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.
Updated Power Rankings
- Symphony X - The Odyssey =
- Nightwish - Century Child +1
- Dream Theater - Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence +1
- Blaze - Tenth Dimension -2
- Opeth - Deliverance +2
- Blind Guardian - A Night At the Opera -1
- Pain of Salvation - Remedy Lane -1
- Bloodbath - Resurrection Through Carnage +1
- Dio - Killing the Dragon -1
- Hammerfall - Crimson Thunder +3
- Rotting Christ - Genesis -1
- Rhapsody - Power of the Dragon Flame -1
- Luca Turilli - Prophet of the Last Eclipse -1
- Agalloch - The Mantle =
- Mastodon - Remission =
Shmoolikipod
Stranger to the Light
A Night at the Opera is pretty good, I don't know what you want Mosh. It's a bit weaker in the middle (tracks 4-8 if you want to be generous), but even those tracks are very enjoyable at the right time, maybe except The Maiden and the Minstrel Knight which is the most forgettable BG song post Follow the Blind imo. First 3 tracks are gold. Punishment Divine and ATTWS are overrated, but I can't say I never want to hear them. Not garbage at all.
Neither Deliverance nor ANATO should complete the top 5, Remedy Lane should. I heard it for the first time yesterday and again today, it's incredible. Between it and The Perfect Element, I should have gotten into PoS ages ago.
Neither Deliverance nor ANATO should complete the top 5, Remedy Lane should. I heard it for the first time yesterday and again today, it's incredible. Between it and The Perfect Element, I should have gotten into PoS ages ago.
Shmoolikipod
Stranger to the Light
And if I'm already here, March of the Fire Ants is the best Mastodon song and I will die on this anthill.
And if I'm already Mastodoning: https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles...dons-crusher-destroyer-as-our-national-anthem
And if I'm already Mastodoning: https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles...dons-crusher-destroyer-as-our-national-anthem
The over production is one thing but the songwriting just isn’t there imo. This album has no riffs, no memorable songs, it’s just a wall of sound of nothing. Especially coming off the really strong run of Tales to Nightfall, this is a massive disappointment. I think they have decent material after this, but ANATO is a huge misstep imo.
As for PoS, idk I don’t get it. I think Remedy Lane picks up toward the end but in general a lot of Gildenlow’s work feels meandering to me. I was hoping to gain some newfound appreciation but I have tried for years and none of it does anything for me still.
Shmoolikipod
Stranger to the Light
Right, I forgot to mention the production, it's really bad. It's been their Achilles Heel ever since. I think the songs are plenty memorable but I'll agree that it isn't as rifftastic as the 90's stuff (hell, now that I think about it, everything that came after is better about this). The rhythm guitar is inaudible, it's more in the vocals and the over the top harmonies for me, and the drums too, I really love them for some reason.
These PoS albums have been very varied, and Daniel is a beast of a singer. Some of the songs takes their time building, but I didn't hear it as aimless or something, especially not on Remedy Lane, TPE is worse about it I guess. Well I don't think I'll ever get Zep either, for similar reasons, maybe one day we'll grow ears and hear what we're missing...
Shmoolikipod
Stranger to the Light
I also find it funny how PoS have a dramatic sound you'd expect in a prog concept album, and then in some songs they just go full Faith No More, especially Gildenlow's aggressives are so similar to Mike Patton's. Go listen to the bridge of Beyond the Pale at 5:02 and then to The Real Thing at 2:47.