Author Topic: Symphony X: Iconoclast (2011)  (Read 20443 times)

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Offline DarkLord_Lalinc

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Re: Symphony X: Twilight in Olympus (1998)
« Reply #105 on: September 10, 2014, 07:18:32 PM »
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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Offline Mosh

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Re: Symphony X: Twilight in Olympus (1998)
« Reply #106 on: September 10, 2014, 07:29:18 PM »
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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Offline bl5150

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Re: Symphony X: The Divine Wings of Tragedy (1995)
« Reply #107 on: September 10, 2014, 07:47:09 PM »
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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Re: Symphony X: Twilight in Olympus (1998)
« Reply #108 on: September 13, 2014, 07:10:45 AM »
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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Offline Zook

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Re: Symphony X: Twilight in Olympus (1998)
« Reply #109 on: September 13, 2014, 10:05:16 PM »
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.

Offline aprilethereal

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Re: Symphony X: Twilight in Olympus (1998)
« Reply #110 on: September 14, 2014, 02:39:53 AM »
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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Re: Symphony X: Twilight in Olympus (1998)
« Reply #111 on: September 14, 2014, 07:43:48 AM »
Wrap this one up gaiz, V write-up tomorrow.
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Offline black_biff_stadler

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Re: Symphony X: Twilight in Olympus (1998)
« Reply #112 on: September 14, 2014, 10:29:08 AM »
I love talkin about V.
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Offline Zook

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Re: Symphony X: Twilight in Olympus (1998)
« Reply #113 on: September 14, 2014, 12:04:42 PM »
8 fucking years and I still called the album VEE instead of FIVE. Drives me nuts.

Offline Ultimetalhead

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Re: Symphony X: Twilight in Olympus (1998)
« Reply #114 on: September 14, 2014, 12:06:30 PM »
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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Offline Mosh

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Re: Symphony X: Twilight in Olympus (1998)
« Reply #115 on: September 14, 2014, 12:58:28 PM »
I always say Vee for both SX and Spock's Beard. Sounds better to me.
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Offline The Letter M

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Re: Symphony X: Twilight in Olympus (1998)
« Reply #116 on: September 14, 2014, 01:58:36 PM »
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".

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Re: Symphony X: Twilight in Olympus (1998)
« Reply #117 on: September 14, 2014, 02:44:50 PM »
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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Offline Ultimetalhead

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Re: Symphony X: Twilight in Olympus (1998)
« Reply #118 on: September 14, 2014, 03:21:35 PM »
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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Offline PROGdrummer

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Re: Symphony X: Twilight in Olympus (1998)
« Reply #119 on: September 14, 2014, 06:24:58 PM »
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".

Offline Mosh

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Re: Symphony X: Twilight in Olympus (1998)
« Reply #120 on: September 14, 2014, 07:13:53 PM »
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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Re: Symphony X: Twilight in Olympus (1998)
« Reply #121 on: September 14, 2014, 07:37:29 PM »
Symphony X V = Symphony 15
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Offline wolfking

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Re: Symphony X: Twilight in Olympus (1998)
« Reply #122 on: September 17, 2014, 05:14:43 AM »
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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Re: Symphony X: Twilight in Olympus (1998)
« Reply #123 on: September 17, 2014, 06:16:39 AM »
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]
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Offline wolfking

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Re: Symphony X: Twilight in Olympus (1998)
« Reply #124 on: September 17, 2014, 02:51:15 PM »
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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Offline NecessaryPain

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Re: Symphony X: Twilight in Olympus (1998)
« Reply #125 on: September 20, 2014, 02:05:52 PM »
Looking forward to the next review!
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Re: Symphony X: Twilight in Olympus (1998)
« Reply #126 on: September 20, 2014, 03:56:56 PM »
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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Offline Zook

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Re: Symphony X: Twilight in Olympus (1998)
« Reply #127 on: September 20, 2014, 05:51:51 PM »
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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Re: Symphony X: Twilight in Olympus (1998)
« Reply #128 on: September 22, 2014, 05:27:55 PM »
Ummm...its monday.... (points at wrist which has no watch)
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Offline bosk1

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Re: Symphony X: Twilight in Olympus (1998)
« Reply #129 on: September 22, 2014, 05:55:27 PM »
Yeah, good point.  *points at Ben_Jamin's watchless wrist*
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Re: Symphony X: V: The New Mythology Suite (2000)
« Reply #130 on: September 30, 2014, 02:23:14 PM »
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)



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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Offline Lowdz

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Re: Symphony X: V: The New Mythology Suite (2000)
« Reply #131 on: September 30, 2014, 04:06:31 PM »
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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Re: Symphony X: V: The New Mythology Suite (2000)
« Reply #132 on: September 30, 2014, 04:22:10 PM »
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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Offline jjrock88

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Re: Symphony X: V: The New Mythology Suite (2000)
« Reply #133 on: September 30, 2014, 04:32:06 PM »
"Fallen" was the song that got me into SX.  Love this album!

Offline Destiny Of Chaos

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Re: Symphony X: V: The New Mythology Suite (2000)
« Reply #134 on: September 30, 2014, 04:38:40 PM »
"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.

Offline bosk1

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Re: Symphony X: V: The New Mythology Suite (2000)
« Reply #135 on: September 30, 2014, 05:01:36 PM »
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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Offline Cyclopssss

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Re: Symphony X: V: The New Mythology Suite (2000)
« Reply #136 on: October 01, 2014, 03:47:38 AM »
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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Online Zydar

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Re: Symphony X: V: The New Mythology Suite (2000)
« Reply #137 on: October 01, 2014, 03:48:36 AM »
Their second best one, after Divine Wings.
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Re: Symphony X: V: The New Mythology Suite (2000)
« Reply #138 on: October 01, 2014, 04:10:48 AM »
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.

Offline Lynxo

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Re: Symphony X: V: The New Mythology Suite (2000)
« Reply #139 on: October 01, 2014, 05:28:38 AM »
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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