Symphony X thread!

[aprilethereal]

Why rank V so low

Too much filler for my taste.

[Mosh]

1: V
2: The Odyssey
3: Paradise Lost
4: Twilight
5: Divine Wings
6: Damnation Game
7: Iconoclast
8: Symphony X

[Lolzeez]

1.V
2.Divine Wings
3.The Odyssey
4.Paradise Lost
5.Twilight
6.Damnation Game
7.Iconoclast
8.Symphony X

[PixelDream]

Listening to 'Egypt' now. I think V is and always will be their ultimate masterpiece.

[aprilethereal]

TIO is my number three now. It's just so much fun to listen and sing along to

I've also thought about my favourite songs by them, I guess this would be my top 5 (atm):

1. Candlelight Fantasia
2. Accolade II
3. Revelation
4. The Divine Wings Of Tragedy
5. Evolution (The Grand Design)

[Polarbear]

Great band!, here is how i'd rank their albums.


1: V
2: Paradise Lost
3: Iconoclast
4: The Odyssey
5: Damnation Game
6: Divine Wings
7: Symphony X
8: Twilight

[aprilethereal]

Iconoclast third and TDWOT and TIO in the bottom three? Interesting.

[jingle.boy]

Great band!, here is how i'd rank their albums.


1: V
2: Paradise Lost
3: Iconoclast
4: The Odyssey
5: Damnation Game
6: Divine Wings
7: Symphony X
8: Twilight

Credibility lost.  TIO<s/t??  Have you even heard s/t?

[Polarbear]

Iconoclast third and TDWOT and TIO in the bottom three? Interesting.

Great band!, here is how i'd rank their albums.


1: V
2: Paradise Lost
3: Iconoclast
4: The Odyssey
5: Damnation Game
6: Divine Wings
7: Symphony X
8: Twilight

Credibility lost.  TIO<s/t??  Have you even heard s/t?

Opinions are opinions of course.

V is clearly the standout album of their discography. Great songwriting and concept, just a joy to listen to. But i really love PL and Iconoclast for whole bunch of reasons. PL is a really well done, compact album. Iconoclast imo was a great development on the idea Paradise Lost. Both albums showcase a band that can move forward, and not just rehash old ideas. Odyssey is also good, but it feels too centered around the title track and rest of the songs are not given full attention.


Of the Pre-V era SX albums, Damnation Game is easily the standout. I view it as their Images And Words. The S/T on the other hand is pretty horrible. Divine Wings to me feels like a rehash of Damnation Game. And why i dislike Twilight so much? On that album IMO they throw everything that was great about the previous two out the window, and take the cliched ideas of those albums and make a record around them. The V was a true return to form for them IMO.

These are just my opinions, feel free to disagree!

[jingle.boy]

Opinions are opinions of course.

Absolutely, and everyone is entitled to their own - even when they are clearly wrong!  .  I got no problem with PL or Iconoclast being so high... others here on the forum love the heavier side of SX more than their proggy side.  However, I've never, EVER, seen anyone rank the S/T above ANY album, let alone Twilight.  Some around these here parts would even put Twilight at #1, and I've never seen the S/T anywhere but the bottom... usually by a long margin.

If you say that Damnation Game is their Images & Words, then are you saying that I&W is the 5th best DT album?  Or are you simply drawing the comparison of them both being album #2, and introducing a new singer?

[me7]

Since we're drawing comparisons to DT albums, I'd say that ST is their counterpart to WDADU. TDWOT is like IAW. Damnation Game is some middle step that DT didn't take, they jumped straight to their defining album. Damnation Game has the mature Symphony X sound but lacks the songwriting quality of TDWOG, TIO and V.

[aprilethereal]

Iconoclast is their BC&SL. Both bands tried too hard to make a metuhl album and failed horribly, sacrificing original songwriting and great melodies. The predecessors of both albums are in a kind of similar style to BC&SL and IC, but are great albums. Both BC&SL and IC contain one song I consider to be amazing (TCOT and Iconoclast), but the rest is mostly forgettable, apart from ANTR and WAIL, which are really good but suffer from serious flaws.

[Dublagent66]

Nah, neither of those albums were a horrible failure by any stretch of the imagination, but I will rank Iconoclast higher than BC&SL.  IC is easily a top 5 SX album.  BC&SL is easily NOT a top 5 DT album though.

[TheAtliator]

So, I don't get it, what's going with Symphony X? Are they gonna make another album and tour?? Hopefully a better album than Iconoclast  but Symphony X is one of my few favorite bands ever so I really hope something is gonna happen soon.

[kirksnosehair]

"Iconoclast," when judged on its own and not compared to other Symphony X albums, is actually a pretty kickass metuhl album.


But I have a difficult time comparing it to a masterpiece like "V"


I mean, you really don't need to look any further than the lyrics to know that you're dealing with a Filet Mignon and Lobster Tail dinner to a peanut butter sandwich.


Compare this:

Born from the light - journey into the
moment, delivered from thought and sky
He will be one, one with the land -
Lord of wind and the sea and the sands
The one - The bringer of life


To this:

Come on, hit the switch - You son of a bitch
I'm devoured, broke in two
You take control and resurrect my soul
Becoming something new...






I get why people like their modern sound, though.   

[jjrock88]

So, I don't get it, what's going with Symphony X? Are they gonna make another album and tour?? Hopefully a better album than Iconoclast  but Symphony X is one of my few favorite bands ever so I really hope something is gonna happen soon.

I hope so too.  It seems like this band just goes their separate ways for years on end.  I'm hoping for another album and live album, but I'm not holding my breath for anytime soon.  When you do get something from SX, you almost appreciate it more because it seems so rare.

[Perpetual Change]

Compare this:

Born from the light - journey into the
moment, delivered from thought and sky
He will be one, one with the land -
Lord of wind and the sea and the sands
The one - The bringer of life


To this:

Come on, hit the switch - You son of a bitch
I'm devoured, broke in two
You take control and resurrect my soul
Becoming something new...






I get why people like their modern sound, though.   

Yeah, hopefully Allen's getting all that shit out of his system with AMOB.

[black_biff_stadler]

s/t haters amuse me.

[Lolzeez]

The Raging Season is an awesome track. Come at me.

[black_biff_stadler]

I'll come at you and give you a big kiss. That whole album stomps PL, Iconoclast, and the weaker half of The Odyssey.

[Lolzeez]

Calm down man,I only care for that one track. 

[Zook]

I'll come at you and give you a big kiss. That whole album stomps PL, Iconoclast, and the weaker half of The Odyssey.

There's a weaker half of The Odyssey?

[black_biff_stadler]

As far as I'm concerned, this is how it stands:

Good:

t/t
Awakenings

Nearly good:

Accolade II
Inferno
King of Terrors

Bad by SX standards though average-to-good if not held to SX standards:

Incantations of the Apprentice
The Turning
Wicked (MJR, just cuz you're technically superior to him, you still aren't allowed to rip off Dimebag.)

[chrisbDTM]

weird, i've never once thought of pantera when listening to wicked

[black_biff_stadler]

I did within my first five seconds of hearing it the first time.

[me7]

Move "Accolade II" from nearly good to good and I agree.

[black_biff_stadler]

I was on the fence with that. Being the sequel to Accolade it was a true letdown for me so I guess expectations somewhat influenced my judgment.

[aprilethereal]

Move "Accolade II" from nearly good to second best SX song ever and I agree.

[Zook]

I used to think Incantations wasn't that good, but then it just clicked one day. The whole album is perfect.

[Zyzzyva17]

Album ranking:
1. Twilight in Olympus
2. Iconoclast
3. V: The New Mythology Suite
4. Paradise Lost
5. The Divine Wings of Tragedy
6. Symphony X
7. The Odyssey
8. The Damnation Game

Top 10 songs:
1. Through the Looking Glass
2. The Odyssey
3. Iconoclast
4. Smoke and Mirrors
5. When All Is Lost
6. Of Sin and Shadows
7. Evolution (The Grand Design)
8. Sea of Lies
9. A Fool's Paradise
10. Lady of the Snow

Decided I'd add my admittedly conversial opinion.

[Ultimetalhead]

Album ranking:
1. Twilight in Olympus
2. Iconoclast
3. V: The New Mythology Suite
4. Paradise Lost
5. The Divine Wings of Tragedy
6. Symphony X
7. The Odyssey
8. The Damnation Game

Top 10 songs:
1. Through the Looking Glass
2. The Odyssey
3. Iconoclast
4. Smoke and Mirrors
5. When All Is Lost
6. Of Sin and Shadows
7. Evolution (The Grand Design)
8. Sea of Lies
9. A Fool's Paradise
10. Lady of the Snow

Decided I'd add my admittedly conversial opinion.

wat

[bosk1]

"Iconoclast," when judged on its own and not compared to other Symphony X albums, is actually a pretty kickass metuhl album.


But I have a difficult time comparing it to a masterpiece like "V"

Very well put.  I tend to agree.  I feel that way about the last two albums, actually.  They are very samey, and feel like a definite step down from the two albums that preceeded them.  But still not bad albums at all in their own right.



Regarding the discussion of Wicked, how could anyone hear that riffing and NOT think of Pantera?  Like B/F,

I did within my first five seconds of hearing it the first time.

I mean, it's not like they are ripping off a specific Dime riff.  But the guitar tone and style are textbook Pantera.

[abydos]

The Odyssy has a bunch of Pantera-inspired moments that I wouldn't really call rip offs. King Of Terrors at 3:50 for instance.

Haven't done SX rankings in a few years I feel (if ever).

1. Twilight in Olympus
2. The Divine Wings of Tragedy
3. V
4. The Odyssey
5. The Damnation Game
6. Paradise Lost
7. S/T - even though second to last, I seem to be one of the 3 people that actually really like that album and the vocalist in it.Rapture or Pain/A Lesson Before Dying are brilliant. Feel like if it had better production it may as well take the 5th spot.
8. Iconoclast

[Beowulf]

Again, maybe because i'm a "newer" fan, I am surprised at how low a lot of people have been ranking the last two albums.  Personally, i think they're better than the prior albums.

But, as we've all said, we're all entitled to our own opinions, no matter how wrong they truly are.   

[Nel]

The two Accolade songs are probably the only two by SX that I really listen to anymore. Still beautiful.