Symphony X

I did a search and found no 'active' Symphony X threads. They are all RIP.

Anyway ... who likes this band? I love em - and need to get all their stuff. I've only got "Paradise Lost" so far. Where else should I start?

Ya, I have all their albums, just have to be in the mood because it's a bit hard to digest in one sitting.

Don't like them a huge amount, but there are some songs off 'Paradise Lost' that I do like a lot, 'Set the World On Fire (The Lie of Lies)' and the title track, most specifically. A lot of their stuff, like off 'V' for example is awkward to me, where the chorus just will not fit the verses at all, and then the riffing doesn't match anything. Not a terrible band, just nowhere near a favorite..

GrandNational wrote:

Ya, I have all their albums, just have to be in the mood because it's a bit hard to digest in one sitting.

I hear that. I was cranking "Paradise Lost" last night ...and it really sounded good. But I did notice a bit of 'noodling', which I don't mind as much. Dream Theater does this too, and they are a top fave of mine.

I have V and The Odyssey but I do not listen to them much.

chewie wrote:

I have V and The Odyssey but I do not listen to them much.

That was my situation too. I had those two plus Paradise Lost and never listened to any of them. I ended up selling them all off to various people on this board.

By the way, does anyone notice any thrash in their last album, "Paradise Lost"? Quite a bit really.


Great album.

Russell

"V" is their pinnacle for me. It's the one album that wows me from them. "Twilight In Olympus" is also very good. They've gone in a more aggressive and heaver approach with their last two albums, and while I like some of it from each, they don't captivate me like V does.

I'll check out "V" Lion! Thanks!

To my ears The Odyssey is the be all end all SX album. 100% prog masterpiece.

MetalH wrote:

To my ears The Odyssey is the be all end all SX album. 100% prog masterpiece.

Sounds like I got two to buy!!!

I have "Divine Wings of Tragedy" and "The Odyssey." I enjoy them both very much, though I haven't listened to them for a while. Michael Romeo would be in my top 10 guitarist list and Russell Allen is also one of my top favorite vocalists. Some of the synthesized orchestra stuff is a bit cheesy, particularly in the Odyssey, but I also think this would be an interesting band to pair up with a live orchestra.

Love me some Symphony X (I'd rank them as one of my top 20 favorites) especially the last two albums. Russell Allen is one of my top vocalists especially after seeing them live. Paradise Lost is probably the best thing they've ever done IMO followed very closely by The Odyssey. The album V is the only one I don't seem to listen to much but it's still good. The only albums I'm missing are the s/t and Damnation Game but the ones I have I rank as such (from favorite to least favorite):

Paradise Lost
The Odyssey
Divine Wings Of Tragedy
Twilight In Olympus
V

I have Paradise Lost and The Odyssey and while I like both I don't pull them out often. They tend to lose me at times. Best thing Russell has sang on are the Lande/Allen albums both of which I like better then anything else they've done.

TheNazgul wrote:

I have Paradise Lost and The Odyssey and while I like both I don't pull them out often. They tend to lose me at times. Best thing Russell has sang on are the Lande/Allen albums both of which I like better then anything else they've done.

I agree with this 100%

Too much miss not enough hits... Love Romeo and on some songs this band is perfect but they're way too many sleepy tunes that dont do anything for me. Allen is top notch as well but like said Naz I prefer them both with Allen/Lande

Allen/Lande has been on my radar for a while now.

I know Lionheart really likes them as well.

I'll have to pick something up.

Russell is amazing, he's one of my biggest influences. Anybody get the impression that Michael Romeo spends a ton of time in his basement jamming away ...and probably still lives with his parents?

An old thread, I’m late to the party!



I just recently discovered them from Liquid Metal on satellite radio. I’ve known their name for quite some time, but I never gave them a listen. This song and album is amazing! It’s like Dehumanizer Sabbath 2.0 meets Dream Theater and Megadeth.

Troublezone wrote:

An old thread, I’m late to the party!



I just recently discovered them from Liquid Metal on satellite radio. I’ve known their name for quite some time, but I never gave them a listen. This song and album is amazing! It’s like Dehumanizer Sabbath 2.0 meets Dream Theater and Megadeth.

Big Symphony X fan here! Russel Allen is a beast on the mic (especially on The Odyssey and beyond when he further developed his rough vocal style), Michael Romeo is a fantastic guitarist, and Michael Pinnella is one of my favorite keyboardists.

They're about due for a new album I think.

DallasBlack wrote:

Troublezone wrote:

An old thread, I’m late to the party!



I just recently discovered them from Liquid Metal on satellite radio. I’ve known their name for quite some time, but I never gave them a listen. This song and album is amazing! It’s like Dehumanizer Sabbath 2.0 meets Dream Theater and Megadeth.

Big Symphony X fan here! Russel Allen is a beast on the mic (especially on The Odyssey and beyond when he further developed his rough vocal style), Michael Romeo is a fantastic guitarist, and Michael Pinnella is one of my favorite keyboardists.

They're about due for a new album I think.

I definitely want to explore more of their albums. I’ll check out The Odyssey one you mentioned. I’m sure Russell Allen is working on a new Symphony X album now since his other band (Adrenaline Mob) is most likely on permanent hiatus.

A hit and miss band for me which I think I said a long time ago in this thread. Allen's best is with Lande/Allen.

Dark Horseman wrote:

A hit and miss band for me which I think I said a long time ago in this thread. Allen's best is with Lande/Allen.

At this point, all I know is that I like their Iconoclast album for sure.

The early years of Symphony X was more neo-classical (like Yngwie, though nowhere near as pretentious) and became bit more progressive later. During this time, Russel sung in a mostly clean, melodic voice adding some rough vocals here and there (BTW, he was not in the debut album-the only SX album I don't have. It wasn't until Odyssey where the rough voice became more prominent though the clean still vocals still held the day. They finally became what they are now with the magnum opus Paradise Lost which remains my favorite of theirs. While I do like Iconoclast, I felt it was a step down from Paradise Lost. I like the mix of Russel's rough voice and clean voice and the rough one dominated through most of that album (so there is a chance you may not like the others as much as Iconoclast) and the songs just weren't as memorable to me. While not as good as Paradise Lost, the last album Underworld was a big hit for me as it went back to an even mix of rough and clean and had more memorable songs.

Hope that info helps.

DallasBlack wrote:

The early years of Symphony X was more neo-classical (like Yngwie, though nowhere near as pretentious) and became bit more progressive later. During this time, Russel sung in a mostly clean, melodic voice adding some rough vocals here and there (BTW, he was not in the debut album-the only SX album I don't have. It wasn't until Odyssey where the rough voice became more prominent though the clean still vocals still held the day. They finally became what they are now with the magnum opus Paradise Lost which remains my favorite of theirs. While I do like Iconoclast, I felt it was a step down from Paradise Lost. I like the mix of Russel's rough voice and clean voice and the rough one dominated through most of that album (so there is a chance you may not like the others as much as Iconoclast) and the songs just weren't as memorable to me. While not as good as Paradise Lost, the last album Underworld was a big hit for me as it went back to an even mix of rough and clean and had more memorable songs.

Hope that info helps.

Thanks for the advice. From what you said, I know I will prefer the albums with edgier vocals.