Symphony X thread!

[black_biff_stadler]

*Gushing over Russell*

Cool story :3
The minute I see the verb "use" on DTF I go all

That totally went over my head. Since I doubt you're referencing Used off The Perfect Element, I'll have to ask what you were alluding to.

[MoraWintersoul]

That totally went over my head. Since I doubt you're referencing Used off The Perfect Element, I'll have to ask what you were alluding to.

Hint:

Hint 2: Since I totally forgot that you weren't in my head while I was posting. I thought of writing "uuuuuuseeeee iiiiit" at first and then I thought "but that conflicts with " " and then I went off thinking how abused that verb is here and only then I posted. Sorry for thinking I made sense

[bosk1]

There's a show I used to have a copy of that was really good when they opened for Queensryche at a club in Jersey in, I think, around 2003 or so.  The audio is spotty in the beginning, and the taper was there for Queensryche and didn't know SX's material, so some of the track breaks occur in odd points, but it's a good show if you can find it.  Sorry for the lack of specifics, but that's all I can remember.  Nick or someone else might be able to give you more details based on my description.

[Adami]

Symphony X is one of the few bands I really wouldn't for a DVD from. I've seen them live, and have seen a bunch of youtubes and of course the gigantour DVD and.........well they're just super boring live. Russell is awesome, no question about that. Michael Romeo's only form of stage presence is sometimes smoking a cigarette on stage. Leapond's only thing is that he sometimes smiles at the audience. Pinella....forget about it, and Rullo just constantly looks like he's trying to hold in a huge fart.

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

and Rullo just constantly looks like he's trying to hold in a huge fart.

That is.......very true! 

[MoraWintersoul]

Symphony X is one of the few bands I really wouldn't for a DVD from. I've seen them live, and have seen a bunch of youtubes and of course the gigantour DVD and.........well they're just super boring live. Russell is awesome, no question about that. Michael Romeo's only form of stage presence is sometimes smoking a cigarette on stage. Leapond's only thing is that he sometimes smiles at the audience. Pinella....forget about it, and Rullo just constantly looks like he's trying to hold in a huge fart.

I think you can have DVDs of relatively static bands which are visually satisfactory as well.

[Adami]

I can't see anything visually stimulating about the members of of symph x. lol

[MoraWintersoul]

I can't see anything visually stimulating about the members of of symph x. lol

In terms of whether you find watching amusing or not if you need hot chicks to look at not to be bored by stuff, well. Your prob

[Adami]

Why such hostility?

[MoraWintersoul]

Why such hostility?

Did I come off as hostile?

Ouch, sorry

[Adami]

A hug? Hell yea!

[Zook]

I really only bought the first album for collection purposes. It's pretty terrible. The re-recorded Masquerade is better in every conceivable way and is really the only song that isn't dangerously cheesy. Yep, I just referred to Symphony X as cheesy while in the past defending them til death that they aren't, but the first "album" (which is more of a demo and has been referred to as such by Michael Romero himself) and most of Damnation Game are pretty damn cheesy and unlistenable to me. So TDWoT is where I whip out the sword and shield to defend the band.

As for a live DVD, Russell brings the presence and entertainment on stage so as long as he's there to keep it fun, I'm all for a live DVD. Just as long as it's at least 2 hours and isn't mostly the new stuff. If they're going to release a live DVD, they must have a set list that represents their entire career so far like Iced Earth did with Alive In Athens.

[Lolzeez]

The Divine Wings Of Tragedy is up next on te survivor! In fact, the first round is up! Go ahead and vote for this amazing album.

[Ultimetalhead]

Cheesiness and brutality for the sake of brutality aside, Paradise Lost is still a stellar album. I can't find myself tolerating much else from Symphony X these days though. Not sure if I grew out of them, or just found bands that do what they do better (although I rarely find myself in the mood for anything power metal related these days anyway), but this has to be the first time I've listened to them all year.

[Lolzeez]

Cheesiness and brutality for the sake of brutality aside, Paradise Lost is still a stellar album. I can't find myself tolerating much else from Symphony X these days though. Not sure if I grew out of them, or just found bands that do what they do better (although I rarely find myself in the mood for anything power metal related these days anyway), but this has to be the first time I've listened to them all year.

I didn't like Iconoclast. I liked the titles track and When All Is Lost. Probably for the lack of keyboards.

[Ultimetalhead]

Iconoclast was pretty awful. It had very little going for it, and the good things it had were immediately ruined by the fact that the album just drags like a motherfucker.

[Nel]

Cheesiness and brutality for the sake of brutality aside, Paradise Lost is still a stellar album. I can't find myself tolerating much else from Symphony X these days though. Not sure if I grew out of them, or just found bands that do what they do better (although I rarely find myself in the mood for anything power metal related these days anyway), but this has to be the first time I've listened to them all year.

Pretty much the same for me, sadly. They're one of those bands that I really only liked when I got into them, but nowadays I barely ever listen to Symphony X unless one of the songs I put in my shuffle playlist comes up. I was hoping that Iconoclast would rekindle that fire, but nope. Album's too long and too same-y. It really does drag on like you said. I still think that Russell Allen's a great singer and that the two Accolade songs are fantastic, though.

[me7]

Iconoclast is a disappointment when judged as a "Symphony X album", but it is my favourite Thrash Metal album of 2011. I have to give credit when credit is due

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

Iconoclast is a disappointment when judged as a "Symphony X album", but it is my favourite Thrash Metal album of 2011. I have to give credit when credit is due

Wait....what?....oh your trolling? arrgghh i'm confused! 

[Lolzeez]

Iconoclast is a disappointment when judged as a "Symphony X album", but it is my favourite Thrash Metal album of 2011. I have to give credit when credit is due

Wait....what?....oh your trolling? arrgghh i'm confused! 

He has to be trolling. And also,using the words "best" and "Iconoclast" in the same sentence has to be some sort of crime. Unless you're talking about the title track...

[RuRoRul]

I agree that biggest flaw with Iconoclast is its samey-ness - apart from a handful of outliers like When All Is Lost, all the songs are of a similar nature. Still, I find it is pretty consistent in its quality. I'd definitely rate my least favourite song from Iconoclast higher than my least favourites from DWOT, The Odyssey, and in fact possibly every Symphony X album (its about the same as V and PL in that respect if I include only tracks I consider full songs, but if I include V's interludes and PL's intro Iconoclast trumps them).

Also, it's roughly on a par with the best Symphony X albums - they all have different pros and cons but in terms of how highly I regard them there's not much between V, The Odyssey and Iconoclast (or even Paradise Lost).

[kirksnosehair]

I pretty much hated Iconoclast.  I would really prefer that the vocals not sound like someone gargling with a handful of thumbtacks


For the most part the album just sounds like one, big, long mediocre metal tune.

[bosk1]

I cannot point to a single thing about Iconoclast that makes me think it is a bad album.  Unfortunately, the real issue is that I can point to very little that makes me want to listen to it much either.

[Ħ]

I still haven't even listened to Iconoclast. The iRobot premise is just not interesting, at all.

[Lolzeez]

I pretty much hated Iconoclast.  I would really prefer that the vocals not sound like someone gargling with a handful of thumbtacks


For the most part the album just sounds like one, big, long mediocre metal tune.

THIS

[Adami]

Iconoclast is actually the only symph x album I don't have and have no desire to get.

[jingle.boy]

I cannot point to a single thing about Iconoclast that makes me think it is a bad album.  Unfortunately, the real issue is that I can point to very little that makes me want to listen to it much either.

This.  I don't remember it to be awful, but other than a couple of tracks, I don't remember it to be all that memorable either.

[abydos]

Just listened to TDWOD and TiO, hadn't listened to SX in a long while. Man, those albums are so damn good. Where's the SX from TDWOD-V days? I sure do miss them.

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

Just listened to TDWOD and TiO, hadn't listened to SX in a long while. Man, those albums are so damn good. Where's the SX from TDWOD-V days? I sure do miss them.

Amen to that.

Wait, what is TDWOD? The Divine Wings Of Damnation? 

[Dublagent66]

I seriously don't get all the Iconoclast hate.  It's a great, straight foward metal album.  No more, no less.

It's not stellar but I don't think it's bad either.  I just like it.

I agree that biggest flaw with Iconoclast is its samey-ness - apart from a handful of outliers like When All Is Lost, all the songs are of a similar nature. Still, I find it is pretty consistent in its quality. I'd definitely rate my least favourite song from Iconoclast higher than my least favourites from DWOT, The Odyssey, and in fact possibly every Symphony X album (its about the same as V and PL in that respect if I include only tracks I consider full songs, but if I include V's interludes and PL's intro Iconoclast trumps them).

Also, it's roughly on a par with the best Symphony X albums - they all have different pros and cons but in terms of how highly I regard them there's not much between V, The Odyssey and Iconoclast (or even Paradise Lost).

Very well put.  I agree.

[Big Hath]

I cannot point to a single thing about Iconoclast that makes me think it is a bad album.  Unfortunately, the real issue is that I can point to very little that makes me want to listen to it much either.

This.  I don't remember it to be awful, but other than a couple of tracks, I don't remember it to be all that memorable either.

yeah, I'm here as well.  Not terrible but nothing really invites me back for more.

I have a similar feeling about Paradise Lost, but the songs are stronger on PL.  I usually don't have the urge to listen to it, but when I do I think it is a pretty good album.  With Iconoclast it's more "eh, it's okay".

[Ħ]

I just listened to the opening track. Russell's performance is terrific, as usual. But the music is terrifically boring, as usual.

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

I must join in and say that Iconoclast is absolutly stellar production wise, everybody on the album is doing an amazing job and it's sounds really really good but the songs and the album as a whole don't grab my attention like other albums do, even though i've spent alot of time listening to it. That's just how it is but it dosen't mean it's a bad album.

There are some songs worth mentioning:
Iconoclast
The End Of Innocence
Children Of A Faceless God
Reign In Madness

[Scorpion]

No When All Is Lost? That's easily the standout for me, along with Children of a Faceless God.

[Orthogonal]

When All is Lost is one of their best songs ever. The album as a whole feels kind of pedestrian compared to their prior catalog, but I still give it occasional spins.  Good but not great.