to the band. Magical album.
Moi aussi. Though I prefer The Odyssey to this one - but just barely.
To steal some of what I said in my Top 50 v2 writeup, this album reminds me a lot of Seinfeld. WTF you say? Well, Season 1 of Seinfeld was mediocre at best, and bland at worst. It’s amazing they got renewed. Parallel that to Symphony X’s self-titled debut. Season 2 of Seinfeld was an improvement, but still nothing terribly special. Ditto for Damnation Game. Then along comes Season 3/The Divine Wings of Tragedy. Brilliance achieved. There are amazing duelling solos and unisons, and two massive bombs in The Acolade and the title track. My only beef with this is the final track, Candlelight Fantasia. There’s nothing noticeably wrong with it, but after the sheer awesomeness that is the title track, they should’ve left us on that high. It’s like an awesome marathon lay, and then all she wants to do is talk-talk-talk, blah-blah-blah. Just let me doze off already! :lol (only somewhat serious)
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this was my introduction to the band. Magical album.
Same. A friend gave me this and TIO at the same time in 2000 and this was the first of the two I delved into. OSAS collapsed my urethra and gave me mesothelioma with its sheer awesomeness. I used to constantly watch the sweep tapping section from Sea of Lies' guitar/keyboard unison as soon as I discovered the Guitar Chapter's clips online.
Shame on you, though, Scrop for forgetting to mention Pinella's very likely greatest moment in SX history in the Accolade where he (at 7:27) flawlessly, gracefully, and elegantly layers, one at a time, four separate melodies with four distinctly different patches (bells, weird patch that sounds cool but I can't pinpoint, violin, then finally, piano) creating a phenomenal wall of sound. The addition of a guitar melody then makes five different ones coexisting without any clutter or hint of overambitiousness and, just for good measure, the bass line is melodic enough that it's basically a sixth melody. Crazily complex and neat shit indeed.
The title track's been my favorite track by any band ever since 2000 and it'll take me getting tired of it for that to ever change since I strongly doubt the chances of any other song trumping it.
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I guess I'll be the party pooper and say that I don't find this album to be a notable stepup from the last one. Yea it has the stunning title track which often fights Odyssey for my favorite SX song, right now I think I'd say it's the best one. But aside from that, I really don't think this album is that much better than Damnation Game. In a lot of ways, I find TDG is even better. That's not to say it's a bad album, cause it's really fantastic. I just don't think it's on another level like most claim it to be. Aside from the epic, you have The Accolade, which is a great song but I'm not sure if I prefer it to The Edge of Forever. So the two epics are definitely at the top of the food chain, but then there's all the shorter songs, which is where this album fails to beat TDG for me. Some of these songs are really great (Out of the Ashes, Sins and Shadows) but for the most part they don't really beat my favorite songs from TDG. The title track, Dressed to Kill, Whispers, Shadows, every song is great really. The short songs on Divine Wings are good but I don't really listen to them outside of the album, unlike those on TDG.
I think a really perfect SX album could be made out of the best TDG and Divine Wings songs combined.
Anyway, Twilight In Olympus is where I think SX really started to hit their stride and the start of an unbeatable four album run. But this (and TDG) are still pretty damn close.
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Ah yes, my favourite album of theirs. It was also my introduction to them, with Of Sins And Shadows being the first song I ever heard from them.
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Even while Symphony X has been consistent after it, Divine Wings stands as their greatest effort imo :metal
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My favourite album by SX and the one album that got me hooked on their music. Sea Of Lies was the first song I heard from the album. I just loved their combination of classical influences with Metal without having an orchestra in the background.
Can't count the number of times I listened to The Accolade and the title track, epic on so many levels. Great melodies, atmospheric, epic, virtuosic, ethereal, epic, melodic just everything I love about this band is presented on this album. Love it and still do!
I wish the band would go back and bring back their neo-classical side and tone down the metal elements just a tiny bit but that's another topic.
1. The Divine Wings Of Tragedy
2. The Accolade
3. Sea Of Lies
4. Of Sins and Shadows
5. Candlelight Fantasia
6. Out Of The Ashes
7. Pharaoh
8. The Eyes Of Medusa
9. The Witching Hour
Looking up to the heavens
I can see what I left behind
Beneath the stars, moon and
warm sun
And all I know,
is my paradise has begun...
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This album is pretty great... pretty great, is that even a thing? Well, this album is it. The highlights of the album for me are the shorter songs like Out of the ashes, The Eyes of medusa and Of sins and shadows, although the closer is a gorgeous ballad. The title track is excellent, but not as impressive as The Odyssey. The only song that doesn't do it for me is The Accolade - it's been six years since I first heard it, and still nothing.
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I had a chance to spin this a few times yesterday at work but I'm not giving it a proper listen since my attention is divided. My impressions were that I like it better than the previous albums but I've yet to have that jaw-dropping moment. The only thing that did jump out at me was a negative impression of the harpsichord patch on the keyboards. I don't dig it.
...and I'm still not feeling the love for Allen's vocals. I may come around to it though--consider that I didn't really enjoy JLB's vocals for years.
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I'm almost embarrassed by my how I discovered SX story :blush
I heard about them in the mid 1990's, CD's were pretty much impossible to get in AU.
The only place was a Sydney metal store (still going BTW) had Japanese imports at $40 plus.
So I took the plunge and bought tDWoT and totally hated it, I can't remember why either.
Through the old Ytsejam mailing list I put it up for trade.
The guy who I traded with turned out to be an awesome guy and one of my best overseas mates.
So I still picked up TiO Japanese import $45, still have it, first pressing with postcards of all 4 SX album covers and a sticker.
That was what got me hooked on SX and to this day remains my fave from them.
Of course I realized my error with tDWoT and is now a close 2nd to TiO.
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After listening to this album again I realized that I don't hate The Witching Hour as much as I used to. The chorus still sucks, but it has some awesome riffage. The rest of the album has stayed the same. Awesome.
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After listening to this album again I realized that I don't hate The Witching Hour as much as I used to. The chorus still sucks, but it has some awesome riffage. The rest of the album has stayed the same. Awesome.
Yeah, that chorus is very underwhelming, but the rest of the song is pretty awesome.
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DWOT is an awesome album. It can be a lot to take though. I know I frequently have trouble making it to the title track, let alone all the way through it. Also, Candlelight Fantasia is an awesome song, but it feels pretty anticlimactic as a closer to such an epic album. I kind of wish they flipped the order to give it more of an "Along for the Ride + Illumination Theory" feel.
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Also, Candlelight Fantasia is an awesome song, but it feels pretty anticlimactic as a closer to such an epic album. I kind of wish they flipped the order to give it more of an "Along for the Ride + Illumination Theory" feel.
I disagree; the fade out of CF is one of the best album endings I have ever heard. It is up there with LtL. The end of the title track brings closure to the song, but feels incomplete as a way to end the record.
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I feel that a lot of 20 minute epics don't really provide proper closure to an album. It's good to follow it up with a shorter softer track to sorta act as an "ending credits" piece. Candlelight Fantasia is great for that.
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the fade out of CF is one of the best album endings I have ever heard.
It's good to follow it up with a shorter softer track to sorta act as an "ending credits" piece. Candlelight Fantasia is great for that.
Agree with both of these. And not just as an ending to the album, it is simply a great song on its own.
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Write-up for Twilight in Olympus tomorrow.
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https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/symphony-x-to-begin-recording-new-album-this-week/
I was gonna put this in the official thread but it seems to be locked, so apologies but, yeehaa!!
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https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/symphony-x-to-begin-recording-new-album-this-week/
I was gonna put this in the official thread but it seems to be locked, so apologies but, yeehaa!!
That's how long it's been since we had something about them to discuss. The thread got auto-locked due to lack of activity (right?). :lol
Good news though.
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https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/symphony-x-to-begin-recording-new-album-this-week/
I was gonna put this in the official thread but it seems to be locked, so apologies but, yeehaa!!
That's how long it's been since we had something about them to discuss. The thread got auto-locked due to lack of activity (right?). :lol
Good news though.
I just checked, the last post was from myself on the 27th of Feb 2013!! :lol
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This is great news!
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Only one year passed after the release of The Divine Wings of Tragedy, and in 1998, Symphony X followed up their to-date biggest hit with...
Twilight in Olympus (1998)
(https://www.metal-archives.com/images/3/2/0/2/3202.jpg)
01. Smoke and Mirrors (6:08)
02. Church of the Machine (8:57)
03. Sonata (1:25)
04. In the Dragon's Den (3:58)
05. Through the Looking Glass (13:06)
06. The Relic (5:03)
07. Orion - The Hunter (6:56)
08. Lady of the Snow (7:07)
This album would be no easy album to make. Drummer Jason Rullo left prior to the recording of this album due to what Michael Romeo describes as "personal problems", with both the band and Rullo himself being dissatisfied with the respective other party, leaving the band to record Twilight with drummer Thomas Walling, but things didn't really work out with him either. According to Romeo, he refused to make commitments to the band and soon grew disinterested in the kind of music that Symphony X was making. After Twilight, he left the band again, and Jason Rullo returned behind the drumkit, making this album the only Symphony X album without Jason Rullo on the drums.
This album also credits Michael Pinella with "knives and chainsaw juggling", a joking reference to an injury that Pinella had obtained during some house work, when he was being careless with a butter knife. Much to the band members relief - who had no idea of what had occured until Pinella came into the studio with a bandaged hand - he recovered fully and was able to record all the keyboard parts on the album with little difficulty. They decided to reference this almost-tragedy with some cheeky liner-notes.
Anyway, let's talk music. "Smoke and Mirrors" opens in what might be most neoclassical shredding that Symphony X have ever recorded - a brilliant guitar/harpsichord unison, before exploding into a furious riff. Both the verses and the chorus are full of energy and always a joy to listen to - it's not hard to see why this is the song that they choose to play live when representing this album. Funnily enough, it was also the first Symphony X song that I heard (after "Taunting the Notorious", but that didn't leave much of an impression), even before my first Dream Theater song, and unlike with Dream Theater, it was love at first listen, making Symphony X the first progressive band that I really got into. To this day, "Smoke and Mirrors" remains one of my favourite songs by the band. I especially love the bridge section based on Bach's "Kyrie eleison" from the Mass in B Minor, one of my favourite Bach compositions.
"Church of the Machine" is very very good for most of its run, it's just that the outro feels very weird to me, very abrupt, without a real transition into the next track. The rest is great - that chorus is one of the most infectious things that Symphony X have ever written and the instrumental section is out of this world. Especially lauded should be Pinella's piano playing on this song, it's some of his best, and not even in a ballad!
"Sonata" is a short segue, based on Ludwig van Beethoven's "Pathetique", and it's a nice song in the context of the album, albeit not one that I'd listen to outside the album. It mainly works the way it works in the album's context because of the contrast of the soothing melodies of this one and...
...the aggressiveness of the follow-up "In the Dragon's Den". Everything is dialled up a notch here, speed-wise, and the solo-section is ridiculous. The verses are a little forgettable, but a great chorus more than makes up for that. This song also features some smoking bass playing and even a short bass solo. And yes, Thomas Miller is still as brilliant as on the three previous songs.
"Through the Looking Glass" is this album's long-track, clocking in a little of 13 minutes. It's divided into three parts, though unlike the band's other multi-part songs, the parts here don't have their own titles, they're just Part I, Part II and Part III. This song shows Russell Allen at his absolute best - his first vocal parts is amazing, so much power and emotion in his voice. Lyrically, this song is based on Lewis Carroll's book of the same name, and the lyrics, while not often Symphony X's strong suite, are pretty damn awesome in their own right on this song. The music, as with most Symphony X epics, is godly, being just straight-forward enough to be catchy and to not bore people, and yet just out-there enough to remain interesting with repeated listens.
"The Relic" is another example of a typical, straight-forward Symphony X being done with great results. Awesome riffing, and infectious chorus and a jaw-dropping solo section, this song has, in a nut-shell, everything makes Symphony X awesome. It's not particularly unique among their catalogue, but certainly a very good example of their sound. It's also one of two songs on this album that have yet to be played live, something that I don't really understand, 'cause I'm sure that would absolutely slay live.
"Orion - The Hunter" is the other song on the album that has yet to be performed live, and while I can understand that, it's still a kick-ass song. The opening riff is one of my favourites and both the verse and chorus melodies are some of Symphony X's most unusual. without ever feeling awkward or unfitting. If I had to name one song on this album that I never see mentioned, despite being completely awesome, it'd be this one. One of the band's most underrated tracks, surely. And that solo section and the way it leads into the intro riff again is nothing short of pure brilliance.
"Lady of the Snow" is one of the band's most unique songs, featuring the use of Oriental scales and the use of a sitar in the intro. The lyrics are based on the Japanese legend of the snow spirit Yuki-onna, a supernatural being that would lure travellers to their death in the snow. Allen's performance on this song is amazing, similarly to his work on "Candlelight Fantasia". In fact, I often see this song compared with The Divine Wings of Tragedy's closer, and I might be in the minority, but I think that "Lady of the Snow" is the superior song of the two. One of my favourite closers ever, and definitely a top-tier Symphony X ballad.
All in all, I think it's pretty obvious that I'm a huge fan of this album. More, it's my favourite Symphony X album. There are several factors that contribute to this, I think. One is that it opens with my first real progressive song that I loved, so the opening of the album takes me back to my discovery what I would now consider one of my favourite genres. Another thing is how varied this album is - you have the standard straight-forward songs like "In the Dragon's Den" and "Smoke and Mirrors", but you also have uniquely structured songs like "Through the Looking Glass", the Oriental touches in "Lady of the Snow" or syncopated riffing of "Orion - The Hunter", all of which come together to make this an incredibly varied album. And third, this album is really quite short, by Symphony X standards, at least, clocking in at 52 minutes, and while few Symphony X albums are too long in my opinion, this album is as concise and to the point as they ever got, with astounding results.
I already said that the making of the album wasn't the easiest, and the same applied for the tour. During the tour, bassist Thomas Miller started to have troubles with touring, exhibiting symptons of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, regular sickness and anxiety attacks. Michael Romeo also adds that Miller appeared to become more and more religious over the tour and more and more withdrawn from his bandmates. During the tour, Thomas Miller left Symphony X and was replaced with Andy DeLuca, who left before they could even begin to record their next album. Jason Rullo did return after the tour, but I do think that Miller's absence is felt a lot stronger in current Symphony X than Rullo's ever was. But more on those line-up changes when we discuss the next album.
1. Through the Looking Glass
2. Lady of the Snow
3. Smoke and Mirrors
4. Orion - The Hunter
5. Church of the Machine
6. The Relic
7. In the Dragon's Den
8. Sonata
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Another great album , but IMO doesn't quite reach the heights of DWOT - the production lacks it's killer punch too.
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I adore this album, probably even more than DWOT. As said above, the production is a little thin, but I love the songs.
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Twilight was my first SX album and for that, it holds a special place in my heart. Both this one and Divine Wings would have been absolutely blissful with Paradise Lost's production.
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Very underrated, and in my humble opinion, essential album in their devellopement.
Love Through the Looking glass, Smoke and mirrors, and Lady of the snow.
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Twilight was my first SX album and for that, it holds a special place in my heart. Both this one and Divine Wings would have been absolutely blissful with Paradise Lost's production.
Couldn't disagree more. Paradise Lost's sound quality is my second to last favourite, only the self-titled's production ranks lower for me.
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Smoke and Mirrors was one of the first Symphony X songs I ever heard as it was available for download on their website along with several others, and for the life of me I can't figure out why I didn't like the chorus at the time. I don't mind it now, and the first 4 songs are great, but after Looking Glass, things go south. Gonna listen to see if my opinion changed at all.
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Fucking finally! I really hope it has more of the pre-Paradise Lost sound but with a more fresh spin to it. And please, let Allen actually sing this time! It's a shame that we have to go to side gigs like Star One to see him at his best nowadays.
Twilight in Olympus was my first album with SX and it blew me away right from the start and hasn't really become any worse over the years. It's truly an outstanding piece of music.
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Brilliant album, love it!
Great write up again Scorp
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I named this album one of my all time favorites in a top 50 I did about a year ago - it was probably in my top 20. Then today, for whatever reason, I doubted it for a second and thought whether this album is really that good. So I just gave it a spin, and what the hell was I thinking? It's perfect.
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I adore this album, probably even more than DWOT. As said above, the production is a little thin, but I love the songs.
For some reason the sub-par production never really hurt their music. When the production got 'professional' on PL and Iconoclast, they instead screwed up on the mastering.. Old SymX is more listenable to my ears, maybe due to the difference in style though.
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Great album. Allen singing decent melodies and strong hooks. Best SX album so far.
Production wise i've heard far worse but early SX always sounded like something was missing. Latter day SX sounds like something should be taken out. Did Romeo play Strats in those days? They never sound great for metal.
I dig the Yngwie vibe of early SX though.
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The production has never been an issue for me, sounded great back in the day and still sound good when I played it on the weekend.
My version is a Japanese first pressing, in over-sized slipcase, with postcards and a sticker. Cost me $45 back in 1998, but well worth it.
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This is also my favorite SX album. It and PL are the only SX albums in which I adore every track. There is not a single weak moment on the entire record. Particular highlights are the entirety of the first two, the aggressive chorus of Looking Glass, and Orion's prechorus. Love this album.
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This is a really great album.
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The Divine Wings of Tragedy
Oops. Missed this one. I think this is the old one that I have. Listened a couple of times, and shelved it. But at least we have finally gotten to a SX album that I actually have. More to say when we get to V.
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TIO is a weird one for me, I loved it when I first got it, but now I don't really listen to it at all anymore. I never got into Through The Looking Glass, just a little too cheesy imo, even for Symphony X standards. In The Dragon's Den however is my favourite song on here and one of my favourite straightforward SX songs.
...and I'm still not feeling the love for Allen's vocals. I may come around to it though--consider that I didn't really enjoy JLB's vocals for years.
Just wait till you hear The Odyssey :2metal:
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TIO is a weird one for me, I loved it when I first got it, but now I don't really listen to it at all anymore.
This is true for me too, actually. Everything up to Through the Looking Glass is perfection, then it kinda drops off after that. My favorite of the final three is The Hunter, but the chorus to that is identical to Fallen and I'd much rather just listen to that.
As a complete album though it's a lot of fun to listen to and very to the point. They're really starting to show their strengths here.
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I can't recall how familiar Hunter and Fallen are, but I remember reading that V was supposed to be one big song for a second disc on TiO but that didn't work out because of the lable, much like ACOS was supposed to be on I&W and Metropolis 2 on FII.
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I can't recall how familiar Hunter and Fallen are, but I remember reading that V was supposed to be one big song for a second disc on TiO but that didn't work out because of the lable, much like ACOS was supposed to be on I&W and Metropolis 2 on FII.
Both choruses share a melody (which is annoying and Circus Maximus has used this melody too) but the entire choruses aren't identical.
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Twilight was my first SX album and for that, it holds a special place in my heart. Both this one and Divine Wings would have been absolutely blissful with Paradise Lost's production.
Couldn't disagree more. Paradise Lost's sound quality is my second to last favourite, only the self-titled's production ranks lower for me.
Really? Paradise Lost, for me, is SX's best sounding album.
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I can't recall how familiar Hunter and Fallen are, but I remember reading that V was supposed to be one big song for a second disc on TiO but that didn't work out because of the lable, much like ACOS was supposed to be on I&W and Metropolis 2 on FII.
Both choruses share a melody (which is annoying and Circus Maximus has used this melody too) but the entire choruses aren't identical.
That's true. Fallen's chorus is far superior anyway. Better chord progression underneath as well. It's a more exciting song too. One of my favorites.
By the way, I remember reading about V being a big song on TIO but never that it'd take up a second disc. Doesn't TIO have enough room for a ~20 minute epic?
Twilight was my first SX album and for that, it holds a special place in my heart. Both this one and Divine Wings would have been absolutely blissful with Paradise Lost's production.
Couldn't disagree more. Paradise Lost's sound quality is my second to last favourite, only the self-titled's production ranks lower for me.
Really? Paradise Lost, for me, is SX's best sounding album.
Agreed. I wish all the SX albums sounded like that. I have to say I really hate the production on the pre-V albums. They're all pretty bad imo. Odyssey is much better but still not as great as I'd like.
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TIO is a weird one for me, I loved it when I first got it, but now I don't really listen to it at all anymore.
I'm a bit the same now that you mention it - played it just as much as DWOT when I first got it but nowhere near it now. Great album regardless :D
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Album 2 of what I think may very we'll be the best four-album run in prog-metal. As far as their Epics go, TTLG is just ok. It's a great song, but compared to their other big tracks, it's painfully obvious that it is fourth in a four horse race. Other first half is better than the second, but I wouldn't say there's a noticeable drop off. I agree, Tom, Lady of the Snow > Candlelight Fantasia. Easily.
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I only ever listened to the first half, but The Relic thru Lady In The Snow are good songs too. The Relic and Orion are standard fare Symphony X songs, but they're a good listen. Lady In The Snow is great, but I still prefer Candlelight Fantasia if we're comparing the two.
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Candlelight Fantasia was my favourite SX song for a while. I don't think it is anymore, but still I prefer it to Lady Of The Snow by a long shot.
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Wrap this one up gaiz, V write-up tomorrow.
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I love talkin about V.
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8 fucking years and I still called the album VEE instead of FIVE. Drives me nuts.
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8 fucking years and I still called the album VEE instead of FIVE. Drives me nuts.
So do I. Although strangely I call Spock's Beard's "V" Five. My brain is odd.
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I always say Vee for both SX and Spock's Beard. Sounds better to me.
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I always say Vee for both SX and Spock's Beard. Sounds better to me.
I used to as well, but when you've seen about a dozen different videos/instances of Neal Morse talking about Spock's Beard's "Five Album", it's hard to go back to "Vee". In that case, their "Ex" album is Spock's Beard's "Ten".
-Marc.
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I know that Roman numerals are supposed to be pronounced as "The fifth" or whatever number's being used when they follow a name (Louis the fifth as opposed to Louis five) so does this carry over to creative works as well?
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I know that Roman numerals are supposed to be pronounced as "The fifth" or whatever number's being used when they follow a name (Louis the fifth as opposed to Louis five) so does this carry over to creative works as well?
Interesting. I'm not sure, because usually when a roman numeral means "the n'th" it's succeeding a word or title or whatever. I wonder what the rule is when it's by itself.
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Final Fantasy VII isn't "Final Fantasy the seventh".
It's Final Fantasy 7. It applies to games that way, I'm sure its the same for music.
V means 5, I would think. Not "the fifth".
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It should be fifth in the case of Symphony X though. That makes the most sense right? You could call it "Fifth Symphony X".
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Symphony X V = Symphony 15
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https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/symphony-xs-new-album-will-really-please-the-bands-old-fans/
Regarding the musical direction of the new SYMPHONY X material, SYMPHONY X bassist Michael LePond told the "Talking Metal" podcast (hear audio below): "I think this album is not gonna be as heavy as our last one, 'Iconoclast'. If I had to compare this one, I would say it's a combination of [2002's] 'The Odyssey' meets [2007's] 'Paradise Lost'. It has a lot of classic SYMPHONY X elements in it, and I think our old fans are really gonna appreciate this one. So we're really excited about it. And hopefully we can get it all recorded by the end of the year and then hopefully get it released early spring."
According to LePond, "It wasn't a conscious decision to go back to the older sound; it just kind of happened. That's the way we write songs. We just start writing songs, and wherever it takes us, it takes us. But there's a lot of really cool, classic SYMPHONY X things in there. It's very, very musical. It concentrates just more on solid songs and great melodies."
The bassist also spoke about SYMPHONY X's continued success and seeming ability to gain new fans without compromising the musical ideals that form its core identity.
"One thing that's really amazing about SYMPHONY X and about our fans is, it seems like every record, we move up a little bit more, we get just a little bit more popular," he said. "We don't jump up into stardom; it's a slow climb. I mean, the band's been together just about 20 years now, and it just seems like with every album, our fan base grows just a little bit more, and we've been able to hold the old fans too. So, thankfully, we're still growing."
He continued: "It's always an amazing thing to see someone really young discovering SYMPHONY X. It just gives you the gas to keep going and just keep working hard."
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It has a lot of classic SYMPHONY X elements in it, and I think our old fans are really gonna appreciate this one. So we're really excited about it. And hopefully we can get it all recorded by the end of the year and then hopefully get it released early spring."
According to LePond, "It wasn't a conscious decision to go back to the older sound; it just kind of happened. That's the way we write songs. We just start writing songs, and wherever it takes us, it takes us. But there's a lot of really cool, classic SYMPHONY X things in there. It's very, very musical. It concentrates just more on solid songs and great melodies."[/i]
All kinds of: :metal :metal
You do know we have a SX thread though?
https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=271.msg1859985#msg1859985
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Cool man thanks. I was looking for that the other day but the one I found in the band list sticky thread had an old one linked that was locked.
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Looking forward to the next review!
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Sorry about this, I was away for a while and quite stressed out. V will be up on Monday at the latest.
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Sorry about this, I was away for a while and quite stressed out. V will be up on Monday at the latest.
You're a slacker. You remind me of your father when he went here. He was a slacker, too.
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Ummm...its monday.... (points at wrist which has no watch)
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Yeah, good point. *points at Ben_Jamin's watchless wrist*
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I have sucked at updating this, because of moving and settling into college. Many apologies. Also apologies for the retarded-looking thread title. What can you do.
During the tour of Twilight in Olympus, Thomas Miller felt that touring wasn't what he wanted to do, and left Symphony X. According to Michael Romeo, even the band themselves are quite unsure as to exactly why he felt the need to do this. Thomas Miller had been an integral part of the sound of the band since day one, so it was interesting to see how the arrival of bassist Mike LePond - now the third Michael in the band - would shape the band's sound. Thomas Walling left as well, after playing only on one album, but since Jason Rullo returned behind the drum kit, that change wasn't actually that severe. After signing onto the major label Inside Out in early 2000, Symphony X released...
V: The New Mythology Suite (2000)
(https://www.metal-archives.com/images/3/1/9/9/3199.jpg)
01. Prelude (1:07)
02. Evolution (The Grand Design) (5:20)
03. Fallen (5:51)
04. Transcendence (Segue) (0:38)
05. Communion and the Oracle (7:45)
06. The Bird-Serpent War / Cataclysm (4:02)
07. On the Breath of Poseidon (Segue) (3:01)
08. Egypt (7:04)
09. The Death of Balance / Lacrymosa (3:42)
10. Absence of Light (4:58)
11. A Fool's Paradise (5:48)
12. Rediscovery (Segue) (1:24)
13. Rediscovery (Part II) - The New Mythology (12:01)
This is the band's first try at a concept album, and one of and-and-a-half concept albums in their discography (the general populus seems divided as to whether Paradise Lost should be counted in this category as well), and is also the first album of theirs to feature the now-costumary opening track. Just like many concept albums, it features segue tracks, and a pretty great flow. The lyrical concept has
something to with Atlantis and... stuff, I guess. I haven't found much on it, and I won't be sitting down with the lyrics anytime soon, so that's all I've got.
Out of all Symphony X, this definitely has the most references to and quotations from classical music, featuring excerpts from Verdi's Requiem, Mozart's Requiem a Bach concerto, a Bach cantata and even some Bartok. While neoclassical aspects of metal often come across as cheesy, no-one does it as well as Symphony X, and on the whole, the classical references are pretty damn well done.
The production is pretty good, and might be one of my favourite Symphony X productions. Every instrument is given the proper room to breathe, with only the bass not standing out quite as much, but that's mainly because LePond's playing just isn't as versatile and interesting as Miller's was - he's often doubling guitar lines - and no production fault.
Anyway, enough preamble. Onto the songs.
"Prelude" is a one-minute intro track, pretty much lifted straight from Mozart's "Requiem", but that's okay. It sets the mood nicely, and it's one of the better versions of "Dies Irae" that I know, so I'm not complaining.
"Evolution (The Grand Design)" is the first real track, and it's glorious. Thundering riffs, enough time-signature changes to make your head spin while sounding perfectly natural and what is probably one of the best Symphony X choruses in the history of forever, this is an amazing opener. Really, it's got everything you want from a 5-minute Symphony X song, including an awe-inspiring vocal performance and a brief, face-melting solo section.
"Fallen" is a little slower and a little less immediate, but equally good. The chorus is an true work of beauty and the instrumental section is one of my favourites. While this one was one of my least favourites initially, it grew on me like no other song did and it's now one of my favourites. It leads directly into "Transcendence (Segue)" - indeed, the two are combined on Symphony X's live album Live on the Edge of Forever into one track - which is a serviceable segue, but nothing more.
"Communion and the Oracle" is one of the fan-favourites from this album, but I'll admit that it has never really truly grabbed me like other songs have. To me, it's just a slightly lesser version of "The Accolade" and its successor, and a little too long for its own good. The two solo sections are pretty damn sweet though, and the "Raise your hands up to the sky" section is one of my favourite vocal moments on the album. It's just the shame that the rest of the song leaves me rather cold.
"The Bird-Serpent War / Cataclysm" a straight-up headbanger, much like "Evolution", but it lacks the catchiness to be as good as the opener. There are some lovely vocal moments and quite a few outstanding melodies, especially in the chorus, but the other instruments are too run-of-the-mill to make this anything more than a good song. Romeo's solo is a good example of this - it's technically impressive and pretty cool when you hear it, but there's just not a lot memorable offered here.
"On the Breath of Poseidon (Segue)" is, like the title implies, a segue. The problem is that it's too long for that, and it suffers from that. While this one, unlike "Transcendence" actually features the band, it's pretty clear that it's just a transitionary track, and a little aimless, especially for being a whole damn three minutes. This is one of the few songs where I prefer the live version, because it's slightly lengthened, but also made about ten times more interesting by featuring some truly inspired soloing by Romeo. However, the studio version of this one doesn't really do anything to me, and it's the final track off what I'd consider to be this album's quality slump.
"Egypt" is something special. There is some great sitar work in the intro, and it works amazingly. While the riffs after that feel a little more familiar, they are inspired enough and don't detract from what truly carries this song - Allen's amazing vocals, especially in the chorus (anyone recognising a theme here?), but also Pinella's inspired key playing, like that piano outro. The instrumental section of this song is remarkable in its sense of melody and its restraint, with it featuring next-to-no shredding from either Romeo or Pinella and being a whole lot better for it.
"The Death of Balance" starts out with some classical instruments but quickly segues into the most technical song on the record, with some insane time-signature switches, some awesome drumming and quite a few awesome shredding licks thrown in there for good measure. Despite all that, the song remains cohesive and interesting enough, which is probably helped by the fact that it's actually quite short. It leads quite nicely into "Lacrymosa", another classicaly lifted piece, and it serves as a nice counterpoint to the insanity of "The Death of Balance" in its calmness. The two work together very well - a lot better than "The Death of Balance / Candlelight Fantasia" that can be found on the live album.
"Absence of Light" is one of the less-talked tracks here, and that's a shame. It's not my absolute favourites, but it's a very good song, especially - you said it - in the chorus, which has some of the best backing vocals in the album. If the whole song were as good, then this might even be my favourite on the album, but sadly, the rest is rather a little more pedestrian, though by no means boring or bad.
"A Fool's Paradise" is probably the most underrated track in the band's whole discog, and my favourite on the album. Everything about this song is just amazing - that tight riffing, the verses, that chorus... Plus, that whole Verdi quote is the best use of classical music in metal, ever. It's just awe-inspiring a perfect lead into a goddamn amazing instrumental section. The only thing that I'm not a fan of is the outro, though it works in the context of the album. This, more than any other song in their catalogue, is the perfect description of their sound - at least outside of the epic framework - and my #3 Symphony X song of all time.
"Rediscovery (Segue)" is a serviceable segue, but, again, not a whole lot more. The real meat lies in...
"Rediscovery (Part II) - The New Mythology" is a good song, on the whole. The problem that I have with it is that I expected it to better, both because Symphony X are pretty damn great with longer tracks, and because it's supposed to be the culmination of the album. I find that it meanders too much and is the least cohesive of their epics. It has a few moments of brilliance - first and foremost the "Bow down to me" part and the ensuing piano part, but most of the rest is just too standard Symphony X to truly stand out, and this album deserves a better conclusion than that.
On the whole, this is a pretty good album. There are no real stinkers here, but quite a few songs that I feel fairly indifferent about, which are - sadly - also some of the longer tracks on the album. The flow is great, and I enjoy listening to this album, but the real gems are just too few and too far between to consider this one of the band's best, especially judging against that back catalogue.
1. A Fool's Paradise
2. Egypt
3. Fallen
4. Evolution (The Grand Design)
5. Absence of Light
6. The Death of Balance / Lacrymosa
7. Communion and the Oracle
8. Rediscovery (Part II) - The New Mythology
9. The Bird-Serpent War / Cataclysm
10. Prelude
11. Rediscovery (Segue)
12. On the Breath of Poseidon (Segue)
13. Transcendence (Segue)
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My first SX album and my favourite. It took a while to get into as I don't find the hooks that memorable but its well played and I like the feel of the album.
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Definitely overall my favorite Symphony X album, although some albums have a few better stand alone songs. This is really a suite, meant to be listened to as a whole in the way of Scenes from a Memory. It was also my first Symphony X album by the way. 9/10.
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"Fallen" was the song that got me into SX. Love this album!
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"A Fool's Paradise" is probably the most underrated track in the band's whole discog, and my favourite on the album. Everything about this song is just amazing - that tight riffing, the verses, that chorus... Plus, that whole Verdi quote is the best use of classical music in metal, ever. It's just awe-inspiring a perfect lead into a goddamn amazing instrumental section. The only thing that I'm not a fan of is the outro, though it works in the context of the album. This, more than any other song in their catalogue, is the perfect description of their sound - at least outside of the epic framework - and my #3 Symphony X song of all time.
:metal :metal :metal
This album was my introduction to SX and A Fool's Paradise has always been my favorite song from it by FAR.... also agree that it is terribly underrated. It's pretty much perfect in every way.
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Ah, now we're at the good stuff. I must split my rating into categories:
Music: 10/10. Spectactular. Easily this band's best work from start to finish on a single album. I echo everything positive you said above.
Vocals: 10/10. Russ is just fantastic. Given that this was my second Symphony X album (I started with The Odyssey and began working my way backward), I was almost ready to declare Russ my favorite vocalist by this time. But then we eventually got Omerta, and...well, you know.
Lyrics/concept: 6/10. At times, there is some really clever stuff going on. But as a whole, it doesn't work for me. And that is why this is my second favorite Symphony X album, although it is close.
A few other quick points: The one-two punch of Prelude/Evolution is perhaps the best opening of a metal album ever. I have this album on my computer here at work, and I am dying to put it on right now, but it deserves to be played at ludicrious volume, which I cannot do here. :(
Egypt is spectacular. My favorite song on the album. It was the first one that really grabbed me, and it has not let go after all these years. I love the parallel lyrics, and the bonecrushing riff the second time through.
Just a great album overall.
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Also my first Sym X album and it´s still my favourite. The chorusses are insane on this one. One of the few cd´s that make me want to put on my headphones and scream the lyrics out loud.
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Their second best one, after Divine Wings.
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This album fared a lot better today than it did the last time I listened to it (no idea when that was, it's been years). A little surprising, actually. Communion and the Oracle especially stood out.
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My first Symphony X album. At the time, it took me a long time to get into this album. I felt it was massive, with the segues making it feel like a 60 minute song. But once I broke it down into pieces and began to digest it (I feel like I'm talking about a meal here...), I began to first appreciate it, and then loving it like crazy. As you said, the choruses are amazing! And Egypt is one of the most unique songs they've ever done. And as always, Russel Allen is on fire!
:metal
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My first SX album, I'm happy to know A Fools Paradise is well liked. It's a shame they never played that song.
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I'm with Bosk that musically and vocally it's stellar, but he concept is pretty weak... Which makes it my 3rd fave S-X album.
Greet writeup Tom
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The issue with V is that it is the third album in one of my favorite 5 album runs, and is the weakest of said five. Russell is awesome; this is his best performance up to this point, though I prefer his harsher approach on the following two records. Of the first 7 tracks, the only one that stands out is Communion and the Oracle. The rest is good, but not all that memorable. Then, everything from Egypt to the penultimate track is amazing, with A Fool's Paradise being my favorite on the album.
My biggest (and really only) issue with the album is how the solo sections are just... not all that good. Which is a shame, as all of the previous three albums had killer leads.
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This album is good, although nowhere as catchy and interesting to my ears as its predecessors. It's no wonder they had to turn up the guitars on their next releases - a change was rather needed because their classic style became kind of stale with this album. Evolution, Fallen and Absence of light are great, though.
EDIT: And yeah, the most interesting thing about this album is the similarity of the album covers between SX's V and SB's V. ;D
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Hey, are we still doing this thread? Just curious.
I am listening to V right now, by the way. I was reminded that Communion and the Oracle has some awesome call and response going on throughout.
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A brilliant album. Communion and the Oracle remains my favorite SX song. So beautiful.
And that's all I have to say about that.
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Rediscovery I & II give me a barrel of boners every time.
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This thread appears to be badly in need of an update.
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hefdaddy42 lays the pipe on this thread
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Why is hefdaddy even in this thread?
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Why is hefdaddy even in this thread?
Why are YOU in this thread?
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Who was phone?
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Why is hefdaddy even in this thread?
Why are YOU in this thread?
Because I like Symphony X. YOU do not. Now leave before I call the authorities.
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Why is hefdaddy even in this thread?
Why are YOU in this thread?
Because I like Symphony X. YOU do not. Now leave before I call the authorities.
I am the authorities. That's why I'm in the thread.
I'm in EVERY thread.
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Why is hefdaddy even in this thread?
Why are YOU in this thread?
Because I like Symphony X. YOU do not. Now leave before I call the authorities.
I am the authorities. That's why I'm in the thread.
I'm in EVERY thread.
You're Chicken Man.
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I have a funny story about that.
But this is neither the right time nor the right place.
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Why is hefdaddy even in this thread?
Why are YOU in this thread?
Because I like Symphony X. YOU do not. Now leave before I call the authorities.
I am the authorities. That's why I'm in the thread.
I'm in EVERY thread.
Oh yeah? You aren't in the KrotchRaut thread. Poor job performance. 3 day suspension.
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You aren't in the KrotchRaut thread.
Is anyone else?
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That's not the point...
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That's not the point...
It is, in fact, the only point of which I am aware.
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That's not the point...
It is, in fact, the only point of which I am aware.
In other words...
(https://home.comcast.net/~gregg-townsend/banned.jpg)
"Trick or treat, MF'er!"
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Its a shame A Fools Paradise hasn't been played live, as far as I know.
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lol boskie
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That's funny, I totally forgot about this thread.
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Seems as though Scrop has too!
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Yeah, that's kind of why I'm in the thread.
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I won't bore you with details, but real life has kinda been a bitch and I kinda forgot that this was going on amidst all the other craziness. Sorry about that - I have already written the remaining two write-ups, so it definitely won't happen again.
Onwards!
After the release of the wildly successful V: The New Mythology Suite, Symphony X went on an extensive tour that was larger than any previous tours. To celebrate this, they recorded the confusingly-titled Live on the Edge of Forever, which, despite the title, didn't feature any tracks from the first two albums - a shame, if you ask me, but oh well. The album received mixed reviews - which I find pretty generous, to be quite honest. All the performances are great, but I have honestly heard better sounding bootlegs. I'm not someone that is easily bothered by audio quality, so that says something about this release. It's also why we won't really examine it in detail - it's just kinda bad. Plus, all tracks are quite similar to the studio versions. People interested can listen to "The Death of Balance / Candlelight Fantasia", which is a kinda neat segue, but the rest is ultimately worthless.
Undeterred by all this, the band - this time without any lineup changes - entered the studio in early 2002 to begin recording their sixth album. Unlike previous albums, which were at least partly recorded in other studios, this album is the first Symphony X album to be recorded at Michael Romeo's private studio in its entirety - a trend that would continue for subsequent albums. This allowed the band to take all the time that they needed, and I think that it shows - The result is the album that is eternally warring with The Divine Wings of Tragedy for the spot of my second favourite Symphony X album: 2002's...
The Odyssey (2002)
(https://www.metal-archives.com/images/7/9/0/1/7901.jpg)
01. Inferno (Unleash the Fire) (5:32)
02. Wicked (5:32)
03. Incantations of the Apprentice (4:22)
04. Accolade II (7:53)
05. King of Terrors (6:19)
06. The Turning (4:44)
07. Awakenings (8:21)
08. The Odyssey (24:09)
The Odyssey marks a stylistic shift that Symphony X would continue on the two following albums - the vocals became rougher, the guitars became more aggressive and in-your-face, while the keyboard lost some of its importance. While this is a shift that I'm not really all that happy about, The Odyssey is still close enough to their old sound that it still works. Still, it is a herald of things to come, and of a stylistic shift that not everyone will enjoy. This also reflects in the reviews - while the general reception of this album has been positive, there are quite a few reviewers that gave this album two or three stars, one prominent example being AllMusic.
"Inferno (Unleash the Fire)" opens the album with a furious guitar riff that immediately reassures us that Romeo has lost nothing in terms of technical skill. The verses display Russell Allen's gruffer vocals for the first time, but he shines in the chorus and shows us that he can still sing like nobody's business. The instrumental section feels a little more redundant than in perhaps other songs, but mainly because the whole song features Romeo shredding and Pinella's solo patch is kinda... eh. Still, the song is, all in all, a win - mainly due to that amazing chorus.
"Wicked" is one of the weaker songs on this album, but it's still quite good. The main riff is pretty damn headbangable, and the verses have a pretty awesome vocal melody - it's not entirely familiar or expected, but it doesn't feel disjointed. However, the chorus is kind of a let-down and doesn't really go anywhere. The instrumental section saves the song though, with an awe-inspiring solo by Romeo that is even better for its brevity. The bridge after the solo is pretty good too, though what really makes it is the transition into the main riff. All in all, this song is pretty damn good let down only by a sub-par chorus.
"Incantations of the Apprentice" is, I feel, quite an underrated song. It has a great keyboard groove, some unconventional riffing that keeps things fresh, a great performance by Allen on the vocals and an awesome prechorus. Again, the chorus is what lets this song down, which is weird, as Symphony X's chorus are generally spot-on. The guitar solo is one of my absolute favourites from Romeo, mainly due to some really cool harmonics and then that incredible sweep in the second half. I like this one a lot more than "Wicked" and "Inferno", so while it may not be perfect, it's still a severly underrated song.
"Accolade II" achieves a rare feat - it is a sequel that actually matches its predecessors brilliance. For a long time, I actually preferred this to "The Accolade", and while that is no longer the case, it's not a case of this song becoming worse, it's just that "The Accolade" grew on me a lot. Anyway, there are many brilliant things about this song, but the best thing is unquestionably the vocals - both the verses and the chorus (HOLY SHIT GUYS THAT CHORUS!!!) are nothing short of brilliant. Another thing that I love about this song is Pinella's presence on the piano - he's a little underused on this album, but the tracks where he shines, he shows why he's one of progressive metal's finest keyboarders.
"King of Terrors" might just be the band's heaviest song up until this point. The main riff is simple, but amazingly powerful at the same time. Russell's gruffer singing style works perfectly on this song, and the chorus is a thing of beauty. However, despite this song being amazingly heavy, Pinella plays a heavy role in it, with backing keys under the riffs in the verses and some great piano playing in the pre-chorus. The instrumental section isn't one of my absolute favourites, but it's still great, and contains one of my favourite LePond bass moments, which must be treasured, due to them being much rarer than Thomas Miller's standout bass moments.
"The Turning" is another track that is rarely mentioned, much like "Incantations of the Apprentice", but that's where the similarities end. While the former is creative and exciting, "The Turning" is probably as close to generic as Symphony X can get - a boring riff, shred solos that go nowhere a chorus, that, while catchy, lacks something special. On the up side, it's quite short, and the pre-chorus is pretty good, so it's not a total failure, and it's not a track I'd skip - but not a track that I particularly seek out either. It's just kinda there, and on an album of this calibre, that sadly means that it's going to be my least favourite.
"Awakenings" might just be Symphony X's most underrated song ever. I would call this "The Edge of Forever"'s spiritual successor, featuring heavy use of piano, an unconventional song structure, a shitload of amazing solos and a brilliant chorus, and while many people (rightfully) love "The Edge of Forever", this is a song that I rarely see mentioned. I could just spend a few hundred words on how this song is amazing, but I'd just end mentioning every single part, so I'll just say this: this is one of the very few Symphony X songs that I would consider perfect, and it's my favourite on the album.
"The Odyssey", the gargantuan title track is a fan favourite, and it made #2 in our Symphony X survivor last year, and while I personally don't agree with that, it's still a great song that tells an epic story in a way that few other songs could, and it shows all the facets of Symphony X's sound, from serene and beautiful to all-out aggression, from complexity to catchiness. The only real problem that I have with this song, and the reason why I don't rate it as highly as most others seem to do, are the two orchestral sections that don't really contribute a lot, sound quite cheesy and are just generally too long and too interesting, thus breaking up the flow (well, the first orchestral section is the overture, but Sirens features of lot of orchestra too, and that's what breaks the songs flow). If some of those parts were cut or reworked, this would have the potential to become one of my favourite songs of all time - the other sections, especially the closing "Champion of Ithaca" are certainly amazing enough.
In summary, this album is really good. There are a few songs that stay below their potential ("Wicked", I'm looking at you) and one song that is a noticeable drop in quality ("The Turning"), but on the whole, the album is of an incredibly high quality, and quite consistent to boot. While it marks a shift in musical style, this one straddles the middle between early and later-day Symphony X quite well, making this an album that both fans of the newer style and the band's older work should enjoy. It is also the album that I would probably use to introduce a newbie to the band - at least, if he came from a more metal background, as opposed to a prog background. While I don't quite hold this in the same high regard as I used to (it used to be my favourite Symphony X album, and #10 of all time), this is still an album that I can put on at any time and enjoy.
1. Awakenings
2. Accolade II
3. King of Terrors
4. The Odyssey
5. Incantations of the Apprentice
6. Inferno (Unleash the Fire)
7. Wicked
8. The Turning
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I won't bore you with details, but real life has kinda been a bitch and I kinda forgot that this was going on amidst all the other craziness. Sorry about that - I have already written the remaining two write-ups, so it definitely won't happen again.
No sweat buddy. I figured it was something like that. Trust me, no one knows more than me how life can intrude on a continuing enterprise like this. Hope everything works out for you.
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I won't bore you with details, but real life has kinda been a bitch and I kinda forgot that this was going on amidst all the other craziness. Sorry about that - I have already written the remaining two write-ups, so it definitely won't happen again.
No sweat buddy. I figured it was something like that. Trust me, no one knows more than me how life can intrude on a continuing enterprise like this. Hope everything works out for you.
Totally. Real life is more important that writing about Symphony X on the Internet. Don't worry about it.
As far as The Odyssey, this was my gateway album to the band. First album I ever heard from them. Can't remember if I got it in 2003 or early 2004, but it hooked me right away. Standout tracks to me would be...ALL OF THEM. Seriously, not a single track I would consider weak or that I do not like (not counting the bonus re-record of Masquerade on the special edition; not that I don't like it, but I do consider it weaker than the rest of the album). This album is, quite simply, Symphony X perfection as far as I am concerned.
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I disagree with you here; Incantations of the Apprentice is easily the weakest track on the album, The Turning is in the top half, and Scylla and Charbidis is the best part of the title track. Though our top tracks are the same.
Allen really steps up here. His performance here easily beats that of V, which was his best up to this point. The harsher vocals sound really good, and the melodic singing is just...downright beautiful at parts. The solos are not nearly as good as on the first three Russell albums, though they are a definite step up from the mediocrity of V's.
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The only thing I don't like about this album is the production. It doesn't sound good.
Luckily, Paradise Lost fixed everything in that department and took the sound to a whole new level.
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Luckily, Paradise Lost fixed everything in that department and took the sound to a whole new level.
Yeah, that's Jens Bogren for you.
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Yeah the sound isn't the best, I was listening the other day and to my ears it's almost demo quality.
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This is SX's pinnacle. It doesn't get better than this. Every track is killer and this is really the culmination of everything they had done up to this point. Production isn't very good but honestly none of the SX albums have good production aside from Paradise Lost so it's almost a non issue with me at this point.
Love the comments on Awakenings, Scorp. This song seems to be overshadowed by the title track, but it certainly holds up.
An essential prog metal album.
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Great writeup Tom. And don't let Bosk or Hef fool you... Internetz is serious business!!! :rollin :rollin
Best album of theirs by my standards, and the title track is flawless IMO. It could use a remaster, sure, but I'm not much of an audiophile, so the production doesn't bother me at all. Lots of comments above that I agree with ... "Pinnacle" ... "Perfection" ...
And Champions of Ithaca is borderline orgasmic.
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I'd like to know what demos you guys listen to for Odyssey to sound like a demo. :lol Symphony X never had world beating production before Paradise Lost, and maybe I'm thinking of old two track demos that sounded like they were recorded underwater, but I do have to wonder what demos you guys listen to to make that kind of comment.
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I'd like to know what demos you guys listen to for Odyssey to sound like a demo. :lol Symphony X never had world beating production before Paradise Lost, and maybe I'm thinking of old two track demos that sounded like they were recorded underwater, but I do have to wonder what demos you guys listen to to make that kind of comment.
seriously. i see so many bizarre comments like that about SX albums and Black Clouds & Silver Linings and it's like... show me the demo studio that did those! must have charged the band a fortune!
it's one thing not to like how they sound, but another entirely to say they sound like demos.
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I won't bore you with details, but real life has kinda been a bitch and I kinda forgot that this was going on amidst all the other craziness. Sorry about that - I have already written the remaining two write-ups, so it definitely won't happen again.
No sweat buddy. I figured it was something like that. Trust me, no one knows more than me how life can intrude on a continuing enterprise like this. Hope everything works out for you.
Standout tracks to me would be...ALL OF THEM. Seriously, not a single track I would consider weak or that I do not like (not counting the bonus re-record of Masquerade on the special edition; not that I don't like it, but I do consider it weaker than the rest of the album). This album is, quite simply, Symphony X perfection as far as I am concerned.
Pretty much this... I'm gonna be sick.
The Odyssey is a masterpiece, but I agree it could use some kind of remix, just to raise the bass level, otherwise I think the production sounds just fine.
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Yea it could use more bass is all. The bottom end just seems really flat. It doesn't sound like a demo, just not as dynamic sounding as it should be.
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fantastic album, my favorite from the band.
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Yea it could use more bass is all. The bottom end just seems really flat. It doesn't sound like a demo, just not as dynamic sounding as it should be.
Yeah agreed, there is little or no dynamics at all, hence me using the demo comparison.
CD Japan had the Japanese version going cheap with the 2 extra tracks, so I go that last month.
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Nothing beats DWOT for me , but this album comes close. I haven't really listened properly to Iconoclast but based on what I read I'm not expecting that to change what I said.
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Nothing beats DWOT for me , but this album comes close. I haven't really listened properly to Iconoclast but based on what I read I'm not expecting that to change what I said.
If you're comparing it to DWOT or The Odyssey, it won't change your mind.
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My 3rd favorite SyX album, it features the perfect balance between older proggy symphonic stuff and their newer heaviness. Loads of great songs, and the title track might be my favorite song by the guys.
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quality. A top 5 all-time song on an album with a bunch of other good songs.
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Nothing beats DWOT for me , but this album comes close. I haven't really listened properly to Iconoclast but based on what I read I'm not expecting that to change what I said.
I really do like Iconoclast, but it's nowhere near tDWOT.
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When Symphony X announced their follow-up to 2002's widely positively received The Odyssey in November 2005, nobody knew that the would would have to wait nearly two entire years for it, even though the band had promised to "pull it together". It's not entirely clear what the reason for the delay was, but in June 2007, the Symphony X fans of this world finally got...
Paradise Lost (2007)
(https://www.progarchives.com/progressive_rock_discography_covers/325/cover_20481130112008.jpg)
01. Oculus ex Inferni (2:34)
02. Set the World on Fire (The Lie of Lies) (5:55)
03. Domination (6:29)
04. Serpent's Kiss (5:03)
05. Paradise Lost (6:32)
06. Eve of Seduction (5:04)
07. The Walls of Babylon (8:16)
08. Seven (7:01)
09. The Sacrifice (4:49)
10. Revelation (Divus Pennae ex Tragoedia) (9:17)
Right off the bat, only from looking at the cover, it's clear that this is a darker and more aggressive album than any of the band's previous releases, and that's certainly true. While not as one-dimensional as the follow-up Iconoclast, this album is very much a metal album and very much less a prog album, and that's reflected in pretty much everything, from the heightened guitar presence over the song structures to the vocal style, everything here screams "metal". And while I get that that's something that people criticise, Paradise Lost is metal done so well, that I don't really care about that. Yeah, it's a lot less varied than previous albums, but it does what it does damn well.
Like the title track on the band's breakthrough album The Divine Wings of Tragedy, this album is loosely based on John Milton's epic poem "Paradise Lost", and it's a great theme, I think. The lyrics are still a little on the cheesy side, but Milton's poem helps keep them grounded. Due to this, and the grittiness of the vocals, I would argue that this is the least cheesy sounding Symphony X album, and even though I don't mind cheesiness in general, it's nice to have an album with less of it. Still, a few clichés just won't be denied, but that's okay - I certainly wouldn't have resisted the temptation of putting down a running time of 60:66 on my album, either.
Anyway, track by track. "Oculus ex Inferni" is an intro track. It's dark and menacing, but the overuse of choral effects somewhat cheapen the impact for me. Still, it's a serviceable intro - probably my favourite Symphony X intro track (with the other two being "Into the Dementia" and "Prelude") and it works well in the context of the album.
"Set the World on Fire (The Lie of Lies)" is a pretty approximation of what you're in for with this album. It's fast-paced, it's aggressive, it's technical and the verse vocals are grittier than ever - only the soaring vocals of the chorus show some of Russell Allen's past glory. Still, it's a great song, and it's easy to understand why they haven't dropped this from their live schedule since debuting it - it just kicks ungodly amounts of ass, and that's basically all there is to say on that matter.
"Domination" ups both the aggressiveness and the speed yet another notch, and the results aren't quite as good. It might be because of the lack of a truly memorable chorus, but this is a song that is enjoyable for its relentlessness and its amazing bassline/main riff, but doesn't really have anything else going for it. Though not going to lie, that "Get down on your knees!" scream is pretty f'cking :metal.
"Serpent's Kiss" is a more mid-tempo number, and it's a lot closer to Symphony X of old - the chorus features quite a great performance by Russell Allen, you have different time signatures and weird twists and turns aplenty and an interlude that could have just as well been on V. The guitar solos here are definitely a thing to behold - even though I don't care much for Romeo's lead tone on this album in general - as is the build-up after the second solo into the final chorus. It's not the best song on the album, but it's more classic Symphony X-esque song structure make it work a lot better in context of the album than as a stand-alone song.
"Paradise Lost" is one of the finest vocal moments in Allen's career, and certainly his highlight on this album (though one other song later comes quite close). It's... I guess you could call it a ballad? It's that weird kind of hybrid between ballad and non-ballad that Symphony X have always done so well, be it the two installments of "The Accolade" or "Communion and the Oracle", and this one is no exception. However, due to the aggressive and dark nature of this album, this song feels a lot more important to the album's flow as a whole and is therefore always a highlight of the album. Plus, that chorus is just too perfect to not sing along at the top of your voice. This is definitely one of the band's all-time greats.
"Eve of Seduction" is pretty much the opposite of the title track's calm and serene mood. If you thought that "Domination" was fast, furious and relentless, then you haven't heard this one yet. Similar to "Domination", the problem with this one is the fact that while there is plenty of awesomeness to go around, it's missing that truly memorable chorus that could elevate this song beyond what it is now - a good example of Symphony X doing all-out metal, but not much else. Much like "Domination", I don't listen to this one much outside of the context of the album.
"The Walls of Babylon" is an interesting song. It's a lot more winding and intricately structured than other songs on this album, but most of the intricacy is basically in the first two minutes, before it becomes a rather standardly-structured song, albeit a good one. It's another mid-tempo number, which allows Allen to shine again, and the chorus is pretty great, though that's not a whole lot of Allen - it's mainly just choir. Still, any song that manages to use choir that prominently without it becoming cheesy beyond redemption is a win in my book. The one criticism that I have with this song is that the whole Eastern intro seems to promise a musical element that isn't really explored further in the song, which is a shame because I'd like to hear Symphony X work with something like that, and the intro kicks ass. Still, this is a very good song, and it was my favourite from the album for a long time. It's been dethroned recently, but that's no knock on this song at all.
"Seven". Oh boy, where to start with this one? This is like "Set the World on Fire"'s bigger brother that is a lot cooler and a lot more interesting to talk to, even though many elements are similar. You have the high-speed nature in both, the amazing chorus and some inspired soloing, but what sets this one apart is the amazing interlude with those chants and that insane guitar solo that leads perfectly into one of my favourite Symphony X riffs. If anyone asked me for an example to show that Symphony X can be amazing when focused solely on the metal side of things, this is the song that I'd play them.
"The Sacrifice" is another ballad-ish song. It's not quite as good as the title track, but it's still all kinds of great, especially because Allen once again gets a chance to show his vocal chops. This one is a little too cheesy for my tastes, but I still enjoy it a lot, and it has a nice acoustic outro with some acoustic shredding, that's always welcome. Like "Serpent's Kiss", this song becomes a lot better in the context of the album - its calmer nature works far better after the high-gear shredding of "Seven" than it does on its own, and it serves as a nice breather before the finale.
"Revelation (Divus Pennae ex Tragoedia)" is the big finale, and the longest song on the album. It's also easily the best. The main melody is simple but effective all the same, and the chorus is out of this world. Pinella finally gets a great keyboard solo here as well, and the acoustic break is one of the my favourite moments on the album. Plus, we have a nice callback to "The Divine Wings of Tragedy" that marks the perfect end of this album. Definitely one of Symphony X's all-greats.
As you could probably garner from my comments above, I think this album is a) pretty good and b) a lot better as a cohesive unit than as individual tracks. In fact, of all their albums (V aside), I'd say that this one has the best flow, with the furious aggression of songs like "Domination" and "Seven", the mid-tempo grooves of "Serpent's Kiss" and "The Walls of Babylon" and the calm nature of the ballads playing off each other perfectly. Some songs aren't that memorable - mainly because there are far fewer moments on this album where Allen truly shines, and many mediocre songs in the past had been saved by an astonishing vocal performance - but as a whole, this album is awesome, and it contains some of the band's best tracks ever. While I understand the critcisms of the direction that the band started taking with this album, Paradise Lost is just so perfectly executed in pretty much every aspect (that lead guitar tone, ugh) that I don't have a problem with it at all.
1. Revelation (Divus Pennae ex Tragoedia)
2. Paradise Lost
3. The Walls of Babylon
4. Seven
5. Set the World on Fire (The Lie of Lies)
6. The Sacrifice
7. Serpent's Kiss
8. Domination
9. Eve of Seduction
10. Oculus ex Inferni
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I never managed to get into it completely due to it's boring sound. It's overcompressed as hell like a typical 2000s Metal album, destroying all the epic soundscapes that I love about the band's previous work.
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I never managed to get into it completely due to it's boring sound. It's overcompressed as hell like a typical 2000s Metal album, destroying all the epic soundscapes that I love about the band's previous work.
Sad but true. Exactly my opinion as well. Same goes for Iconoclast.
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The best them. Way above anything else the band has done.
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As someone who frequently argues that the through line of SX's music led naturally to this point, rather than some that act like SX was a symphonic prog band before discovering metal here, I love the hell out of both Paradise Lost and Iconoclast, but especially Paradise Lost. Romeo becoming primary songwriter made the band more guitar driven than before, but otherwise, the band remains Symphony X to me. Really good fucking album.
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Not a huge Sym X guy (not sure why) but I generally like PL. Wish it was tuned a half step higher, and Russ Allen could've toned it down just a bit. Good tunes though, but a very in your face production.
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Top 4 in their discog for me - 2 or 3 fantastic tracks and a solid album all round. Nice change with some more straight ahead metal but the best of the best of SX in my opinion is when they're both heavy and majestic a la DWOT.
Still.......an enjoyable album and one of their better efforts.
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love the hell out of this one too! pure metal!
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My third favorite behind TIO and TDWOT. The title track is my all-time favorite Allen performance, and the last four songs make up one of SX's finest half hours of music.
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Isn't there one more album?
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There is, and here it is.
After their tour in support of Paradise Lost - their biggest yet, spanning North and South America as well as Europe and Asia and nearly six months - one would think that the band would seek to capitalise on their newfound popularity, but for a long time, silence seemed to be the order of the day. After the conclusion of the Paradise Lost Tour in 2009, the fans had to wait for over a year before they even got confirmation that a new album was in the works. In March 2010, an update revealed that the album had been recorded and that Romeo and Allen were just starting on the lyrics. Fans became hopeful, but that was it for a while - the next significant update had to wait until January 2011, when Allen unveiled that the album, while not a concept album, was still centered on the topic of machines taking over the world and technology being our demise. "How original." is what I still clearly remember thinking, but I was nevertheless excited about the new album. It would still take some time to arrive, but at least the band premiered new songs live, of which I gobbled up YouTube vidoes like the hopeless fanboy I was back then - they served adequately to tide me over until the release of the band's eighth studio album, to be released in June 2011, entitled...
Iconoclast (2011)
(https://www.israbox.com/uploads/posts/2011-06/1307729215_front1.jpg)
CD 1
01. Iconoclast (10:53)
02. The End of Innocence (5:29)
03. Dehumanized (6:49)
04. Bastards of the Machine (4:58)
05. Heretic (6:26)
06. Children of a Faceless God (6:22)
07. When All Is Lost (9:10)
CD 2
01. Electric Messiah (6:15)
02. Prometheus (I Am Alive) (6:48)
03. Light Up the Night (5:05)
04. The Lords of Chaos (6:11)
05. Reign in Madness (8:37)
Probably in reaction to how well Paradise Lost was received, this album is a stylistic continuation in the styles that the band displayed on that album - more guitar-driven and less keyboard-heavy, a grittier vocal performance by Allen and an atrocious lead guitar tone (okay, so maybe that wasn't intentional, but come on!), and while I would struggle to pick out a song on this album that I would call bad, it does all sort of run together at the end.
This is something which you saw first hints of on Paradise Lost, but which still had more variety and was shorter, so it never became an issue there. Here, it very much is - not only are the songs very similar in tone, but also in structure, making this possibly the only Symphony X album where I regularly end up skipping tracks - not because the tracks I skip are bad on their own, but they add nothing to the album aside from length, so what's the point?
But anyway, let's approach this in a more track-by-track manner. "Iconoclast" is a fantastic opener, displaying amazing riffing and a powerful chorus, though it does drag on a little. Still, it's a worthy Symphony X title track and definitely one of my favourites on the album - especially that main riff, that's delicious. The instrumental section shows us that Romeo and Pinella have not lost their touch, but that lead guitar tone... really?
"The End of Innocence" is one of the tracks that I usually skip, though I did listen to it again for the purposes of this review. It's not bad, but it's pretty standard fare and doesn't exactly offer anything new that we haven't heard the band do already. The chorus is nice enough and the calmer sections show us that Allen can still sing, but on the whole, this is nothing to write home about.
Same thing with "Dehumanized", really, though that one is a little more adventurous, with some great riffing, a fantastic interlude and a chorus that is just unexpected enough to keep you engaged. However, the main riff is pretty dull and fails to get me going and the solo is more of the same and certainly not helped by that atrocity of a tone that Romeo uses (I'll shut up about that now), though I won't lie and admit that the final part of the solo that leads back into the chorus is actually pretty cool, but that's too little too late. Still, this is the second of the songs that I usually end up skipping to have the nerve to make it through the album proper.
"Bastards of the Machine" seems to be many other people's choice of a skip track, but I really like it. While it has the same structure as the two preceding songs, this one just kicks so much ass that I can't help but love it. Plus, the main riff is addictive on both the guitars and the keys and the brief bass breaks in this one are some of Lepond's best moments on the album. Plus, dat pre-chorus... what's not to love about that? :metal While this is by no means one of my favourite Symphony X songs, it's definitely one of the first that I would pick were I to attend a show of theirs - few of their songs are as straight-up badass and energising as this one is, especially that croud-shouting section in the middle.
"Heretic" is another song that I routinely skip. Again, not a really bad song per-say, but it just doesn't really get me excited. Yeah, the main riff is nice in its simplicity and the verses are quite catchy, but that's basically it. Guys, you can do better than this.
"Children of a Faceless God" is one of my favourite tracks from the album, and I don't even exactly know why. It's probably a mixture of the chorus, which is pretty awesome and the instrumental section, which is out of this world and maybe my favourite on the album. The way that the first solo builds into the bridge, whose vicious vocals explode into the second guitar solo is one of my favourite moments in the entire Symphony X catalogue. The rest of the song is very solid as well, but the instrumental break and the bridge are the true moments where this song really shines.
"When All Is Lost" is a fantastic ballad and truly a great way to close out the first disc, as well as a much-needed change of pace. Pinella gets to show us that he's a fantastic piano player and Allen delivers what is easily his finest vocal performance of the entire album, showing that he's still got it. It's the second longest on the album, but I'd say that it's the true epic of the album, due to its nonlinear nature and its structure that is constantly twisting and turning, as opposed to the title track - which is just a fantastic long song with a very familiar structure. My favourite moment of this album is when Romeo just explodes into the second guitar solo and lets loose completely in a fantastical bout of controlled shredding that never fails to give me goosebumps. Somehow, even the lead tone is less obnoxious here, which should be considered a real achievement.
"Electric Messiah" is another highlight, even though it's quite straightforward, but I love the driving nature of basically all the riffs in this song and the chorus is one that will stay in your head for days. Another song that I could see rocking the house live very well - a shame that it has yet to be performed live. The one thing that I would criticise here is the lack of a proper ending - it just fades out with the chorus on repeat, which is something that always annoys and is also another reason why I want a live version of this song.
"Prometheus (I Am Alive)" is the final skip track of the album for me. It sounds vaguely interesting in the intro (was that acoustic guitar there? HOLY SHIT), but it quickly degenerates into standard Symphony X heavy fare. The chorus is pretty cool, and that's basically it. Pass.
"Light Up the Night" is completely, balls-to-the-wall power metal and I love every second of it. Allen screams out his soul in the chorus and the whole song is just basically a shredding attack by Michael Romeo, and because of that, it works. Like with "Seven" on the previous album, Symphony X's newer, heavier style, works best at 100%, no-holds-barred intensity and "Light Up the Night" is basically "Seven" cranked up to 11. It's completely over the top and I love it for it.
"The Lords of Chaos" is the one that took the longest to grow on me, but it's one of my favourites now. The riff is interesting enough and actually quite groovy, especially once the rhythm section enters, and the chorus is truly majestic - when it comes, I can never resist singing along. The instrumental section isn't quite as good as the rest of the song, but still, this one's a definite winner.
"Reign in Madness" is like a poor man's "Revelation". It's semi-conventionally structured, like the closer on the band's previous album, but the actual material taking up that structure is nowhere near "Revelation"'s brilliance. It's a decent closer though, albeit my least favourite of the three digipak-only tracks. It's still good, and those verses (that are sadly never revisited past the first chorus) are ridiculously awesome. It's just a shame that when the song abandons the conventional verse-chorus-template that the song loses some of its coherence and it never quite manages to pick it up again - if it stayed on that level throughout, this would have been an amazing finish.
On the whole, what can I say about this album? I like it. Unfortunately, due to its samey nature and the need to skip several track when listening to it in one sitting, I can't say anything more positive about it than that. Listening to the normal version cuts the length down, but you're also missing two of the best tracks, so it doesn't actually improve the album a whole lot. There are flashes of complete brilliance all over this - parts of "Bastards", the instrumental section in "Children of a Faceless God", "When All Is Lost"... but when viewing this an album, it's just not good enough - at least, when compared with Symphony X's amazing back catalogue.
1. When All Is Lost
2. Children of a Faceless God
3. The Lords of Chaos
4. Light Up the Night
5. Bastards of the Machine
6. Electric Messiah
7. Iconoclast
8. Reign in Madness
9. Dehumanized
10. The End of Innocence
11. Heretic
12. Prometheus (I Am Alive)
After a long time (longer than it should have been; my bad!), we are finally done with this discussion. I want to thank everyone that has participated here and I hope that these reviews have been entertaining for you all - I certainly had a great time re-exploring the back catalogue of one of the bands most important to my musical taste in general. And if there is just one person out there that has discovered Symphony X for themselves as a result of this thread, I will consider it a time well spent.
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This would have been WAY better if it was not a double album.
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Couldn't you just buy the 1 disc version? Then it wouldn't be a double album.
Anyway, this is the only SX album I have. It's pretty good, but I rarely listen to anything other than Iconoclast and maybe the next two or three songs. Overall it's a bit too homogenous.
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I agree. Gimme an album with the following tracklist and I'd be all over that.
1. Iconoclast
2. Bastards of the Machine
3. Children of a Faceless God
4. Electric Messiah
5. The Lords of Chaos
6. Light Up the Night
7. When All Is Lost
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The lead guitar tone is awesome. The solo in Iconoclast is amazingly bad ass.
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I am that guy about this album...because I love it to bits, and only have Divine Wings and V ahead of it on my list, though it only JUST edges out Odyssey. It continues the heavier, more guitar through line the band has been on since basically the start, and just shreds from one end to the other. Great fucking album.
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Great badass and shreddding album. One of the best of its kind.
I do think they could/should have used the two disc format better. One more song like When All Is Lost or something would have benefited the pace a lot I think. Paradise Lost did that a lot better. But still, a damn good album in it's own right.
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I agree. Gimme an album with the following tracklist and I'd be all over that.
1. Iconoclast
2. Bastards of the Machine
3. Children of a Faceless God
4. Electric Messiah
5. The Lords of Chaos
6. Light Up the Night
7. When All Is Lost
yeah, these are the only songs I can still sing from memory
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I agree. Gimme an album with the following tracklist and I'd be all over that.
1. Iconoclast
2. Bastards of the Machine
3. Children of a Faceless God
4. Electric Messiah
5. The Lords of Chaos
6. Light Up the Night
7. When All Is Lost
yeah, these are the only songs I can still sing from memory
I would scrap Lords of Chaos and add Prometheus (I am Alive) at its spot, I think it has a nice groove and a catchy chorus that sounds distinct from the rest. I don't know, Lord of Chaos sounds a bit uninspired to me at times and never really sticks. And add Reign in Madness at the end, as it is one of the more epic sounding heavy tracks. Great finisher as the album is now.
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The two disc copy definitely seems to be the better of the two, though I do not have the single disc version. It moves about 10 minutes worth to the second disc, so now there is only 40 minutes of metal before When All is Lost rather than 50, which tremendously helps the pacing. Not to mention that the bonus tracks are among the best on the album.
I seem to be one of the few that really likes this one; I would rank it 5th, behind TIO, DWOT, TO, and PL. It is long, but there are enough moments of brilliance throughout to keep me engaged for its entire runtime.
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I really want to love both PL and Iconoclast, but they fall just a tad short of the 'big-4' for me (TDWOT, TIO, V, Odyssey). There just isn't enough variety, and as was mentioned, the compression of the sound just doesn't give it room to breathe. It's like drinking a 5-year old scotch, and an 22-year old. The writing is there, the performances are pretty much there, but it just sounds like muck for the most part. And Allen doesn't give us enough of all of his talents. I enjoy both albums, though differently than Scrop, but they're sandwiched right in between the brilliance of the big-4, and the turd-herding freshman and sophomore albums.
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Missed the boat on both of these albums, but I'd like to give two late comments!
1: Paradise Lost is a masterpiece. It's my 2nd or 3rd favorite album by them overall and probably their most consistent really. It's amazingly cinematic too. One of the best modern Metal albums out there. I really love the production too, I think it's very dynamic for being so balls to the wall most of the time.
2: I will not deny that Iconoclast is a weak album by SX standards, but as a thrash metal album or whatever you want to call it I think it's pretty decent. One of the better albums released that year I remember. It's an album that needs to b heard live though. The studio setting doesn't do it justice, and some of those songs really spring to life live. I remember the title track in particular giving me major chills multiple times. I think it's pretty good if you forget about everything else they've done.
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This would have been WAY better if it was not a double album.
I forget which songs were the extra ones on the 2-disk version (didn't they do something funky for the 2-disk version where they took some of the songs from the original disk and put them on disk 2, and then spread the new songs over both disks as well? I forget), and the songs have all blended together in my mind to where I don't even really remember most of them as individual songs anyway, but the problem I have with that statement is that, as I recall, about half the "bonus" songs were better than half of the non-bonus songs.
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didn't they do something funky for the 2-disk version where they took some of the songs from the original disk and put them on disk 2, and then spread the new songs over both disks as well? I forget
The 2 disc version is the album as the band intended it.
The label however wanted to have a "standard" and a "special" edition, so they just removed some songs from the album and called it the "standard edition". The idiots even removed the album's designated closure song :facepalm:
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The "bonus" songs are Light Up the Night, The Lords of Chaos and Reign in Madness - three songs that are all a lot better than many of the songs on the actual album.