Symphony X thread!

[bosk1]

Well, if they call it quits now, ending on Underworld is going on out as high a note as any band could dream of.  That was a truly spectacular effort.

[PROGdrummer]

I’d probably be satisfied with just one more studio release. You know, the tenth, final album, “X”.   

They put on such an amazing live show when they did that 2022(?) tour, but yeah. I don’t really blame them at all, I can remember telling myself like “I’m definitely going to read this book soon”, and then literally a decade later I realize oh yeah, I never got around to it and its on the same spot on the shelf. Or finishing that house project, or playing through my backlog of games. Sometimes you just don’t feel like it, for years.

[RodrigoAltaf]

 Naming it "X" would be cool!

 I got a sense from talking to the guys that their bread and butter is in other projects, and that Symphony X is more a vanity project for them. I know Lepond plays on TONS of albums and bands, and also produces. Russell is on retainer for Trans Siberian Orchestra, which pays him about 200k per year only to keep his schedule open from October to December every year. Not sure what Pinella does, but Jason Rullo had a food truck for a while. Romeo has a studio and does production. He's also a ghost writer of horror movie soundtracks. It would be great if theyr could tour and record more consistently, but it doesn't look like it's their priority.

[MirrorMask]

Russell is on retainer for Trans Siberian Orchestra, which pays him about 200k per year only to keep his schedule open from October to December every year.

Wow. Good for him, certainly! but, even though it's not the same situation nor the sole factor as you explained, can we say that after having "killed" Savatage, TSO is now stopping Symphony X as well? 

I agree however that Symphony X deserves a proper sendoff and a good tenth album. Pity they said the neoclassical style had run its course - they were kinda original and one of a kind with those album, the latter ones, even though they had some amazing music on it, were more "just" metal albums, especially Iconoclast which was all metal metal metal groar grunt ahrrr from beginning to the end, save for one ballad-ish song.

[RodrigoAltaf]

Yeah, Russel' singing went from "here I am, let me kill the dragon and save a damsel in distress" to "let me park my truck at this gas station, have a few beers and get a hooker for the night".

[gzarruk]

Yeah, Russel' singing went from "here I am, let me kill the dragon and save a damsel in distress" to "let me park my truck at this gas station, have a few beers and get a hooker for the night".

That's the AMOB effect.

[krands85]

Yeah, Russel' singing went from "here I am, let me kill the dragon and save a damsel in distress" to "let me park my truck at this gas station, have a few beers and get a hooker for the night".

[Mosh]

I wouldn't be surprised if Symphony X is pretty much finished. If they can't tour Europe anymore due to vaccine restrictions that shuts the band out of a pretty big market. It doesn't really seem like any of them are that invested in writing new songs for the band, especially Russell. It's too bad, I really think they would be at a much higher level of recognition/popularity if they toured/recorded more consistently. Bands like Haken have reached similar levels or higher partially just by being active all the time.

[nick_z]

Well, if they call it quits now, ending on Underworld is going on out as high a note as any band could dream of.  That was a truly spectacular effort.

Yep, Underworld is my favorite of their post-V albums, by some margin.

[goo-goo]

Naming it "X" would be cool!

 I got a sense from talking to the guys that their bread and butter is in other projects, and that Symphony X is more a vanity project for them. I know Lepond plays on TONS of albums and bands, and also produces. Russell is on retainer for Trans Siberian Orchestra, which pays him about 200k per year only to keep his schedule open from October to December every year. Not sure what Pinella does, but Jason Rullo had a food truck for a while. Romeo has a studio and does production. He's also a ghost writer of horror movie soundtracks. It would be great if theyr could tour and record more consistently, but it doesn't look like it's their priority.

Pinella either has a music school or teaches at one, if I recall correctly.

I hope we get one more album. I do recall reading somewhere that they were writing. As far as the touring goes, they toured Europe in 2022 and a couple of festivals in 2023. I don't there are any more vaccine restrictions in Europe. The obvious thing is they can't tour during the European fall touring circuit because of Russell's commitments and it seems the band is fine with that. I think they will tour again next year and possibly a new album as well.

[abydos]

This may be a hot take, but I wouldn't mind if we don't get another album. But that's just my selfish opinion. Ever since V, they've progressively became a more generic modern metal band with each album and that's something I can live without.

[Schurftkut]

maybe do another odyssey type album, some tunes with the newer sound and the classic sound, ending with a big epic.

but yeah, if they continue sounding like the recent albums, i really would be fine if this was it.

[MoraWintersoul]

In this interview I read, Romeo just doesn't think the music he has laying around is in "Symphony X album" shape. Relevant quotes:

So, the idea guided the writing? You first knew you wanted to do the song about The Odyssey and then you wrote around the concept?

Yeah, and for me, that’s just always easier. I always like to have a theme. Paradise Lost, for instance. It’s heaven and hell, it’s dark and light, and the music is gonna kind of be a certain thing. The Odyssey, it’s like, “OK, yeah, you’re gonna have this big epic thing, and it’s gonna be heroic, a hero’s journey, so the orchestra’s gonna be doing some of these big thematic things, and you’re gonna get into some different sections, with different things happening along the storyline.” So, for me, it’s always easier to do it like that, to have a goal or some kind of musical idea, that this will be “the thing.” It’s always kind of been like that with the band. It’s easier to start filling in the blanks with music.

[...]
And we’re working on a Symphony X record now. Well, trying to. It’s so slow.

I was gonna ask, how’s it going?

Dude, things are just weird. With COVID, I don’t know if I have some kind of… I just lose track all of a sudden. My brain fog is like, “What was I just writing?” I’ve got something going on. And some of my guys, too. I was talking to Russ the other day. It’s hard to get inspired, and usually having that idea of a theme or something is when shit starts to go. And I think all of us are just trying to find that thing. The last couple days, maybe there’s a couple possible ideas, but it just seems like everything’s slower now. But I’m down here every day, working, and maybe there’ll be something. It’s always there. There’s always some of these little orchestral things, but something like “The Odyssey,” we haven’t done anything like that in a while. We’ve just got to find that thing. We did the mythology thing, and then we did the heaven and hell thing, and we did the man and machine thing, and it’s like, “What the fuck’s left?” It’s hard to try to find something that hasn’t been done, and something that musically would work. Like, I love horror stuff too, but can you do a 20-minute, big, long epic? I don’t know how that would work.

Do you have some shorter songs that are further stages of completion, or are you still waiting to see what happens with the big epic?

Yeah, dude, I’ve got a ton of shit. I’ve got a bunch of miscellaneous things. But usually, the album really takes focus when it’s like, “This is the thing.” And maybe we won’t find anything. Maybe it’ll just be a bunch of tunes. Fuckin’ nothing wrong with that, either. But it is nice to kind of paint a picture, and have some kind of cool thing.

Well, I hope it reveals itself to you soon. Good luck with everything.

I fuckin’ hope so too, man. I hope so too. It’ll happen, man. Like I said, we’ve been talking, the band guys, and we’re trying to dig deep and find something cool.

I find this kind of candor quite refreshing, and honestly, if they don't find "the thing", I'm pretty happy to wait for them until they do. This is not a band that's going to fall apart or lose members because they're not actively making music/money, anyway, so what's the harm? Wasted potential, sure, but it would be a waste of potential to just do War Of The Worlds stuff every two years but with Russell singing imo.

[goo-goo]

Thanks for pulling this up. I don't think that was the interview I was looking or the one that I read but it gives pretty much a big idea on how the SyX camp works.

I'm with you: if they need to find "the thing", then I'll wait.

[bosk1]

I find this kind of candor quite refreshing, and honestly, if they don't find "the thing", I'm pretty happy to wait for them until they do. This is not a band that's going to fall apart or lose members because they're not actively making music/money, anyway, so what's the harm? Wasted potential, sure, but it would be a waste of potential to just do War Of The Worlds stuff every two years but with Russell singing imo.

I dunno, I'm kinda the opposite.  I mean, yeah, I'm not in a professional band that writes and performs music for a living, so what do I know.  But it also strikes me that if it's that hard to come up with something, you're not doing it right. 

[MoraWintersoul]

It's probably not that hard to come up with something, but it is hard to come up with something good that feels right to them.

[PROGdrummer]

Does Symphony X music necessarily need to have lyrics about dragons, demons, gods and warfare?

I don’t think I’d really mind if the the theme of the next album was depression, or getting older, or the importance of family, or the importance of connecting to an audience, or quarantine stress, or whatever. Or Russell can sing about pirate shit and rum. As long as the instrumentation is there and the lyrics are somewhat clever lol.

Obviously there’s something to be said about straying too far from your comfort zone and making something that isn’t all that great as a result. But that quote about “We did the mythology thing, and then we did the heaven and hell thing, and we did the man and machine thing, and it’s like, “What the fuck’s left?”” is pretty hilarious.

Write about how you think covid vaccines are bullshit and frame it as the Mark of the Beast or something, or UFOs. Or think about the last cool movie you saw. I think this band had proven they can kinda turn any topic into a really cool jam.

[RodrigoAltaf]

Currently there are two wars to draw stories from...although I think these events would be mlre fitting in a Sabaton or Iron Maiden album. But who knows, maybe Romeo feels inclined to write something dark and heavy.

[Lethean]

Everyone works differently.   I don't think Symphony X *has* to as far as what the fans would enjoy/accept, but it could be that that's just how they work.  Maybe they, or more specifically Michael Romeo, just feels like he needs a certain kind of theme for inspiration.  I think it's kind of a shame that they take so long between albums, and that when they tour it's always the same old same old, so I guess I care a lot less about what they're doing than I used to.  At one time they were one of my favorite bands, but I've lost a lot of interest.  Having said that, I'll always check out a new album from them.  I liked Underworld quite a bit.

[PixelDream]

While a new album would be cool, I basically already hear in my head how it's likely going to end up. That robotic homogenized, generic modern metal production sound that they started with Paradise Lost has really made their albums sound alike.

It would be cool if they'd actually put some effort into a cool sounding production again with its own flavor. V sounded really reverby but that was a vibe. The Odyssey sounds extremely dry in the drum department but it gives the album a unique sound. I miss those imperfections.

[wolfking]

While a new album would be cool, I basically already hear in my head how it's likely going to end up. That robotic homogenized, generic modern metal production sound that they started with Paradise Lost has really made their albums sound alike.

It would be cool if they'd actually put some effort into a cool sounding production again with its own flavor. V sounded really reverby but that was a vibe. The Odyssey sounds extremely dry in the drum department but it gives the album a unique sound. I miss those imperfections.

I actually think they slightly broke that mold with Underworld.

[nick_z]

While a new album would be cool, I basically already hear in my head how it's likely going to end up. That robotic homogenized, generic modern metal production sound that they started with Paradise Lost has really made their albums sound alike.

It would be cool if they'd actually put some effort into a cool sounding production again with its own flavor. V sounded really reverby but that was a vibe. The Odyssey sounds extremely dry in the drum department but it gives the album a unique sound. I miss those imperfections.

I actually think they slightly broke that mold with Underworld.

I agree…

[PROGdrummer]

I think the drums sound kinda weird in Underworld. Like they’re too quiet or something or too quantized.  I’m glad that the lead keyboards are nice and loud though.
On V, it’s like you can really hear the sticks smacking the drumhead, and the wood of the shells. Nice old school sound.

 V has one of my favorite drum productions up there with Deadwing by Porcupine Tree, Traced in Air by Cynic, and Ordinary Corrupt Human Love by Deafheaven. All of those albums to me have comparable quality in the drum sound where it sounds like its live and I’m in the room with the drummer.

I always wondered if the drums on The Odyssey were electronic, or triggered. They do sound odd…

Iconoclast also had a really awesome drum sound though. And Rullo played the crap out of that album, compared to Underworld.

[gmillerdrake]

Symphony X coming through StL again on May 19th     They sounded great when they were here last time with Haken....tix on sale this Friday. I love the venue they'll be at as well....seeing Haken there next tuesday in fact.

[wolfking]

Symphony X coming through StL again on May 19th     They sounded great when they were here last time with Haken....tix on sale this Friday. I love the venue they'll be at as well....seeing Haken there next tuesday in fact.

These guys still touring when they haven't released a studio album in 9 years!?

[jjrock88]

 

[TAC]

Symphony X coming through StL again on May 19th     They sounded great when they were here last time with Haken....tix on sale this Friday. I love the venue they'll be at as well....seeing Haken there next tuesday in fact.

These guys still touring when they haven't released a studio album in 9 years!?

Not that I'd go anyway, but I cannot support a band that doesn't release new material.

[wolfking]

Symphony X coming through StL again on May 19th     They sounded great when they were here last time with Haken....tix on sale this Friday. I love the venue they'll be at as well....seeing Haken there next tuesday in fact.

These guys still touring when they haven't released a studio album in 9 years!?

Not that I'd go anyway, but I cannot support a band that doesn't release new material.

If they came here, I'd probably have to see them, but yeah, if I were over there and had seen them already at some stage, no way I'd fucking go.

[jjrock88]

I've seen them twice, once with Iced Earth opening and then Overkill opening.  Both shows were very good and SX is great live.

[wolfking]

I've seen them twice, once with Iced Earth opening and then Overkill opening.  Both shows were very good and SX is great live.

No doubt, when you play the same songs for 9 years, I'd hope they are on point.

[DTwwbwMP]

Symphony X coming again. They sounded great when they were here last time with Haken

Yes they did, but ENOUGH. Don't need to see the same songs rehashed once again. At least, play an album in full OR SOMETHING!

[wolfking]

Symphony X coming again. They sounded great when they were here last time with Haken

Yes they did, but ENOUGH. Don't need to see the same songs rehashed once again. At least, play an album in full OR SOMETHING!

If it were like a skeletons in the closet type of deep cut kinda set you'd give them the benefit of the doubt but if it's the same songs, yeah, quality piss taking.

[jingle.boy]

Symphony X coming again. They sounded great when they were here last time with Haken

Yes they did, but ENOUGH. Don't need to see the same songs rehashed once again. At least, play an album in full OR SOMETHING!

If it were like a skeletons in the closet type of deep cut kinda set you'd give them the benefit of the doubt but if it's the same songs, yeah, quality piss taking.

Agreed.  But it's not like they tour every year or anything.  If they're mixing up the setlist, I'd be all over it (except for the fact they were touring with Haken!  ).  They've got enough of an inventory to have completely different setlists.  They're playing like 2 hours away from me, but fortunately on a Friday night.  Alas... right when I get back from vacation in May, so I'm not sure it's worth it.

[gmillerdrake]

I've seen them twice, once with Iced Earth opening and then Overkill opening.  Both shows were very good and SX is great live.

Me and my sons enjoyed the heck out of them.....they were awesome to watch....Russel Allen had great stage presence and sounded fantastic....I don't care if they end up playing the same set list I saw a year and a half ago we will be there. A good show is a good show and it's at a venue that's 20 minutes away from me so it's a no brainer.

[bosk1]

Wish they were coming out west.