Symphony X thread!

[YtseJamittaja]

Great! Finally! So maybe early summer 2015 release? Should be sweet year of music!

[wolfking]

Looking forward to this one.

[jjrock88]

Looking forward to this one.

[aprilethereal]

Looking forward to this one.

[abydos]

If it's anything like the albums after The Odyssey (or even like it, minus title track) than I don't think I'll be listening to it more than a couple of times. I'll just wait for Allen to sing in another Star One, instead.

[ErHaO]

Really looking forward to this!

Man, next year is insane for somebody with my taste. Blind Guardian, Nightwish, Symphony X, Kamelot and a new Arjen Lucassen project. I expect Seventh Wonder to wrap up their recordings as well. And I hope DT maintains their 2-year schedule as well, which seems possible. For those first three it has been a damn long time since the last new material.

[The Letter M]

Really looking forward to this!

Man, next year is insane for somebody with my taste. Blind Guardian, Nightwish, Symphony X, Kamelot and a new Arjen Lucassen project. I expect Seventh Wonder to wrap up their recordings as well. And I hope DT maintains their 2-year schedule as well, which seems possible. For those first three it has been a damn long time since the last new material.

I've already been through SX's discography, but I've had a friend who is a casual fan of Blind Guardian, Nightwish and Kamelot. I've heard of them before and heard a few songs from each, but as a fan of DT and SX, which album(s) would you suggest to someone who is more of a fan like me and hasn't gotten into those bands? I might be interested in becoming a fan of them as they do have new albums coming out next year (as you say), so getting into them before that would be a nice way to become a fan.

-Marc.

[abydos]

For Kamelot you can't go wrong with Karma, Epica or The Black Halo. The Frouth Legacy if you're willing to try their more power metal side. Not a fan of the rest so I can't help you there, but the new Nightwish album may be good so I'd rather wait for that since it will have a new singer and probably new musical direction.

[Sacul]

I'm not big into those bands, but Blind Guardian seems to be constant quality-wise. Nightfall in Middle-Earth is their most praised album, along with Imaginations from the Other Side. Nightwish's One is pretty epic with just very little cheese.

[RuRoRul]

Really looking forward to this!

Man, next year is insane for somebody with my taste. Blind Guardian, Nightwish, Symphony X, Kamelot and a new Arjen Lucassen project. I expect Seventh Wonder to wrap up their recordings as well. And I hope DT maintains their 2-year schedule as well, which seems possible. For those first three it has been a damn long time since the last new material.

I've already been through SX's discography, but I've had a friend who is a casual fan of Blind Guardian, Nightwish and Kamelot. I've heard of them before and heard a few songs from each, but as a fan of DT and SX, which album(s) would you suggest to someone who is more of a fan like me and hasn't gotten into those bands? I might be interested in becoming a fan of them as they do have new albums coming out next year (as you say), so getting into them before that would be a nice way to become a fan.

-Marc.

Kamelot - The Black Halo (or perhaps Epica). However if it's in the interest of getting into them before the new album, might be worth listening to their latest, Silverthorn, as it is their first with a new singer that the new album will have. (Or better yet, go straight to the source and listen to Seventh Wonder - Mercy Falls to hear that new singer).

[The King in Crimson]

Not a big fan of Kamelot so I ain't gonna be much help there.

For Nightwish, I'd suggest either Once, Imaginaerum, or Wishmaster. I love Wishmaster but it can be pretty heavy on the power metal cheese so your mileage may vary on that one. Once and Imaginaerum, on the other hand, are simply just good album with a bit more of a focus on the symphonic elements than the pure power metal cheesery.

Blind Guardian have a lot of great songs but, for me, they have precious few consistent albums. Nightfall In Middle-Earth and At The Edge Of Time are two of their best releases in my mind, as those are just chock full of great song after great song. Nightfall, however, has some uber cheesy and pointless tracks that progress the 'story' of the album. Thankfully, they're very short and you don't miss anything by skipping them so it's not too big of a deal. I also really like Somewhere Far Beyond and Tales From The Twilight World. They're a great fusion of Blind Guardian's early, thrash sound and their later power metal style. Not perfect but still greatly enjoyable albums.

[ErHaO]

Really looking forward to this!

Man, next year is insane for somebody with my taste. Blind Guardian, Nightwish, Symphony X, Kamelot and a new Arjen Lucassen project. I expect Seventh Wonder to wrap up their recordings as well. And I hope DT maintains their 2-year schedule as well, which seems possible. For those first three it has been a damn long time since the last new material.

I've already been through SX's discography, but I've had a friend who is a casual fan of Blind Guardian, Nightwish and Kamelot. I've heard of them before and heard a few songs from each, but as a fan of DT and SX, which album(s) would you suggest to someone who is more of a fan like me and hasn't gotten into those bands? I might be interested in becoming a fan of them as they do have new albums coming out next year (as you say), so getting into them before that would be a nice way to become a fan.

-Marc.

For Blind Guardian I would begin with Nightfall In Middle Earth, their concept album (based on Tolkiens Silmarillion). And then At the Edge of Time, which basically covers all their styles (speedmetal, powermetal, more proggy like stuff, orchestal, medieval ballads etc.). It is kind of like a best of consisting of new material (a lot of BG albums sound really different).

For Nightwish, I would go with Once for the operatic Tarja period of the band (their best album I think) and Imaginarium for the more poppy style. Both are very good at what they do.

As for Kamelot, I would go with Epica and Silverthorn. Epica is their best Roy Kahn album for me and Silverthorn is an excellent album featuring their new vocalist, Tommy Karevik, who is really awesome as well (and if you like his vocals and prog, it is worth to check out Mercy Falls by Seventh Wonder).

Mind you that these bands are quite different than DT and SX and from each other. Still, all these bands know how and when to use a lot of different musical elements and how to tell stories with their music.

[Zook]

What Adrenaline Mob should have been:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pZfEOmBuDQ

[Art]

What Adrenaline Mob should have been:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pZfEOmBuDQ

cool song! Mat Sinner! 

And yes, MUCH BETTER than Adrenaline Mob.

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

Yea!  Pretty cool track, really diggin the drum sound!

The album trailer gets my blood pumpin!

[jjrock88]

Yeah I'm enjoying this one too!

[wolfking]

Yep, solid song.  Looking forward to the album actually.

[Mindflux]

DATES WITH OVERKILL!

09/18/2015 The Palladium – Worcester, MA
09/19/2015 Upstate Concert Hall – Clifton Park, NY **
09/20/2015 Dome Theater – Niagara Falls, NY
09/22/2015 Agora Ballroom – Cleveland, OH
09/23/2015 The Intersection – Grand Rapids, MI **
09/24/2015 House of Blues – Chicago , IL
09/25/2015 Rave – Milwaukee, WI
09/26/2015 Mill City Nights – Minnesota, MN **
09/27/2015 Park Theatre – Winnipeg, MB – CANADA **
09/29/2015 Mac Ewan Hall Ballroom – Calgary, AB – CANADA **
09/30/2015 Union Hall – Edmonton, AB – CANADA **
10/01/2015 Knitting Factory – Spokane, WA **
10/02/2015 Vogue Theatre – Vancouver, B.C. – CANADA
10/03/2015 Showbox at the Market – Seattle, WA **
10/05/2015 The Grand Ballroom at the Regency Center – San Francisco, CA **
10/06/2015 The Regent Theater – Los Angeles, CA **
10/07/2015 Marquee Theatre – Tempe, AZ
10/09/2015 The Bomb Factory – Dallas, TX
10/10/2015 210 Kapones – San Antonio, TX **
10/11/2015 Warehouse Live – Houston, TX
10/13/2015 The Ritz – Tampa, FL
10/14/2015 The Masquerade – Atlanta, GA **
10/15/2015 The Filmore – Charlotte, NC **
10/16/2015 The Filmore – Silver Spring, MD
10/17/2015 Terminal 5 – New York City, NY

[RuRoRul]

Yea!  Pretty cool track, really diggin the drum sound!

The album trailer gets my blood pumpin!

Yeah I'm enjoying this one too!

Yep, solid song.  Looking forward to the album actually.

When I clicked on this thread and saw these posts I thought I had somehow missed some major news 

[jjrock88]

DATES WITH OVERKILL!

09/18/2015 The Palladium – Worcester, MA
09/19/2015 Upstate Concert Hall – Clifton Park, NY **
09/20/2015 Dome Theater – Niagara Falls, NY
09/22/2015 Agora Ballroom – Cleveland, OH
09/23/2015 The Intersection – Grand Rapids, MI **
09/24/2015 House of Blues – Chicago , IL
09/25/2015 Rave – Milwaukee, WI
09/26/2015 Mill City Nights – Minnesota, MN **
09/27/2015 Park Theatre – Winnipeg, MB – CANADA **
09/29/2015 Mac Ewan Hall Ballroom – Calgary, AB – CANADA **
09/30/2015 Union Hall – Edmonton, AB – CANADA **
10/01/2015 Knitting Factory – Spokane, WA **
10/02/2015 Vogue Theatre – Vancouver, B.C. – CANADA
10/03/2015 Showbox at the Market – Seattle, WA **
10/05/2015 The Grand Ballroom at the Regency Center – San Francisco, CA **
10/06/2015 The Regent Theater – Los Angeles, CA **
10/07/2015 Marquee Theatre – Tempe, AZ
10/09/2015 The Bomb Factory – Dallas, TX
10/10/2015 210 Kapones – San Antonio, TX **
10/11/2015 Warehouse Live – Houston, TX
10/13/2015 The Ritz – Tampa, FL
10/14/2015 The Masquerade – Atlanta, GA **
10/15/2015 The Filmore – Charlotte, NC **
10/16/2015 The Filmore – Silver Spring, MD
10/17/2015 Terminal 5 – New York City, NY

Gonna check it out!  I would assume the new album will be out by then

[Dublagent66]

Nice!  I'm surprised to see the Marquee Theatre in Tempe, AZ on the tour list.  Last time we saw them there, hardly anybody showed up.  It was great for us but I felt so sorry for the guys in the band.  They deserve a lot better turn out than that.

[jjrock88]

Last time they were in Winnipeg they played with Iced Earth and there were about 200 people for the show

[Ben_Jamin]

But they're with Overkill, and Overkill can draw a crowd. I thought they'd stop by New Mex.

[krands85]

10 April 2015 – Symphony X is happy to report that the mixing and mastering of our new cd is complete! The process was handled by Jens Bogren, who also did our last two cds, and who did an amazing job as always.

As for the artwork, we turned once again to Warren Flanagan. Warren has worked on our last two cds as well, and can also be relied upon for amazing work.

We will be wrapping up the booklet layout and finalizing things over the next couple of weeks. The band is really excited about this one, and we anxiously look forward to getting it out there to everyone.

In also-long-awaited fan club news, SXW will be having it’s LONG-waited relaunch on May 1st, 2015 with pre-orders for our second fan club cd to follow. Previous CotM members should contact Jax to ensure that your contact info is current, particularly those awaiting cds. To kick off the relaunch of the fan club, we’ll be offering some limited edition/one of a kind Sym X merch bundles to members; we’ll post a special announcement at the end of the month with more info and instructions on how new members can join. Thanks for your patience!

-Jax
SymX Staff
https://www.symphonyx.com/site/news/we-have-cd-news-and-fan-club-news/

[Prog Snob]

I'm considering joining the fan club.

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

Wow Actual SX news! Sounds great, can't wait!

[Mosh]

Didn't know SX put out a fanclub CD before. What's on it?

[Big Hath]

it was released in 2005, here is the blabbermouth snippet:

"Rarities and Demos", the anxiously awaited first fan club CD from the official international SYMPHONY X fan club, Church of the Machine, was shipped out this week to fan club members. The CD includes demo material, rare unreleased material, and Michael J. Romeo's interpretation of the "Star Wars" theme, done with over 15 guitar tracks. The track listing is as follows:

01. Inferno (demo version)
02. The Odyssey (overture demo)
03. Eyes of Medusa (demo; originally titled "Gates of Misery", with different chorus)
04. A Winter's Dream Part II (original recording with Rod Tyler on vocals)
05. Disillusioned (unreleased track; demo version with Rod Tyler on vocals)
06. Star Wars Suite


https://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=14489


The only review on progarchives:

This is a CD released by the official international Symphony X fanclub and actually the only Symphony X 'EP'. What do we have here? The demo version of the kick ass song "Inferno (Unleash The Fire)", which is a bit different and you can actually hear Allen singing (on some parts) the melodies the voice will do when the record is finally released instead of singing the lyrics. Also, the production on this track seems like cleaner, and not so over polished, low as heavy as the track we can hear on "The Odyssey" album. The "Overture" demo version of the gigantic epic "The Odyssey" is very, very similar and brought me memories of this big song I haven't heard in a long time. Also, here we've the demo of "Eyes Of Medusa", which was originally entitled "Gates Of Misery", and has a different chorus, and is absent the nice and dark instrumental intermission "The Isle Of Deadly Shores", and IMO that makes the song worse, in addition that the production on this song isn't very good. "A Winter's Dream Part II" (with Rod Tyler on vocals) has even worse production than the first SX album, and this song was going to be included on that album, but it was included (with the amazing Allen on vocals) on their second effort, "Damnation Game". "Disillusioned" figures as an unreleased track but I feel it as a very different version of the wild "Taunting The Notorious", but equally great. To close this 28 minute disc, we've the "Star Wars Suite", which is basically Romeo covering that song we all know, with amazing melody and solos, it's a pleasure listening to that song.
Overall, a disc that is logically recommended just to Symphony X's fans or collectors of this kind of rarities. Definitely worth a listen for a fan of the band.

[Mosh]

Cool! I'll have to keep an eye out for that.

[fsh3702]

I think I like SX more than DT now, the lyrics are so mythological, so unreal, so haunting to my mind.

[jjrock88]

I think I like SX more than DT now, the lyrics are so mythological, so unreal, so haunting to my mind.

They are neck and neck for me, but I would give the slight edge to SX

[bl5150]

They are neck and neck for me, but I would give the slight edge to SX

I would agree if not for Images and Words.   SX were much more consistently impressive to me than DT during the 1997-2009 period when  DT were releasing plenty of stuff I didn't care for.   But after the last 2 albums and the fact that Images and Words is close enough to my favourite album ever, I'd give the gong to DT.

[wolfking]

I think overall DT's diversity just simply puts them on top.

[Mindflux]

I'm considering joining the fan club.

I don't even see mention on how to.

[Big Hath]

I think I like SX more than DT now, the lyrics are so mythological, so unreal, so haunting to my mind.

They are neck and neck for me, but I would give the slight edge to SX

my second and third favorite bands.  They flip flop in order all the time.  I&W is the best of the bunch, but two/three SymX albums are not far behind (then DT has three more that are not far behind them).