Symphony X thread!

[RodrigoAltaf]

I really like Paradise Lost as well, despite preferring the vocal style on earlier albums. It was my first new album since becoming a fan of the band, so maybe that has a bit of an influence, but I love a lot of the tracks and it's probably second only to TDWOT for me.

I found Underworld pretty consistent, but I feel like it lacked the highs of previous albums - even Iconoclast had its title track, The End of Innocence and When All is Lost. Nothing from Underworld would be among my favourite SX songs. Been a while since I listened to it as well though, need to check it out again soon.

I'm totally fine with the music they're making right now (except they could make it a little more often)

Exactly!  The bass player (Mike Lepond) has put out three killer solo albums since Underworld. That's why I can't figure out why SX hasn't even put out one album since then.  Perhaps something to do with the other band members circumstances?  I know Michael Romeo helped Lepond produce his three Silent Assassins albums.

Lepond has a MILLION things: DeadRisen, Silent Assassins, Ross the Boss Band and a few other projects. As far as I know, the material of Romeo's solo album was supposed to be a new Symphony X album, but it didn't happen because of the Adrenaline Mob accident. He's got part 2 almost done, but whether he focuses on it or on a new Symphony X album, is anyone's guess right now. I think the ones who work at a slower pace in the band are Romeo and Pinella. But they respect each other's paces, and Romeo even helped out Silent Assassins and Pinella's solo album.

[Fritzinger]

Are the guys from SX doing their music for a living or do they have other jobs (like Alan Morse from Spock's Beard)?

[kirksnosehair]

Pretty sure Russell Allen is a musician and only a musician (vocalist) full-time.  He does studio sessions and works with acts like the Trans Siberian Orchestra and Ayreon

[Zook]

A new Star One is in the works. Pretty sure he's involved.

[Evermind]

A new Star One is in the works. Pretty sure he's involved.

I'm not so sure actually. After Russell has last-minute cancelled his appearance on Ayreon Universe shows, there's no guarantee Arjen will continue working with him.

We'll see, I guess.

[jingle.boy]

The fact that Arjen is abandoning the very special chemistry that came from Floor/Dan/Damian/Russell as THE vocalists for the first two Star One albums, and being somewhat aloof and coy about the multi-vocalist approach this time around ... well, I'll bet next week's paycheque that Russell is NOT on the upcoming Star One album.

[ProfessorPeart]

Listening to Jason's 3 Rules album right now. Man, this smokes! Loving it.

As for Russ, he seemed to kind of drop off the face of the earth after the accident. I only know of 1 album he was on since then and it was the Allen/Olzon thing. I know he also suffered an injury during the last TSO tour rehearsals. I've wondered if the AMob accident scarred him mentally in a way that he hasn't, or maybe never will recover from. I just don't see much out there from him. I could also be totally wrong. Just has been on my mind.

[RodrigoAltaf]

Listening to Jason's 3 Rules album right now. Man, this smokes! Loving it.

As for Russ, he seemed to kind of drop off the face of the earth after the accident. I only know of 1 album he was on since then and it was the Allen/Olzon thing. I know he also suffered an injury during the last TSO tour rehearsals. I've wondered if the AMob accident scarred him mentally in a way that he hasn't, or maybe never will recover from. I just don't see much out there from him. I could also be totally wrong. Just has been on my mind.

Russell did all vocals on the new Joel Hoekstra album, and it's pure 80's hard rock. Amazing album, man. Check out this song: https://youtu.be/4twyJ-VON5k

[ProfessorPeart]

Listening to Jason's 3 Rules album right now. Man, this smokes! Loving it.

As for Russ, he seemed to kind of drop off the face of the earth after the accident. I only know of 1 album he was on since then and it was the Allen/Olzon thing. I know he also suffered an injury during the last TSO tour rehearsals. I've wondered if the AMob accident scarred him mentally in a way that he hasn't, or maybe never will recover from. I just don't see much out there from him. I could also be totally wrong. Just has been on my mind.

Russell did all vocals on the new Joel Hoekstra album, and it's pure 80's hard rock. Amazing album, man. Check out this song: https://youtu.be/4twyJ-VON5k

Thanks, I will. I went down a bit of a Russ rabbit hole after my post and saw that he and Jeff Scott Soto split vocals on Joel's 2015 album and was planning on looking into that as well.

EDIT: Picked up both Hoekstra albums and the Romeo album today. No idea when I will get any of this stuff. First Hoekstra album is coming from Laser CD as they were the only one that had it in stock. Second Hoekstra album is coming from Amazon but they don't have it in stock right now. Romeo is coming from Amazon, but not until next week, I guess. Amazon Prime is somehow not 2 day shipping, but 1 week plus now.

[ProfessorPeart]

Listening to the Romeo album now. I swear he is trying to score a TOS Star Trek movie. Pretty sure I heard the scary theme from Wrath Of Khan when he is about to detonate the Genesis device. 

Other than that, I kind of wonder why he continues with SymX. He got a for hire singer and drummer and made a SymX album. Not like name recognition is huge or that he really lets anyone else write in the band anymore. It's a good album.

I have the first Hoekstra album here too and the second one is supposed to be here tomorrow.

[RodrigoAltaf]

The problem with this Romeo album is that he doesn't want to do live shows with the orchestrations piped in...he would like to do "the real thing", playing with an orchestra which is not financially viable. It's a problem he creates for himself.

The second Hoekstra album SMOKES the first one.

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

Listening to Jason's 3 Rules album right now. Man, this smokes! Loving it.

As for Russ, he seemed to kind of drop off the face of the earth after the accident. I only know of 1 album he was on since then and it was the Allen/Olzon thing. I know he also suffered an injury during the last TSO tour rehearsals. I've wondered if the AMob accident scarred him mentally in a way that he hasn't, or maybe never will recover from. I just don't see much out there from him. I could also be totally wrong. Just has been on my mind.

Russell did all vocals on the new Joel Hoekstra album, and it's pure 80's hard rock. Amazing album, man. Check out this song: https://youtu.be/4twyJ-VON5k

Awesome, didn't know about that one. 

[IDontNotDoThings]

The band began writing Underworld on September 8, 2014, & the album was released on July 24, 2015.  That's 319 days. If writing begins in a month from now, that's 350 days, so we should expect the album on April 24, 2021.

Sorry guys. I guess not.

[Architeuthis]

Listening to the Romeo album now. I swear he is trying to score a TOS Star Trek movie. Pretty sure I heard the scary theme from Wrath Of Khan when he is about to detonate the Genesis device. 

Do you mean STAR WARS?  I hear the Star Wars theme all over this album during the musical interludes.

[Dream Team]

Wow I kind of missed how awesome When All Is Gone is. Kinda fell off their new style so haven't paid much attention to those last 3 albums but yeah that's a great song and the kind that is SORELY missed.

[wolfking]

Wow I kind of missed how awesome When All Is Gone is. Kinda fell off their new style so haven't paid much attention to those last 3 albums but yeah that's a great song and the kind that is SORELY missed.

Damn, saw the thread bump and got excited.

Nevertheless, yes, it's a gem.

[jingle.boy]

Wow I kind of missed how awesome When All Is Gone is. Kinda fell off their new style so haven't paid much attention to those last 3 albums but yeah that's a great song and the kind that is SORELY missed.

Damn, saw the thread bump and got excited.

Nevertheless, yes, it's a gem.

Ditto.  I haven't gone to Iconoclast in quite some time, but that is the one (and only) 5* song on that album (imo)

[TAC]

I don't think I've listened to it since it came out. And I don't remember having any real issues with it.

[wolfking]

Got quite a few spins from me.  I really liked the overall heaviness of it.

If I pick an album to go back to though, it's always Underworld.

[goo-goo]

If I pick an album to go back to though, it's always Underworld.

Underworld or V for me. Love the heavyness of Underworld but love the melodic aspect of V.

[jingle.boy]

If I pick an album to go back to though, it's always Underworld.

Underworld or V for me. Love the heavyness of Underworld but love the melodic aspect of V.

Underworld and Odyssey. V and TIO after that.

[wolfking]

Underworld and Odyssey for me too.  2 clear cut winners.

[me7]

Over the years, The Damnation Game became my default SX album

[Ben_Jamin]

Wow I kind of missed how awesome When All Is Gone is. Kinda fell off their new style so haven't paid much attention to those last 3 albums but yeah that's a great song and the kind that is SORELY missed.

When All Is Lost came up on my Stratovarius Radio Playlist on Spotify and it is a great song. It has that older Symphony X sound blended nicely with the newer heavier sound. Russel as well used both of these styles well too.

[bl5150]

If I were to pick 2 albums , Underworld and Divine Wings.  I never really bonded with Odyssey and V like most seem to....I would probably take Twilight In Olympus and Paradise Lost over those.

[IDontNotDoThings]

Divine Wings & Paradise Lost for me, though it's funny how two albums that reference each other so much are my two favourites.

[Zydar]

Divine Wings and V for me.

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

Divine Wings and V for me.

and me. I think Underworld is excellent though.

[wolfking]

If I were to pick 2 albums , Underworld and Divine Wings.  I never really bonded with Odyssey and V like most seem to....I would probably take Twilight In Olympus and Paradise Lost over those.

Yeah, I picked Odyssey but with you on V.  Could never quite connect with that one.

Paradise Lost would be in my top 3.  Actually I may reach for that before Odyssey come to think of it.

[krands85]

Divine Wings & Paradise Lost for me, though it's funny how two albums that reference each other so much are my two favourites.

Those are my 2 as well. 

[PixelDream]

Divine Wings and V. V is my favorite SymX album. The Odyssey's epic title track is by far their best song IMO.

[Herrick]

I much prefer the style of The Divine Wings of Traggedy, Twilight in Olympus, & V: The New Mythology Suite.

[nick_z]

Divine is my easy #1. Second block would have V, Twilight in Olympus and Damnation Game. I do enjoy Odyssey, Paradise Lost and Iconoclast, but not as much...and I think Underworld was their best since V. Pleasant surprise for me when it came out.

[Herrick]

Divine is my easy #1. Second block would have V, Twilight in Olympus and Damnation Game. I do enjoy Odyssey, Paradise Lost and Iconoclast, but not as much...and I think Underworld was their best since V. Pleasant surprise for me when it came out.

Yeah mang. Pretty much how I look at it. I'm not sure if I like Underworld more than Odyssey though.

[geeeemo]

Announced a tour.
http://www.symphonyx.com/site/