I basically agree with all of that re: Paradise Lost and Underworld, which are really consistent and enjoyable albums, but nothing that gets close to The Odyssey itself on it.
Maidenfans Best Album of The Millennium: 2002
- Thread starter Mosh
- Start date
Shmoolikipod
Stranger to the Light
Hit the switch, you son of a BITCH!
To mine too actually, though I like it a good bit, probably more than Incantations. The double chorus is cool word painting imo.
I can see that. At least, Underworld and The Odyssey have very, very different sounds, and Underworld's doesn't lend itself to creating masterpieces the way The Odyssey does. But it's near flawless at what it does. Paradise Lost doesn't have any really sucky song but most of it is solidly B-tier SX, and it's definitely weaker than The Odyssey when all is said and done.
Detective Beauregard
Leviathan of Doggerland
Lol. I mean Symphony X have never been lyrical masters (although Thomas Miller’s contributions were solid), but a lot of Iconoclast’s lyrics sound like they were written by a 3rd grader.
We are strong! We will stand and fight!
Watch me burn! Live and learn!
Incantations is one of those tunes that sits somewhere between mid-tier Symphony X and borderline filler (especially in comparison to the rest of the album), but there’s some neat musical ideas in the intro and I like the musical space in the verses.
I also believe that The Turning is the only song from the album that has never been played live.
I loved Paradise Lost when it was first released, but upon dissection it’s really straightforward compared to the band’s other works. I’ll always love the brutality of Domination and the battlefield energy of Walls of Babylon, but that secret special Symphony X sauce is simply missing here.
MrKnickerbocker
clap hands
My dying eyes scream with pain!
It's crazy, because even a mid-tier or filler song from Symphony X's golden era is still better than most other bands output and at least as good as the decent songs from early or latter day Symphony X albums. (I almost said "newer Symphony X albums" but that's hilarious...)
Really? They played Incantations? Interesting.
Paradise Lost and Underworld do a good job of taking the SX formula and simplifying it. Both albums are generally pretty great, even if simplistic. The songs on Paradise Lost might be more straightforward and less technically masterful than Iconoclast, but they're also better songs.
The way I feel about Paradise Lost and evenmoreso Underworld is that I rarely feel like I slow down while listening to it, but I barely remember much after.
Diesel 11
As you scream into the web of silence...
I feel like this one isn't as bad though. "Scream" could just be a metaphor for the visceral terror reflected in them. Now I don't think Symphony X is smart enough to intend that but that the way it comes across to me. Bruce has a similar (better) line in "Road to Hell": "Your screaming eyes cry out, but they are blind."
Detective Beauregard
Leviathan of Doggerland
Shmoolikipod
Stranger to the Light
Hahahaha this line is my single least favourite thing in all of Underworld
MrKnickerbocker
clap hands
Is it "serious" or "furious"? The mixing always sounds like Russell is literally singing both words at the same time.Hahahaha this line is my single least favourite thing in all of Underworld
Shmoolikipod
Stranger to the Light
It's technically "furious" (according to lyrics sites), but I thought for the longest time it's "serious" too. I think it's more that he literally sings the first syllable like "fur" instead of like "fury" rather than the mix.
Not that "with furious anger" is very good either
especially when you can't actually tell the difference when listening 
Detective Beauregard
Leviathan of Doggerland
It’s “furious,” but it sounds like “serious,” which is much funnier, so I just roll with it.
This is the lyric, along with the aforementioned “hit the switch, you sonnuva biatch,” that led me to realize Symphony X went from making music for themselves to making music for stereotypical angsty teen metalheads.
This is the lyric, along with the aforementioned “hit the switch, you sonnuva biatch,” that led me to realize Symphony X went from making music for themselves to making music for stereotypical angsty teen metalheads.
