Symphony X

[MrKnickerbocker]

After listening to the album once this morning, I admit that I was a bit confused due to the unusual sound when compared to the last two albums. But after seeing the booklet, it makes sense - both LePond and Pinnella were more involved in the writing process. Granted, the lyrics are still awful (although not as bad as Iconoclast) - I think "Bring down the hammer with serious anger" speaks for itself. But does anyone really care about the lyrics of a band that wrote an entire concept album about Egyptian mythology?

Whatchu sayin' bout Egyptian mythology, bro? Like I can't take that shit seriously? Cause I'm the Sun God...

I'm shocked at how many lyrics LePond contributed. I must study the specific songs in the booklet to see if maybe he's responsible for "Bring down the hammer with serious anger."

 

[Detective Beauregard]

Ha, if the last two albums are any indication, that lyrical gem was from Romeo.

 

[TheSpectreWithin]

I didn't like Iconoclast at first, but it's definitely grown on me. When All is Lost and the title track are especially good. I was unimpressed with the 2 songs they released early for Underworld, and after hearing the full album it has yet to make much of an impression on me. Charon, Swan Song, and Legend seem like the best tracks so far. It feels more like a hooky metal album, with less emphasis on prog. I would prefer more balance in the songwriting. Symphony X can write decent lyrics (Paradise Lost for instance) but you sure wouldn't know that listening to this. Anyway, I'm somewhat disappointed, but other than Kiss of Fire's lyrics, there's nothing too terrible here, just mostly unremarkable songs.

 

[MrKnickerbocker]

I didn't like Iconoclast at first, but it's definitely grown on me. When All is Lost and the title track are especially good. I was unimpressed with the 2 songs they released early for Underworld, and after hearing the full album it has yet to make much of an impression on me. Charon, Swan Song, and Legend seem like the best tracks so far. It feels more like a hooky metal album, with less emphasis on prog. I would prefer more balance in the songwriting. Symphony X can write decent lyrics (Paradise Lost for instance) but you sure wouldn't know that listening to this. Anyway, I'm somewhat disappointed, but other than Kiss of Fire's lyrics, there's nothing too terrible here, just mostly unremarkable songs.

Honestly, looking back on Symphony X's discography, their lyrics have always been pretty bad. Paradise Lost is definitely one of their better moments, though. The last two albums have had some serious lyrical laziness, but at least this one doesn't have an entire section chanting "bastards!"

The prog is still evident in the riffs, but not so much in song structures, I agree. It's kind of like Rush after 1980: the instruments are still playing prog, but the structure and framework around the instruments is no longer prog.

 

[Detective Beauregard]

As much as I love this new album, it contains very few progressive elements. Structurally, the only songs that are progressive are "To Hell and Back" and the title track. Others have more of a prog sound, such as "Swan Song" and "Legend," but most of this album is straightforward metal that happens to be played with the proficiency of progressive musicians.

Michael Romeo even mentioned in an interview that the band has simplified their approach due to "decreasing attention spans," which is a sad thing. Note that this album has very few songs with real intros; the vocals in most start almost immediately. Also worth mentioning is the almost complete lack of instrumental sections that aren't a backdrop for a solo or just a punchy riff. There's one after the bridge in the title track where Pinnella plays a lead that sounds like it came from the first level of GoldenEye, and there's a few in "Swan Song" and one in "Without You," but that's about it if I recall correctly. Remember when "The Divine Wings of Tragedy" had six minutes of instrumental before the grand finale? I miss that. Even the previous two albums had plenty of non-solo instrumental sections (like "The Walls of Babylon" intro).

The only song I can't quite figure out is "Run with the Devil." Why did Russell suck on a helium tank before singing the verses, and why does the chorus sound like a classic rock song? I don't think this song is bad, or even weak, but nothing about it sounds like Symphony X (which in this case isn't a good thing). It has a fun, upbeat vibe that reminds me at times of the main theme of "Eve of Seduction," and that cool pre-solo riff, but overall this song just confuses me.

 

[MrKnickerbocker]

As much as I love this new album, it contains very few progressive elements. Structurally, the only songs that are progressive are "To Hell and Back" and the title track. Others have more of a prog sound, such as "Swan Song" and "Legend," but most of this album is straightforward metal that happens to be played with the proficiency of progressive musicians.

Michael Romeo even mentioned in an interview that the band has simplified their approach due to "decreasing attention spans," which is a sad thing. Note that this album has very few songs with real intros; the vocals in most start almost immediately. Also worth mentioning is the almost complete lack of instrumental sections that aren't a backdrop for a solo or just a punchy riff. There's one after the bridge in the title track where Pinnella plays a lead that sounds like it came from the first level of GoldenEye, and there's a few in "Swan Song" and one in "Without You," but that's about it if I recall correctly. Remember when "The Divine Wings of Tragedy" had six minutes of instrumental before the grand finale? I miss that. Even the previous two albums had plenty of non-solo instrumental sections (like "The Walls of Babylon" intro).

The only song I can't quite figure out is "Run with the Devil." Why did Russell suck on a helium tank before singing the verses, and why does the chorus sound like a classic rock song? I don't think this song is bad, or even weak, but nothing about it sounds like Symphony X (which in this case isn't a good thing). It has a fun, upbeat vibe that reminds me at times of the main theme of "Eve of Seduction," and that cool pre-solo riff, but overall this song just confuses me.

Something definitely sounds funny with the vocals on Run With The Devil, but I can't tell what it is. Maybe autotune? Either way, I love that song.

Again, maybe it's just all the Rush I've been listening to recently, but I liken their new sound to 80's and beyond Rush: prog musicians playing prog music in more standard song structures. But I do miss the instrumental passages, especially the lighter ones that allowed the songs to breathe.

 

[MrKnickerbocker]

New lyric video for Kiss of Fire! Pretty much guarantees that we'll hear this song on the upcoming tour

 

[Night Prowler]

 

[Detective Beauregard]

That's actually my most listened to song from the new album. The lyrics are sublime.

 

[Mosh]

Just bought the album! can't wait to come home and listen.

Also bought my first Nightwish album, figured it was time for me to spend money on this band.

 

[MrKnickerbocker]

Just bought the album! can't wait to come home and listen.

Also bought my first Nightwish album, figured it was time for me to spend money on this band.

Awesome! I'm gonna do an in-depth listen later today and actually read through the lyrics. I'm curious to know your opinion!

What Nightwish album did you buy?

 

[Mosh]

Cool, I'm looking at the lyrics too. So far so good! The overture is awesome.

The Nightwish album is Imaginaerum! I know that one gets some flak but I like it quite a bit (was my introduction to NW after all). Plus it was on sale so couldn't pass that up.

 

[Mosh]

First impression: pretty much what I expected. Modern SX sound but with more varied singing and a bit more of a "classic" SX edge. I can hear a bit of Odyssey and Twilight in Olympus in some of the songs, but it also has some songs that continue what they were doing on Iconoclast musically, namely Kiss of Fire.

Absolutely love Russel's singing on this! His cleans are great, finally the soaring vocals are back. And even his rough vocals have improved a ton, I love them on the title track. Really intense stuff there. It sounds like the band are slowly becoming more dynamic and this is definitely a step in the right direction. So far I'm not sure where this ranks up, needs more listens obviously. If I had to choose right now I'd say it's better than Iconoclast for sure and maybe on par with their older albums (which all rank about the same for me). The real test is if it can beat Paradise Lost, which is currently my #3. So basically right now I'd say they've gone back to their standard level of quality, which is good!

I hope it turns out to be a transitional album for them. More in that direction next time but with more epics and proggy/symphonic elements. I'd love to hear a song like Winters Dream or Through the Looking Glass again. Plus they're overdue for a sidelong epic. Only thing I felt Nevermore was really missing was something with that epic feeling. Iconoclast didn't have that either, but PL had Revelation which I love.

Also, the cover art has gotten some shit but I like it a lot now that I've got the CD. It looks really nice on the slip case. A nice sleek minimalist cover. They've had way uglier covers. Plus the booklet art is cool.

 

[MrKnickerbocker]

Glad you like it! I just listened again and read the lyrics booklet...I really love this album! I know it doesn't sound like Divine Wings, but there is a craft here that is simply unparalleled by other bands. The more I've listened to it, the more I've fallen in love with these songs. It's as solid as Paradise Lost and possibly even better, in my opinion. Honestly, Nevermore is the worst song here and even that is still a 7 or 8 out of 10 in my book.

I'm glad you mentioned Russ' voice, because honestly I think he gives the performance of a career on Underworld. His voice has certainly changed (heavier and deeper, more nasally in his upper register), but his melodies are all over the map. Those screams in the title track are out of this world.

As for the cover art and booklet art...I wish they had picked one of the inserts to be the album cover. They are all better than what they went with (except for the IMDH/RWTD one, that one's Virtual XI cheesy).

 

[Detective Beauregard]

Honestly, Nevermore is the worst song here and even that is still a 7 or 8 out of 10 in my book.

I don't think this album really has any filler, but to me, IMDH and RWTD are the two weakest tracks by far. Nevermore may be standard thrashy Symphony X, but it's punchy and full of energy.

My biggest complaint about this album is that many songs aren't long enough; they simply don't take enough time to properly build. IMDH is a fine example, as are Charon and Swan Song. The latter is particularly noticeable, since it is one of the more progressive songs on the album.

 

[Mosh]

Surprised you rate IMDH as the weakest, I actually liked it a lot. It was one of the proggier songs on there I thought. Totally agree on the ending though, it seemed so sudden and not in a good way. Same with Legend, which is especially bad considering it's the closer.

Glad you like it! I just listened again and read the lyrics booklet...I really love this album! I know it doesn't sound like Divine Wings, but there is a craft here that is simply unparalleled by other bands. The more I've listened to it, the more I've fallen in love with these songs. It's as solid as Paradise Lost and possibly even better, in my opinion. Honestly, Nevermore is the worst song here and even that is still a 7 or 8 out of 10 in my book.

I'm glad you mentioned Russ' voice, because honestly I think he gives the performance of a career on Underworld. His voice has certainly changed (heavier and deeper, more nasally in his upper register), but his melodies are all over the map. Those screams in the title track are out of this world.

As for the cover art and booklet art...I wish they had picked one of the inserts to be the album cover. They are all better than what they went with (except for the IMDH/RWTD one, that one's Virtual XI cheesy).

Yea those screams in the title track blew my mind, didn't know he was capable of that. He's doing all kinds of new things and I love it. Thought I heard everything there was to hear from that guy but here he is surprising us again.

Also did you guys notice there are a few more moments where keyboards take the melody? Way more than on Iconoclast. Nice to have more of a presence from Pinella!

 

[MrKnickerbocker]

I don't think this album really has any filler, but to me, IMDH and RWTD are the two weakest tracks by far. Nevermore may be standard thrashy Symphony X, but it's punchy and full of energy.

My biggest complaint about this album is that many songs aren't long enough; they simply don't take enough time to properly build. IMDH is a fine example, as are Charon and Swan Song. The latter is particularly noticeable, since it is one of the more progressive songs on the album.

RWTD and Nevermore are the weakest tracks on the album, and they are still quite good. I do wish some parts were longer, but I think this is the most successful they've ever been in writing concise songs.

Surprised you rate IMDH as the weakest, I actually liked it a lot. It was one of the proggier songs on there I thought. Totally agree on the ending though, it seemed so sudden and not in a good way. Same with Legend, which is especially bad considering it's the closer.

I also love IMDH. I am honestly shocked that they didn't release it as a single - more than any other SX song, I can imagine actually hearing that on the radio.

Also did you guys notice there are a few more moments where keyboards take the melody? Way more than on Iconoclast. Nice to have more of a presence from Pinella!

Indeed! There's not tons of keyboard on the album, but the fact they are once again being used for melody makes me happy.

 

[Detective Beauregard]

I think this is the most successful they've ever been in writing concise songs.

I don't want concise; I want bloated 20-minute epics, dammit!

 

[Mosh]

I agree they did a good job at making a lot of songs concise, but there's a fine line between having a concise song and a song that feels incomplete. I think Underworld treads that line on a couple songs. It's a minor complaint though, aside from feeling incomplete pretty much every song is at least very good. I had it on in the car yesterday and I'm loving it more with each listen.

It'd be cool if they did something like Odyssey again. Have 6 or 7 short rockers and then a big 20 minute epic. That way you get the best of both worlds.

 

[MrKnickerbocker]

Oh, I'm in no way saying I want to hear Symphony X be concise, I love the epics more than anything and I'd love to hear them do a big epic again! However, I think Underworld is more successful at being concise than some of their earlier works, especially Iconoclast.