Recently ran through Symphony X's discography. One of my local concert buddies cites SX as his favourite band, and I figured I'd try to get into them. It's mostly worked, though I am no great lover of progressive metal, I figured this should be sufficiently accessible enough for me.
Going to try to do a Diesel-style series of album reviews now, starting with 1994's
Symphony X.
1. Into the Dementia: Unfortunately, this is an intro to Michael Romeo, and it sounds more like someone trying to rip off Yngwie Malmsteen than it does someone establishing their own style. Romeo eventually becomes distinctive, but not yet. It's a short intro. Inoffensive and boring. 4/10.
2. The Raging Seasons: The first thing as a casual fan I noticed about this song and album is the lack of Russell Allen. This Rod Tyler is not suited for the type of music that Romeo is putting in front of him. The drums are muddled and sound more like a constant cacophony of double-base, but I still find myself nodding my head. I get the feeling that this type of song would sound much better played live today, with Russell and a far more confident SX putting better twists on the tunes. The instrumental section is a mess, as well. 5/10.
3. Premonition: A bit slower of a track, and they aren't pushing Tyler so hard out of his range for most of this song. A nice piano intro too. I feel like this song is a bit more targeted for the Symphony X that existed at the time of this album's creation than the future. Nice instrumental section. 7/10.
4. Masquerade: This song honestly sounds like it fell out of the Final Fantasy VII soundtrack and landed on a Symphony X record. It's cheesy as hell, but I enjoy it, the nod to classic ballroom sounds. The bridge "Save this from the masquerade from lies" though...wow. That's some heavy Gouda there. Songs like this can only be handled by bands that are fully in the cheese, or bands that are past cheese and can make even dumb stuff seem magnanimous. 4/10.
5. Absinthe and Rue: This has a proper rock sound at the beginning, and I'm into it. Tyler is again outmatched by the music, but the layers vocals give me hope. It's clear what Symphony X wants in a singer. They just won't have it yet. The chorus is quite good though. I'd like to hear how this sounds today with Russell and a more mature band, for sure. 8/10.
6. Shades of Grey: Could this be an attempt at a ballad? It's fine, but a little saccharine for me and fairly boring. The vocals are over stretched, so it annoys me. 3/10.
7. Taunting the Notorious: A short little rock track, which is not the kind of track Symphony X is known for. Aggressive on the boring double-bass, and fairly straight forward. Nothing interesting, nothing offensive. A pretty plain 5/10.
8. Rapture or Pain: Interesting choice here. Good song, engaging with a nice guitar lead, and solid vocals. A fair bit more interesting than the previous track, so let's give it a 7/10.
9. Thorns of Sorrow: Cheesier intro, but not terrible. At this point, I'm starting to feel like the songs are melding together, as they have similar drum and base lines, the guitar isn't terribly different either, still very Ywngie-esque. Not a bad little track, but not particularly good. 5/10.
10. A Lesson Before Dying: Now, I know the point of prog is to push boundaries, but this has a lot of Malmsteenesque wankery in it. Some parts are interesting, but it's mostly boring and goes nowhere. Symphony X has come up with better ways to tell epic stories. It's not the worst, but it is kinda bleh. 4/10.
Final score: 52%.
Some bands start out as pale shadows of what they will become, and Symphony X is one of those bands. Clearly Michael Romeo was writing for future state, and he would get closer to that state when he added Russell Allen only a few months later. There's pearls of greatness here, but only pearls - the vast majority of this album is overburdened and underdeveloped, using too much time to say...nothing at all. The first time I tried to get into Symphony X, I didn't even make it to Absinthe and Rue, easily the album's best track. Now I know the band is worth persevering for.
