# New Symphony X Album: "Underworld."



## Xiphos68 (May 18, 2015)

> Underworld
> 
> New Jerseys progressive metal masters SYMPHONY X are set to release their brand new, ninth studio album called Underworld on July 24th via Nuclear Blast Records.
> 
> ...


I cannot wait for this to come out! 

I am really hoping this album has the elements of Classic Symphony X with the new sound of Symphony X. Which is what it sounds like it is headed towards.


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## Captastic (May 18, 2015)

Stoked as well...love me some SX!


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## bigswifty (May 18, 2015)

If it's anything like The New Mythology Suite and nothing like Iconoclast, I will love this album


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## bloc (May 18, 2015)

Man that art sucks


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## metalstrike (May 18, 2015)

Nice, I had no idea that they were recording another album!


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## Greenbrettiscool (May 19, 2015)

Well it's about time! Hope it's alittle better than Iconoclast..


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## DLG (May 19, 2015)

dbrozz said:


> If it's anything like The New Mythology Suite and nothing like Iconoclast, I will love this album



this. hopefully tough guy russ singing dumb tough guy lyrics is a thing of the past and they return to a more melodic and proggy style.


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## glpg80 (May 19, 2015)

If they stuck to their prog past with their new sound/abilities, it will be one of their best since odyssey. Cannot wait for it to come out. I also love the storytelling - you can literally put the album on repeat for weeks on end without it ever getting old. I hope it's all of this and more


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## Alimination (May 19, 2015)

bloc said:


> Man that art sucks



I don't think they ever had a cool looking album art cover 


Either way, Stoked!!!!!!!


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## Sumsar (May 19, 2015)

Also stoked, although I am not expecting it to be anything near The New Mythology Suite I hope it will be better than the last couple of albums.


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## DXL (May 19, 2015)

Alimination said:


> I don't think they ever had a cool looking album art cover
> 
> 
> Either way, Stoked!!!!!!!



Come on, the Paradise Lost cover is phenomenal


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## redstone (May 19, 2015)

_Pretexting Dante&#8217;s use of the number 3 and its multiples, the band will flood you with 3 note triplet riffs in 3/4 and lyrics a 3 year old could come up with. The first song is also full of older riffs you already know, "and this is only the begining", Romeo reports._

I hope I'm wrong.


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## Laimon (May 19, 2015)

Yeah, I hope they come up with something better than Iconoclast this time...it was by no means a bad album but compared to the rest it had a lot of weak points.


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## Xiphos68 (May 19, 2015)

DXL said:


> Come on, the Paradise Lost cover is phenomenal





Well you know this album will have the production of "Iconoclast," which is fine, because that mix is perfect. 
However, I am believing from what I have read and heard there is a return to classic Symphony X.


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## TheShreddinHand (May 19, 2015)

Freaking pumped for this album! 7/24 is a big day for releases! (Sy X, Satriani, & Andy James' new band).


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## Sikthness (May 19, 2015)

Excited. But apprehensive. 

Also while we're at it, V is so ....ing good. i mean .... if you can't listen to Absence of Light or a Fools Paradise without singing along n rocking out like a jackass, you shouldn't call urself a prog metal fan. Also, Fallen was the first song I ever heard in this style, n have loved this album ever since. Lyrics so corny yet awesome at the same time.

Im always hopeful of Symphony X, somewhere within them is the power of five still


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## redstone (May 19, 2015)

Really ? Absence of Light is the weakest part of V. That said the last albums were cast in its mould. I can't believe how the exception became the rule...


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## DXL (May 19, 2015)

Honestly Iconoclast holds a special place in my heart because it's the album that got me into them, and the title track I still believe to be one of my favorite songs by them. Really though Iconoclast just sounded like rearrangements of the riffs from Paradise Lost


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## edsped (May 21, 2015)

redstone said:


> Really ? Absence of Light is the weakest part of V. That said the last albums were cast in its mould. I can't believe how the exception became the rule...


Absence of Light is a great song and I don't see at all how it was the template for the last few albums, unless you're saying something different. 

Honestly the only weak part of V is one of the segue tracks coming up when you have your music player set to shuffle.


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## Repner (May 21, 2015)

Keep Russell away from lyric writing. I like some of Iconoclast, but i have to ignore the lyrics. I agree. V is such a masterpiece


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## DLG (May 21, 2015)

HIT THE SWITCH, YOU SON OF A BITCH


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## redstone (May 21, 2015)

edsped said:


> Absence of Light is a great song and I don't see at all how it was the template for the last few albums, unless you're saying something different.
> 
> Honestly the only weak part of V is one of the segue tracks coming up when you have your music player set to shuffle.




Absence of light is a pile of lazy stereotypes. 90% of the harmonic structure is just Cm D progressions in various tonalities, thus most melodies revolve around the stereotypical phrygian major stuff, the verses use that super cliché A- F D progression in the most unoriginal way, there's no reference to the melodic themes.. Terribly uninspired and rushed. 

Segue is more inventive, better written... sorry. You can prefer Absence of Light but saying we have to like it to be a "prog fan", you're digging your own grave.


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## TheHandOfStone (May 21, 2015)

> 02. Nevermore


lol.


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## bloc (May 21, 2015)

"Nevermore" is quite possibly the most overused word in progressive metal lol


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## edsped (May 21, 2015)

redstone said:


> Absence of light is a pile of lazy stereotypes. 90% of the harmonic structure is just Cm D progressions in various tonalities, thus most melodies revolve around the stereotypical phrygian major stuff, the verses use that super cliché A- F D progression in the most unoriginal way, there's no reference to the melodic themes.. Terribly uninspired and rushed.
> 
> Segue is more inventive, better written... sorry. You can prefer Absence of Light but saying we have to like it to be a "prog fan", you're digging your own grave.


It starts with blaring organs and has prominent keyboards throughout, so I already struggle to compare it to the previous two albums just from that alone. 

All the vocal lines are melodic and catchy, no tough guy ..... I don't see how the verses are any more "cliche" than something like A Fool's Paradise. The little modulating prechorus is super catchy. The chorus itself is catchy enough, not on par with a lot of the other choruses on the album, but not bad by any means. The short part around 3:20 is pretty much orgasmic. 

No idea what you're talking about with the Cm D progression or phyrgian major stuff. That progression doesn't come up anywhere as far as I can tell. The non-verse and chorus riffs are based in phrygian or phrygian dominant, yes, just like damn near ALL of their songs. The verse and chorus are roughly based in natural minor, more or less. Certainly no phrygian flavor going on there anyway.

I wasn't referring just to the actual track "Rediscovery (Segue)", but any of the short transition tracks. I never said I preferred Absence of Light to anything and I didn't make the prog fan comment, but you seem strangely bitter about this song for no good reason.


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## Sikthness (May 21, 2015)

lol at people now arguing about whether or not absence of light is a good/bad song. deeerrrrrrr. Its the least cheesy, thats why I like it so much.


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## DXL (May 22, 2015)

Reminds me of Iconoclast in attitude but has a bit more classic Symphony X sound


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## MobiusR (May 22, 2015)

Guitar tone is totally non symphony x haha I dig


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## bloc (May 22, 2015)

Not a bad song actually, but damn it def sounds like Symphony X


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## DLG (May 22, 2015)

well that's not very good is it


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## ghostred7 (May 22, 2015)

DLG said:


> well that's not very good is it


I like it better than 95% of Iconoclast lol


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## xfilth (May 22, 2015)

Funny that the song is called Nevermore. The opening part is really similar to Nevermore's Narcosynthesis, imo

Cool song either way! Here's hoping for a solid album


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## Muzakman (May 22, 2015)

Thanks for posting! I've been in the dark about SX for what feels like forever! There was no info on a new album in production what.. so..ever (or my google skills just suck) So I'm freaking stoked that there's a release date so close to present day!! I thought Russell would go full time Adrenaline Mob


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## Richie666 (May 22, 2015)

Pretty damn good for a Symphony X rocker, but I hope the rest of the album is more prog.


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## Ironbird666 (May 22, 2015)

I'm not really feeling this tune too much. I know it's a single so it's probably a more straight forward track, but the vocals seem sort of odd/weak to me (strange considering the vocalist), lack of keys which I consider a defining part of this band, and the riffing just reminds me of the last album. I hope the rest is better.


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## edsped (May 22, 2015)

Not a bad song, but not particularly good. Very safe and by the numbers. Russell toned down the growly vocals but he sounds super restrained on this, it's almost all in a lower register. I wish Romeo would have handed off one of the solos to Pinnella instead of just taking two guitar solos in a row.


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## USMarine75 (May 22, 2015)

His sound/technique is always so clean.

Take my money.


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## redstone (May 22, 2015)

edsped said:


> ...



Ah, sorry for the prog fan comment, I confused you with Sikthness.

Never said Fool's paradise was much better.. It's just saved by the long central Bach rip off. Nothing catches my attention in AoL, that's too subjective.

The chorus is not based in natural minor but dorian#4. Cm D = dorian#4 phrygian#3. So yeah, that flavor. Yes indeed SX revolves a lot around phrygian dom... since V. It wasn't so lame before. And I'm pretty sure AoL is the first song that went so far.

Funny thing, listening to Nevermore. It's the same in reverse.. the verse follows that C- D pattern, and the chorus uses the A- F D pattern. It's a reverse AoL.


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## edsped (May 22, 2015)

Verse is i bVI IV bVI (Dm Bbmaj Gmaj Bbmaj), just natural minor and then dorian for the IV chord. 

A lot of their stuff has been very phrygian or phrygian dominant based. The main riff in Sea of Lies and the verse in Smoke and Mirrors off the top of my head. A lot of the stuff on V like Evolution, Fallen, Egypt are all heavy on the phrygian too, more so than Absence of Light.


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## redstone (May 22, 2015)

edsped said:


> Verse is i bVI IV bVI (Dm Bbmaj Gmaj Bbmaj), just natural minor and then dorian for the IV chord.
> 
> A lot of their stuff has been very phrygian or phrygian dominant based. The main riff in Sea of Lies and the verse in Smoke and Mirrors off the top of my head. A lot of the stuff on V like Evolution, Fallen, Egypt are all heavy on the phrygian too, more so than Absence of Light.



That's what I said. Dm Bbmaj Gmaj Bbmaj = A- F D F

Fallen has a long instrumental part that focuses on melodic minor modes, Evolution also has a nice innovative chorus, they break the phry-dom routine with unheard progressions/ideas. Egypt, it's even better, the sang parts don't revolve around it, except for the short "rise my minions" part. The progression in the chorus is very nicely thought.. It starts on phygian dom yet moves quickly away in a fresh way. Those three songs bring some fresh ideas. Absence of Light is so easy to write, by comparison.


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## twizza (May 23, 2015)

DLG said:


> HIT THE SWITCH, YOU SON OF A BITCH




I will break my shell

AND UNLEASH HELL


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## DLG (May 23, 2015)

Ironbird666 said:


> I'm not really feeling this tune too much. I know it's a single so it's probably a more straight forward track, but the vocals seem sort of odd/weak to me (strange considering the vocalist)




this was discussed on another board too. who would have thought 10-15 years ago that Russ would end up being the weak link in the band? and he totally is now.


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## Laimon (May 23, 2015)

DLG said:


> this was discussed on another board too. who would have thought 10-15 years ago that Russ would end up being the weak link in the band? and he totally is now.



Oh c'mon, are you joking?
First of all - it's only one song.
Second of all - he's not screaming, he's not being over the top, but he's doing an impecable job. If Romeo doesn't play 200 notes per second, you draw the conclusion that he's lost it?
Third of all - it doesn't even sound like he's not over the top because he can't anymore. You know, that feeling that you have when hear a new Dream Theater song, LaBrie kicks in and you instantly think "Oh, please, just retire already"
Fourth - there's fairly recent evidence (Iconoclast, Adrenaline Mob and other solo projects) that Russel is not losing an ounce of his skills.
Therefore, c'mon.

Now, if you wanna tell me this song is uninteresting, that's a different story altogether.


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## DLG (May 23, 2015)

Laimon said:


> Oh c'mon, are you joking?
> First of all - it's only one song.
> Second of all - he's not screaming, he's not being over the top, but he's doing an impecable job. If Romeo doesn't play 200 notes per second, you draw the conclusion that he's lost it?
> Third of all - it doesn't even sound like he's not over the top because he can't anymore. You know, that feeling that you have when hear a new Dream Theater song, LaBrie kicks in and you instantly think "Oh, please, just retire already"
> ...



it's not about his skill, man. 

russ still has an amazing voice. 

but the lyrics have taken a nosedive since the odyssey and so have his melodies. 

this song is no different. the verse singing at the beginning sounds like metallica and the chorus is beyond bland, especially for Symphony X standards. 

maybe it's the Adrenaline Mob stuff that causing him to dumb down his entire approach, that band is absolutely wretched. 

whatever it is, despite the fact that he can still sing his ass off, the entire vocal presentation has been below his godly standard for a while now.


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## Laimon (May 23, 2015)

DLG said:


> it's not about his skill, man.
> 
> russ still has an amazing voice.
> 
> ...



Well, in that case we are on the same page. I do agree that Iconoclast lyrics were trivial bordering the dumb, and his vocal approach has been less heterogenous than it used to be, lately. However, I blame this last part on the songs, which unfortunately also push always in the same thrashy direction.


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## twizza (May 23, 2015)

Man I think I'm digging his work with Arjen and Star One, sporadic as it may be.


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## Unleash The Fury (May 23, 2015)

This song to me sounds like a small step up from iconoclast, which is still well below where I know they could be; where they were at the V album. Allens voice is toned down a bit here which is what I wanted him to start doing, but it sounds too forced now that he's TRYING to tone it down. 

Romeos solos are nasty. I'm so glad he did two solos because I have grown old and tired of keyboard solos. For example in the song iconoclast........Michaels solo is like balls to the wall big boner material, then the keyboard comes in and it's like mmmmmmmeeeeehhhhhhhh. Big boner killer. Same with bands like stratovarious and the likes, keyboard solos are so corny and cheesy to me. I used to like them at one point. I don't know, maybe it's the sound effect that they all seem to like. They use keyboards that have literally hundreds of different sounds in them, and they somehow seem to use the most annoying sounds. IMO


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## TheShreddinHand (May 23, 2015)

Unleash The Fury said:


> Allens voice is toned down a bit here which is what I wanted him to start doing, but it sounds too forced now that he's TRYING to tone it down.



I like the song but this is exactly what I was thinking when I first listened to it!


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## groverj3 (May 24, 2015)

I love all the hate a band gets for not releasing the same exact album every time.

Love their early stuff. Love Paradise Lost to current era. I thought this song was excellent as well.

I say it every time I'm in a SX thread. If you want more of their early era stuff you will never get it. Romeo (a phenomenal guitarist, better than almost every one of you) is more or less completely in charge of writing the music at this point, and this is what he wants SX to be. So, if you want V, or The Odyssey, save us all the whining and just go listen to those albums. You should not be surprised by the direction they're taking 

Not that you aren't entitled to an opinion, of course.

I'll be seeing them with Overkill in Phoenix! (Yes I'm kind of a fanboy... but not as much as I am with DT. Hate on me all you want )


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## Petef2007 (May 24, 2015)

It's alright. Crappy lyrics. Russell sounds kinda bored or restrained. 

I don't like how the keys have been pushed so far back but then it's only one song. 

I don't think they'll EVER top the run of albums they had from Divine Wings up to and including The Odyssey, but they're kinda the pinnacle of power/prog metal anyway IMO. 

And the whole "diminishing attention spans" thing...man, that's condescending.


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## Laimon (May 24, 2015)

groverj3 said:


> So, if you want V, or The Odyssey, save us all the whining and just go listen to those albums.
> 
> Not that you aren't entitled to an opinion, of course.



You are entitled to an opinion, you should just refrain from expressing it, right? 

Kidding aside. It's easy to defend a band by saying "that's what they want to do nowadays", because someone previously threw in a "I wish they were more like they used to be".
The real problem with this song is not the style, it's that it's not very good. It's ok at most, but really can't compare with what they used to do. Again - not style-wise, but quality-wise. Ideas are just at a lower level, I am afraid.


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## Simic (May 24, 2015)

I actually like the riffing and the solos, but the vocal melodies are totally uninspired


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## Unleash The Fury (May 24, 2015)

Romeos style is like dime meets yngwie. That's the best way to describe it. The previous guy was right. It's not the slight change of style that's off-putting, it's just that it's not that great of a song, to me anyways. And again, I'm glad the keys are not so prominent in the mix.

Also, I REALLY hope they don't use that "slave-worker" voice chant that there been using the past few albums. I don't know what it's called. But they used it in the songs iconoclast, seven, walls of babylon. It reminds me of a huge army of slaves dragging stones building the pyramids though. But it's been overused to death


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## Laimon (May 24, 2015)

Unleash The Fury;4376866Also said:


> You mean this?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## Duosphere (May 24, 2015)

Unleash The Fury said:


> Also, I REALLY hope they don't use that "slave-worker" voice chant that there been using the past few albums.



I really hope they finally grown up and stopped talking about dragons and moved to real things.
I hope Allen stopped singing angry all the time, it's very annoying and unnatural.
I hope finally they learned how to create cool melodies instead of boring glued riffs with vocal melodies that don't match each other.

I love Allen's voice and Romeo's playing, he has some of the coolest licks ever but the way Symphony x composes to me sounds like when I was 16 and knew nothing about chord progressions, scales etc(music theory), I was just trying to "glue" some exercises trying to make them sound like a song.I keep waiting for their "change" but it seems like it'll never happen, a band that sounds the same over decades to me is dead


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## groverj3 (May 24, 2015)

Laimon said:


> You are entitled to an opinion, you should just refrain from expressing it, right?
> 
> Kidding aside. It's easy to defend a band by saying "that what they want to do nowadays", because someone previously threw in a "I wish they were more like they used to be".
> The real problem with this song is not the style, it's that it's not very good. It's ok at most, but really can't compare with what they used to do. Again - not style-wise, but quality-wise. Ideas are just at a lower level, I am afraid.



Pretty much 

Any band that's released a few albums always has that camp that hates everything new that they do solely because it's different.

I've always listened because Romeo is a crazy guitarist and as long as he keeps playing great stuff I'll keep listening. That's just me though.


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## Laimon (May 24, 2015)

Duosphere said:


> I really hope they finally grown up and stopped talking about dragons and moved to real things.
> I hope Allen stopped singing angry all the time, it's very annoying and unnatural.
> I hope finally they learned how to create cool melodies instead of boring glued riffs with vocal melodies that don't match each other.
> 
> I love Allen's voice and Romeo's playing, he has some of the coolest licks ever but the way Symphony x composes to me sounds like when I was 16 and knew nothing about chord progressions, scales etc(music theory), I was just trying to "glue" some exercises trying to make them sound like a song.I keep waiting for their "change" but it seems like it'll never happen, a band that sounds the same over decades to me is dead



Ahem...you know that before Iconoclast they actually wrote things like The Divine Wings of Tragedy, right?
Cause if you wrote things like that when you were 16, please DO share it


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## redstone (May 24, 2015)

groverj3 said:


> Pretty much
> 
> Any band that's released a few albums always has that camp that hates everything new that they do solely because it's different.
> 
> I've always listened because Romeo is a crazy guitarist and as long as he keeps playing great stuff I'll keep listening. That's just me though.



Nothing is different in their few last albums, and that's precisely why we don't like it. What you consider new, are old worn out recipes anyone can use with a bit of training.


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## groverj3 (May 24, 2015)

redstone said:


> Nothing is different in their few last albums, and that's precisely why we don't like it. What you consider new, are old worn out recipes anyone can use with a bit of training.



I meant "different" in the sense that it's not in the same exact style as their earlier albums. To be honest, to my ear it seems more like they followed one formula until Paradise Lost and switched to a different one at that point. Everything before Paradise Lost sounds pretty similar to each other to me, just like PL and Iconoclast (and this song) sound pretty similar to me. Some just like the previous recipe better. IMHO anyway. It seems silly to me to think that there was this huge diversity of material until PL and then they started sounding samey.

I like their earlier stuff as well as the new stuff, neither is "better" to me. Of course, everything is entirely subjective


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## Unleash The Fury (May 24, 2015)

Laimon said:


> You mean this?
> 
> 
> 
> ...




yes those are the slave chant voices I'm talking about. Hopefully they won't use them on this album. But nonetheless, I am very excited to hear more!


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## redstone (May 25, 2015)

groverj3 said:


> I meant "different" in the sense that it's not in the same exact style as their earlier albums. To be honest, to my ear it seems more like they followed one formula until Paradise Lost and switched to a different one at that point. Everything before Paradise Lost sounds pretty similar to each other to me, just like PL and Iconoclast (and this song) sound pretty similar to me. Some just like the previous recipe better. IMHO anyway. It seems silly to me to think that there was this huge diversity of material until PL and then they started sounding samey.
> 
> I like their earlier stuff as well as the new stuff, neither is "better" to me. Of course, everything is entirely subjective



Tastes are subjective, and I'm not discussing them. I like some newer SX stuff, even if I know it's objectively easier to compose and very predictable. Flaws also are objectively measurable. I have never been a fan of their easy and/or flawed stuff, like S&M or most of the songs from The Divine Wings, which was an album full of great ideas and terrible mistakes.


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## Duosphere (May 25, 2015)

redstone said:


> which was an album full of great ideas and terrible mistakes.



Mistakes?
Aren't mistakes subjective too?
I mean what was a mistake to you, to the band was a great idea and obviously a masterpiece to a lot of fans. 
There are no mistakes, if I record a G chord and play a G# scale over it, it's not a mistake because it's my music, it can sound terrible but still it's a choice I made(to sound terrible), and I can guarantee some will hate it, some will like it and some won't care(just like everything in life).


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## DLG (May 25, 2015)

twizza said:


> Man I think I'm digging his work with Arjen and Star One, sporadic as it may be.



that's because arjen writes all the lyrics and melodies, all russ needs to do is loan his awesome voice


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## Laimon (May 25, 2015)

redstone said:


> most of the songs from The Divine Wings, which was an album full of great ideas and terrible mistakes.



Oh yeah, I wish I made that many mistakes myself. Jesus lord, the Divine Wings is one of the most impressive albums ever written in this genre, terrible mistakes


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## Adam Of Angels (May 25, 2015)

I think Russ is just older and so his mellower style sounds much different now. Voices tend to warm up with age. Anyway, this song is kind of cool... might grow on me if the rest of the album is decent. 

Anyway, I just want to say that calling "Absence of Light" a bad song on the grounds that it has a familiar progression in the chorus is an example of what I feel is especially wrong with music now days: on one hand, most popular music is so dumbed down that I can't believe anybody listens to it with a straight face, and on the other hand, educated musicians are so cynical that they tear apart everything they hear, leaving a very small percentage of actual music lovers. Not to say that you don't love music if you don't like "Absence of Light", but familiar territory doesn't imply a lack of brilliance. (for the record, that song kicks major ass  )

Edit: with the mentioning of an album recorded by straight up heroicly virtuosic musicians being flawed/full of mistakes, I have to figure we're being trolled here. I'm guessing the claim is that Divine Wings has compositional mistakes in terms of theory. While you can dissect a piece of music objectively, the creative process is entirely subjective and immune to mistakes. We know this, though, of course.


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## Duosphere (May 25, 2015)

Laimon said:


> Oh yeah, I wish I made that many mistakes myself. Jesus lord, the Divine Wings is one of the most impressive albums ever written in this genre, terrible mistakes



And you just made the most common mistake ever, acting like your TASTES are facts and everybody should agree to them 
And just because YOU can't make those mistakes, it doesn't mean we all can't too, speak for yourself, generally people who don't practice think their idols are Gods, there are no Gods, there's passion, effort and pain to achieve goals, those things you still have to learn


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## Laimon (May 25, 2015)

Duosphere said:


> And you just made the most common mistake ever, acting like your TASTES are facts and everybody should agree to them



That's funny: treating "tastes" like "facts" is wrong, but calling what you don't like "mistakes" (something you started, may I remind you) isn't. Totally coherent.



Duosphere said:


> And just because YOU can't make those mistakes, it doesn't mean we all can't too, speak for yourself, generally people who don't practice



What do you know about how much I practice? Or my skills in general?



Duosphere said:


> think their idols are Gods,



I simply don't.



Duosphere said:


> there are no Gods,



Agreed, for once.



Duosphere said:


> there's passion, effort and pain to achieve goals,



One might mention also humility, as a more general quality to people.



Duosphere said:


> those things you still have to learn



Well, with this closing line you comment yourself. Kudos.


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## chewpac (May 25, 2015)

i was interested in that song, and really like the musical aspects of it quite a bit. the fact that the lyrics were in the video probably didn't help things. they are cringeworthy, and abuse the adjectives and adverbs to such a degree that i have a hard time getting past them...

production sounds great. instrumental sections sound great. i'll give it a listen, but almost wish the lyrics were in a different language.


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## Unleash The Fury (May 25, 2015)

Absence of light is one of the first songs from them I've ever heard. I haven't heard anything that sounded like that song, either before or after hearing it. It's completely original and beautiful in its simplicity.

Btw, to the person who claimed there were mistakes on divine wings, please tell me what song and time are they at?


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## Laimon (May 25, 2015)

redstone said:


> The Divine Wings, which was an album full of great ideas and terrible mistakes.



C'mon Yngwie, we know it's you.


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## stevexc (May 25, 2015)

Holy CRAP there's some rustled jimmies in this thread.

I like Symphony X, but this was a REALLY straight-forward, boring track - even Russell seems to think so, he sounded like he was falling asleep. Hopefully this is just the easily-digestible "single" for it.

On the bright side the track is better than the album artwork. Damn that's bad. Like probably the worst I've seen in years. Ranks up there, if not quite AS bad, with Dance of Death.


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## metalstrike (May 25, 2015)

I liked the song pretty well. Sure it's doesn't sound like TDWOT or V but I've resigned to fact that type of songwriting from Romeo is probably never happening again. I'm just excited to hear more Symphony X.


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## Adam Of Angels (May 25, 2015)

Unleash The Fury said:


> Absence of light is one of the first songs from them I've ever heard. I haven't heard anything that sounded like that song, either before or after hearing it. It's completely original and beautiful in its simplicity.



I still don't understand how it's simple  

It's very proggy and inspired.


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## groverj3 (May 25, 2015)

redstone said:


> Tastes are subjective, and I'm not discussing them. I like some newer SX stuff, even if I know it's objectively easier to compose and very predictable. Flaws also are objectively measurable. I have never been a fan of their easy and/or flawed stuff, like S&M or most of the songs from The Divine Wings, which was an album full of great ideas and terrible mistakes.



That's pretty contradictory.

You are discussing your tastes.

Flaws in a musical sense are objectively measurable? Since when?

However, all that aside. I know what you're saying. I never said anyone here can't like whatever they like. I just expressed disappointment in the entirely predictable nature of the song's reception here. I suppose I should've just kept my mouth (fingers?) shut (off the keyboard?).


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## FrancescoFiligoi (May 25, 2015)

I personally adoooore the new song, especially the chorus riff. If you want to learn it, I've posted a cover/lesson on how to play it


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## redstone (May 25, 2015)

Duosphere said:


> Mistakes?
> Aren't mistakes subjective too?
> I mean what was a mistake to you, to the band was a great idea and obviously a masterpiece to a lot of fans.
> There are no mistakes, if I record a G chord and play a G# scale over it, it's not a mistake because it's my music, it can sound terrible but still it's a choice I made(to sound terrible), and I can guarantee some will hate it, some will like it and some won't care(just like everything in life).



It's a mistake when you let it that way because you don't know how to fix it. For example, the end of The eyes of Medusa's chord progression, during "of Medusas's eyes", is a clear mistake, and a big one at that.

A close sounding fix would be

........G-.........C#-......A-..........B7....(chords)
To behold the sight of Medusa's eyes
d..a..bb....g...c#....c#.a..c..e....f# (melody)

Not only it makes more sense in relation to the few previous chords but it allows to go back to the main instrumental themes (E-) or go directly to the verse (Eb-) without breaking the flow whereas the original progression stucks the band on E via a last but not least dissonant modulation. This is an occasion to eventually avoid the halftone translation before/after the lyrics, and write a catchier song without dumbing it down, but at that point it would be a subjective, artistic choice.

Laimon : Grow up. I'm not your classmate.


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## Duosphere (May 25, 2015)

redstone said:


> It's a mistake when you let it that way because you don't know how to fix it.



So are you saying they didn't know how to fix it?
Seriously?
What about they CHOSE that way because they liked it better, or maybe they wanted to sound like a "mistake" as you said?
Obviously it was a choice and not a mistake.
Seems like whatever you think is a fact, I mean you think it was a mistake........it was a mistake.
Things don't work that way.
Ask Romeo about it and for sure he'll tell you it was a choice and not a mistake.Plus mistakes make people create/discover some really cool and interesting things which (again) some will like, some will hate and some won't care.


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## Laimon (May 25, 2015)

redstone said:


> Laimon : Grow up. I'm not your classmate.



We clearly did not meet at humour class. Jesus, people take themselves seriously in this thread.


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## DLG (May 26, 2015)

thread got hella nerdy hella quick.


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## p0ke (May 27, 2015)

Nice riffs on this new one, but man, what an exhausting listen! There's way too much going on all the time. 
Still, looking forward to the album


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## redstone (May 27, 2015)

Duosphere said:


> Ask Romeo about it and for sure he'll tell you it was a choice and not a mistake.



Since I'm no good at empathy and you put him on a pedestal, you should ask him. This is a very good idea and I hope he'll answer to you, lemme know.


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## Unleash The Fury (May 28, 2015)

I'm dying to hear what else they have in store on the album. I would love a twilight in Olympus meets V. But obviously it's heavier than that. And we only heard the "single" so far. would be nice if the rest was not so radio friendly


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## bostjan (May 28, 2015)

Symphony X is one of very few metal acts that I liked fifteen years ago that I still follow today, so I'm excited about this new album. As much as I like SX's old stuff, I hope they continue to change things up musically, yet retain their trademark sound. Iconoclast was not my favourite album, but I still enjoyed it. 

Paradise Lost was phenomenal, as was Odyssey, and, of course prior to that, the band released three albums in a row that were all-time favourites of mine.

They have always received a fair amount of hate for their lyrics. I happen to have liked their cheesier lyrics on their earlier efforts. They immerse me into the atmosphere adequately well, although some part of that may be age. I don't know.

At any rate, thanks for posting this!


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## DXL (May 28, 2015)

bostjan said:


> They have always received a fair amount of hate for their lyrics. I happen to have liked their cheesier lyrics on their earlier efforts. They immerse me into the atmosphere adequately well, although some part of that may be age. I don't know.



For me nothing gets cheesier than Rhapsody's lyrics, and even those I still love


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## xfilth (May 28, 2015)

redstone said:


> It's a mistake when you let it that way because you don't know how to fix it. For example, the end of The eyes of Medusa's chord progression, during "of Medusas's eyes", is a clear mistake, and a big one at that.
> 
> A close sounding fix would be
> 
> ...



Seriously dude? 
The chords are perfect the way they are written:
|Gm|Gm|Bbm|C|
With Em and C sharing 2 notes it's an nicely fitting cadence to go into the end riff

Your suggested chords and melody have absolutely nothing to do with this song and sound pretty bad. If you think that the band made a mistake by writing the song as it is instead of your way, I think your ear needs some serious training 

(For reference, here's a midi of the chords and melody. First the original ones, second the ones you suggested: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/6017642/MedusaChords.mid )

E: Typo


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## chewpac (May 29, 2015)

bostjan said:


> Symphony X is one of very few metal acts that I liked fifteen years ago that I still follow today, so I'm excited about this new album. As much as I like SX's old stuff, I hope they continue to change things up musically, yet retain their trademark sound. Iconoclast was not my favourite album, but I still enjoyed it.
> 
> Paradise Lost was phenomenal, as was Odyssey, and, of course prior to that, the band released three albums in a row that were all-time favourites of mine.
> 
> ...



i like a bunch of their stuff quite a bit. V is probably the best of the bunch, imho. 

but anytime any band uses "forevermore", "nevermore" or anything relating to those words, my brain immediately objects. 

dream theater has been guilty of this, as well...and it drives me nuts when they do it, too. they were on a 3-4 album stretch where i had to consciously avoid listening to the lyrics...they were brutal, and not in a good way. 

i don't expect something amazing and profound all the time. but piling on cliches just makes me go .


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## troyguitar (May 29, 2015)

I prefer stupid cheesy lyrics in my music. 

we Ride the dragon out to war
Fighting evil forevermore
we Pray to Dio every night
his Voice eternal our guiding light


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## redstone (May 30, 2015)

xfilth said:


> Seriously dude?
> The chords are perfect the way they are written:
> |Gm|Gm|Bb|C|
> With Em and C sharing 2 notes it's an nicely fitting cadence to go into the end riff
> ...



Wellll tried smartass. But your version is wrong ! The original is |Gm Cm|Gm|Bbm|C|E, not |Gm ?|Gm|Bb|C|Em. Even the melody is wrong ! 

Even if you didn't screw it up, the comparison is irrelevant without the previous chords. The issue is an harmonic rupture with the environment.

It's even more accidental the way you transcribed it, and you don't hear it.... YOU need serious ear training before saying what sounds correct or not.

Don't think I'm even statisfied with my suggestion, there's still an issue with the C#m third but it fixes two bigger ruptures, sorry that you can't hear that. Now for those who can https://www.dropbox.com/s/82radn195r41w6r/faircomparison.mp3?dl=0 .And to go further, if you really adapt the melody to those changes https://www.dropbox.com/s/onh13txzjfnt0ej/completeoverhaul.wav?dl=0


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## xfilth (May 30, 2015)

redstone said:


> Wellll tried smartass. But your version is wrong ! The original is |Gm Cm|Gm|Bbm|C|E, not |Gm ?|Gm|Bb|C|Em. Even the melody is wrong !
> 
> Even if you didn't screw it up, the comparison is irrelevant without the previous chords. The issue is an harmonic rupture with the environment.
> 
> ...



Where does that Cm of yours come from? The only non-chord note in that bar is an A-C dyad played by the keyboard as a passing tone. The root tone remains in the bass and guitar as G as well. We agree that the third bar is Bbm.

However, the main point in this discussion is whether the original harmony is a mistake and that your suggestion should sound better (or be more correct), to which the answer in both cases is - no! Theoretically, it does NOT have a more solid basis than the original (and even if it did, this is progressive music, where rules are meant to be broken). 
And as to how it sounds? Well, I welcome people to listen to your clips and judge for themselves 

Bottomline is that just because you don't agree with or understand the harmonic content of a song, doesn't mean that it is wrong.


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## redstone (May 30, 2015)

The dyad infers Cm6. If you can't extrapolate from the dyad alone, listen to 1:59-2.05. The extra dyad proves me right, you finally get the whole Gm triad which reveals the Dm/Gm alternance.

And good luck to explain why my changes aren't theoretically valid and the original has no harmonic rurptures, I can't wait. By the way, about the very convenient "it's not wrong it's progressive" argument, if a music rule can be musically broken, the rule is wrong. The exception disproves the rule.

--

If you actually want to know how I can extrapolate from the dyad, it's simple, because Russel sings the G at that moment. The triadic options to complete the dyad were Cm6, D7, F and Am. However, the presence or Russel's G discards all options but Cm6. It's the logical choice and something you should automatically identify without even thinking about it, just saying.


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## Konfyouzd (May 30, 2015)




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## Vhyle (May 30, 2015)

Are we really arguing theory over this stuff? When you break it down that far, of course it will get boring. Throw away what you know in theory, and just listen to it for what it is. Judge with your ears, and not with your brain.


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## Duosphere (May 30, 2015)

redstone said:


> Since I'm no good at empathy and you put him on a pedestal, you should ask him. This is a very good idea and I hope he'll answer to you, lemme know.



I put him on a pedestal?
I don't care about his existence, I don't have any Symphony X album.
To me he's a good player with cool licks, that's it.
But according to you his licks are mistakes.


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## redstone (Jun 1, 2015)

You're caricaturing my viewpoint. He's mostly brilliant.



Vhyle said:


> Are we really arguing theory over this stuff? When you break it down that far, of course it will get boring. Throw away what you know in theory, and just listen to it for what it is. Judge with your ears, and not with your brain.



I spotted this one because I hear it and it's a painful one.


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## eugeneelgr (Jun 1, 2015)

Petef2007 said:


> It's alright. Crappy lyrics. Russell sounds kinda bored or restrained.
> 
> I don't like how the keys have been pushed so far back but then it's only one song.
> 
> ...



I think hes going for a different style in this song. Whether hes really being restrained or not, I kinda think it suits the song.


Honestly, it baffles me how Michael Romeo keeps writing such amazing riffs, truly shows how one doesnt need a 7 or 8 to be heavy. Might just be this song, but I'm not really digging the pentatonic solo parts. Melodic, yes, but I do miss the classic neoclassical style he had. Would be uber cool if the rest of the songs have longer instrumental parts as well. Like a dream theater thing. The last album that had that was paradise lost i think.


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## Sermo Lupi (Jun 2, 2015)

Seems we're getting a bit side-tracked with this theory discussion, maybe it's best to move on. And regardless of who is right, there's no need for the condescenion, Redstone. Not that I'm a mod, so I'm in no place to scold...but it's certainly not something I want read in this thread in any case. 

On topic: I find it surprising that a lot of folks were critical of Allen's contribution to the track, seeing as I find the vocal melody in this song really catchy. His voice is more laid back, sure, but I appreciate that. And as some have said already, I doubt it's a physical limitation or anything...anyone following Adrenaline mob and Allen's other recent projects will know that he's still very much in his prime. Probably better than ever, really; this is evident especially if you watch live videos of the band, seeing as he's more accurate now than he was in years past. 

My only critique of this song if the lyrics though. I also find them...well, not necessarily cheesy but at the very least a bit nonsensical. It's a bit frustrating too, because Symphony X have some of the best lyrics in the biz. Looking at a song like the Odyssey, it's a solid piece of poetry as well as a decent song. And that's the rule rather than the exception in my experience of their work: Symphony X will often do their subject matter justice, even if that subject matter is something as "cheesy" as battling dragons or what have you. 

Anyway, judging this song as a single, I think it's a solid effort. Supposedly this album is focusing on solid songwriting and I think that comes through in this track. I also feel this song stacks up well against Heretic and Serpent's Kiss, which are the band's last two singles. And seeing as the whole Dante/Milton depiction of hell is something Romeo is rather obsessed with, I think we'll see something really inspired get released. 

Hopefully they release track lengths soon. I'm wondering if this album will have another epic or not, seeing as the last two albums have done away with those.


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## AxeHappy (Jun 3, 2015)

Music theory, by definition, does not and can not tell you if something is wrong or right. 

It merely tells you what something will sound like if you do it. It is the composers choice of what sound he wants. Ergo, it is impossible to write a literal mistake, as long as what you wrote had the sound you were intending. One not liking the way something sounds does not make it a mistake. This is real basic theory stuff.


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## Pablo (Jun 3, 2015)

AxeHappy said:


> Music theory, by definition, does not and can not tell you if something is wrong or right.
> 
> It merely tells you what something will sound like if you do it. It is the composers choice of what sound he wants. Ergo, it is impossible to write a literal mistake, as long as what you wrote had the sound you were intending. One not liking the way something sounds does not make it a mistake. This is real basic theory stuff.


Indeed, theory is to music what grammar is to language: a method of _presenting_ what music/language is.
The big question is whether these presentations should be solely descriptive, solely prescriptive or somewhere in between. 
Me? I pick and choose! If something sounds good, it IS good.

Cheers

Eske


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## ghostred7 (Jun 3, 2015)

The band presented their material the way they wanted the audience to hear it...period. If you don't like it, move the f*** on and take the theory snobbery with you.


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## Unleash The Fury (Jun 3, 2015)

After hearing it several times now, I decided that it's a very safe and watered down hit single type song. Just like set the world on fire, dehumanized, end of innocence, and now nevermore will be included to the songs I skip when they come up random on my ipod. I sure hope the rest of the album is better

Add inferno to that list, never did like it. In fact I never uploaded that one onto my ipod so I never hear it


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## edsped (Jun 3, 2015)

I still think Set the World on Fire and The End of Innocence are some of the stronger tracks on those albums. And Inferno is one of my favorites, period.


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## troyguitar (Jun 3, 2015)

Inferno is a ....ing badass opening track, especially the beginning.


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## Unleash The Fury (Jun 3, 2015)

Maybe it's just the production that inhibits inferno from sounding as good as it can. If it had the same production as twilight in olympus, I'd probably like that song much better. I think odyssey sounds really constricted and especially the drums sound really small to me.


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## Adam Of Angels (Jun 3, 2015)

Unleash The Fury said:


> Maybe it's just the production that inhibits inferno from sounding as good as it can. If it had the same production as twilight in olympus, I'd probably like that song much better. I think odyssey sounds really constricted and especially the drums sound really small to me.



I think it rules - imagine the guitar playing the "Triumphant champion.." melody right after the soft break in title track with any other sound/production. I think its perfect.


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## edsped (Jun 3, 2015)

Unleash The Fury said:


> Maybe it's just the production that inhibits inferno from sounding as good as it can. If it had the same production as twilight in olympus, I'd probably like that song much better. I think odyssey sounds really constricted and especially the drums sound really small to me.


I think the opposite. The Odyssey sounds much better than Twilight to me, especially the guitar tone. Not that I'm much of a fan of any of Romeo's guitar tone, but the first four albums especially were bad. The intro to Orion - The Hunter sounds so weak because of the tone.


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## Unleash The Fury (Jun 3, 2015)

edsped said:


> I think the opposite. The Odyssey sounds much better than Twilight to me, especially the guitar tone. Not that I'm much of a fan of any of Romeo's guitar tone, but the first four albums especially were bad. The intro to Orion - The Hunter sounds so weak because of the tone.



I wouldn't say his tone there was weak. But it is much less distorted than his more recent tones. Maybe that's why it sounds weak to you. but as far as overall production I think twilight sounds better. It's more dynamic, it "breathes" so to speak as opposed to Odyssey which is borderline congested sounding to me


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## Sermo Lupi (Jun 4, 2015)

Another thing to consider is that Symphony X creates so-called "live" tracks on each album (or most, anyway). They're basically just songs that will help pace their sets and get the audience pumped up. The radio singles pretty much always fill that role; I remember Michael Romeo saying back during Iconoclast's launch that 'Heretic' would likely be the crowd favorite live, even if it's not most people's favorite track on the album. So I think they consciously write their music with both spaces in mind (i.e. the concert hall and private listening), and that's pretty cool. 

But yeah, definitely watered down compared to the rest of the tracks on the album. Hopefully this one won't disappoint in that regard.


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## beneharris (Jun 5, 2015)

mmm this kind of sucks nards...


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## redstone (Jun 7, 2015)

AxeHappy said:


> Music theory, by definition, does not and can not tell you if something is wrong or right.
> 
> It merely tells you what something will sound like if you do it. It is the composers choice of what sound he wants. Ergo, it is impossible to write a literal mistake, as long as what you wrote had the sound you were intending. One not liking the way something sounds does not make it a mistake. This is real basic theory stuff.



I can actually explain the systematic difference between a modulation and a rupture. It's no regular descriptive theory though. I can't explain why some people hear it or not. If you want to know, open a new thread and let me know.


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## DXL (Jun 19, 2015)

I freaking love the new single


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## edsped (Jun 19, 2015)

I'm usually not much of a ballad fan but I'm really liking the new single, especially compared to Nevermore. The prechorus and chorus are SO good. Nice tasteful solo.


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## edsped (Jun 19, 2015)

Well, I decided to figure out the solo. It's been a while since I was motivated enough to do this by ear.


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## Unleash The Fury (Jun 19, 2015)

It's a good song with a nice solo. But I cant say it's a great song


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## chewpac (Jun 20, 2015)

Unleash The Fury said:


> It's a good song with a nice solo. But I cant say it's a great song



It sounds fresh for them, for sure. However the lyrics are just a bunch of overused cliches strung together...they don't do the music any favors, or Russell's vocals for that matter. 

They don't need to be Shakespeare, but come on.


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## chewpac (Jun 20, 2015)

edsped said:


> Well, I decided to figure out the solo. It's been a while since I was motivated enough to do this by ear.




Nicely done!


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## Richie666 (Jun 20, 2015)

I can't stand listening to power metal anymore, but this is hitting the spot. I've always loved Symphony X.


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## Adam Of Angels (Jun 20, 2015)

I've never been able to consider Symphony X power metal.


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## Laimon (Jun 20, 2015)

I can't understand what everybody is finding in this song. Nevermore was much, much better. This is such a trivial, bland rock ballad that I can't even believe SX wrote this.


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## beneharris (Jun 20, 2015)

Laimon said:


> I can't understand what everybody is finding in this song. Nevermore was much, much better. This is such a trivial, bland rock ballad that I can't even believe SX wrote this.




Agreed.

 The solo is really good, but my goodness, what happened to these guys? I mean, the last CD was just kind of okay, but at least everything sounded like them. This sounds like three or four generations of SX wannabee bands bad.


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## DXL (Jun 20, 2015)

Laimon said:


> I can't understand what everybody is finding in this song. Nevermore was much, much better. This is such a trivial, bland rock ballad that I can't even believe SX wrote this.



I agree it doesn't sound like Symphony X at all but I'm the kind of guy who loves a ballad every now and then


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## groverj3 (Jun 20, 2015)

Solo is great, but I preferred Nevermore overall. The rest of the song is just ok.

However, if this is the low point on the album then I'm fine with that.


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## Richie666 (Jun 21, 2015)

Adam Of Angels said:


> I've never been able to consider Symphony X power metal.



Definitely more prog, but they have elements of power metal. I should have said "metal that's super cheesy."


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## AxeHappy (Jun 21, 2015)

I thought they were generally considered Power Prog?


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## DLG (Jun 22, 2015)

damn, epsped, you crushed that. 

song is ass though. sounds like some radio rock garbage, like alter bridge or something.


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## DLG (Jun 22, 2015)

also, is pinella even in the band anymore? He doesn't even get a bigger role in ballads now?


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## Laimon (Jun 22, 2015)

DLG said:


> damn, epsped, you crushed that.
> 
> song is ass though. sounds like some radio rock garbage, like alter bridge or something.



They wish. Alter Bridge can do this stuff effectively, Symphony X can't.


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## troyguitar (Jun 22, 2015)

Richie666 said:


> Definitely more prog, but they have elements of power metal. I should have said "metal that's super cheesy."



All metal is super cheesy Mr. "666" - oh look you're so cool, you're THE DEVIL! That's not cheesy at all!

A bunch of pasty nerds talking about dragons is somehow more cheesy than a bunch of pasty nerds talking about rotting corpses or "introspection" or whatever else the forum's band of the week is on about? Come on.

Metal is a cheesefest. Cheese tastes awesome. I don't trust people who don't like cheese. What are you going to say next, that bacon sucks too?


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## AdamMaz (Jun 23, 2015)

DXL said:


> Come on, the Paradise Lost cover is phenomenal


I still remember the cd packaging, had cut/fold out art as well


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## Sumsar (Jun 25, 2015)

So not the album but a review of the album is available here:

Underworld_review

Seems that we have only gotten the heavy/power track and the ballad so far. Seems there are better things on the album .. and apparently blastbeats at one point? wft?


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## Sermo Lupi (Jun 26, 2015)

troyguitar said:


> A bunch of pasty nerds talking about dragons is somehow more cheesy than a bunch of pasty nerds talking about rotting corpses or "introspection" or whatever else the forum's band of the week is on about? Come on.



Haha, well put. Metal culture is full of all kinds of hypocrisy. For a genre largely about self-expression, there's often a lot of discussion about what type of clothes one can and cannot wear, what sort of things someone can and cannot say, etc. if they want to be part of the community. 

Anyway, on topic: that was a pretty decent song. It is easy listening, but it's supposed to be. I don't really get the bitching about it sounding like a radio single when that's exactly what it is? 

Ironically, I also found the lyrics less cheesy than Nevermore's . It's not like this is exactly angsty. It's just a song about lost love...if that makes you squeamish, there's entire subgenres of metal that would make your eyes roll out of your head. 

This is a solid entry. Looking forward to the rest of the album and the other less radio-friendly songs.


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## Xaios (Jun 26, 2015)

I actually quite like everything about Nevermore except for the lyrics, which are godawful. Russell Allen has finally found a balance between the pre and post-Odyssey vocal style. And that riffing in the chorus is awesome and energetic.

The ballad is... nice. Nothing special, except for that tasty solo. It's basically Paradise Lost (the song) version two, without any actual emoting. Candlelight Fantasia or Accolade II it is not.

Count me among those for whom "V: The New Mythology Suite" is their personal favorite SX album. My favorite song from it, as well as being my favorite overall SX song, is "Communion and the Oracle."


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## Laimon (Jun 26, 2015)

Sermo Lupi said:


> I don't really get the bitching about it sounding like a radio single when that's exactly what it is?



Well, I can't speak for others, but it doesn't bother me at all that it is radio friendly, it bothers me that it's bland as f**k


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## Xiphos68 (Jun 30, 2015)

I love the new song. 

I think it sounds great and I believe the album is going to be awesome.


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## redstone (Jul 23, 2015)

Overture : great
Nevermore : meh but catchy
Underworld : great
Without you : meh but catchy
Kiss of fire : great
Charon : nice, starts meh, becomes great
To hell and back : meh
In my darkest hour : boring
Run with the devil : boring
Swan song : boring
Legend : meh


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## DLG (Jul 23, 2015)

pretty much agree, accept charon is pretty meh too

the worst part is that romeo is crushing, sick riffs, amazing solos, and everyone else is not doing their share, especially russ who is literally sleep singing at this point.


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## Unleash The Fury (Jul 23, 2015)

Where is everyone hearing the album from?


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## Adam Of Angels (Jul 23, 2015)

Xaios said:


> Candlelight Fantasia or Accolade II it is not.
> 
> Count me among those for whom "V: The New Mythology Suite" is their personal favorite SX album. My favorite song from it, as well as being my favorite overall SX song, is "Communion and the Oracle."



 Your taste.

Also, I want to reiterate (not sure if I originally said it in this thread or not) that "V" is infinitely cooler than almost any other album ever because it's based in Edgar Cayce's story of Man/Atlantis/Egypt.. which I realize is hard to swallow for most, but is metal as F.


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## OmegaSlayer (Jul 23, 2015)

Not liking what I listened to so far...first 3 songs.
Michael Romeo totally rips in the solo sections, they're astonishing, but the songs are not there.


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## Unleash The Fury (Jul 23, 2015)

Someone please tell me where your hearing these songs from?


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## eaeolian (Jul 23, 2015)

Unleash The Fury said:


> Someone please tell me where your hearing these songs from?



Piracy is not something we discuss here.


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## Sumsar (Jul 23, 2015)

A quick check and yes I can confirm that it is available from "certain websites"!


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## Sumsar (Jul 23, 2015)

Though the first 4 songs now, first impression:
Romeo has stepped up his game, the solos actually get me exited and are not just totally random noodle around like the last record.
Pinnella is using annoying keyboard sounds that doesn't fit with the rest of the music, pretty much seems like the band could live without a keyboard at this point (I used to love the keyboard parts from ~10-15 years ago)
Drum mix is super annoying, far to "modern" I can't hear the hi-hat (aka groove) and Rullo is actually a bit disappointing - not a great drum beat so far.
Russell? Dunno not really anything special about his vocals anymore .. dunno if it is just polished to death in the mix/editing or he is just getting old.

Oh and apparently I got to the first boring ballad of the album ..

This 5 one starts great..


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## Unleash The Fury (Jul 23, 2015)

eaeolian said:


> Piracy is not something we discuss here.



Who's talking about piracy? How would I know if it was pirated or not?


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## Petef2007 (Jul 24, 2015)

I kind of feel that were this any other band's debut album it would be much better received. As it's a SymX album, it has a lot to live up to, and while I don't think it quite matches the holy trinity (Divine Wings, Twilight, New Mythology Suite) I'm still enjoying it a lot. 

It's a different SymX than we used to have sure but they've been going this way for a while I think and it's fun to hear them let loose and go with some of the thrashier stuff.


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## Sermo Lupi (Jul 24, 2015)

Russell Allen is phoning it in? You guys listening to the same album I am? He's killing it.


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## groverj3 (Jul 24, 2015)

Picked it up and am listening right now. So far it's solid and is very similar in style to their last two offerings. This, to me, is fine. Since I like those albums. If you don't like them though, you're not going to like this any more.

Count me in the camp that likes their newer direction though.


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## groverj3 (Jul 24, 2015)

Sermo Lupi said:


> Russell Allen is phoning it in? You guys listening to the same album I am? He's killing it.



This. The lyrics aren't always great but his performance is better than it has been as of late. A lot more range being showcased.


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## Sermo Lupi (Jul 24, 2015)

groverj3 said:


> This. The lyrics aren't always great but his performance is better than it has been as of late. A lot more range being showcased.



Pretty much my thoughts too. His range seems greater, and there's a lot more diversity in the tone of his voice. Both his melodic and aggressive singing styles are more widely showcased than on previous albums (such as Paradise Lost, for example). 

His performance is one of my favorite parts of the album, to be honest. Still only about 75% of the way through, but so far this is the best I've heard him in years.


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## WhiteWalls (Jul 24, 2015)

I spent the last hour trying to nitpick and find reasons not to like the album, and I failed.


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## beneharris (Jul 24, 2015)

Unleash The Fury said:


> Who's talking about piracy? How would I know if it was pirated or not?



Come on dude, geez.


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## porknchili (Jul 24, 2015)

Pretty good album, but Romeo needs to let others write songs from now on as most of the riffs (although awesome) are too similar to each other. Also, a lot of the songs have vibes from their previous albums, though I think the most common 2 album vibes are from The Odyssey and Paradise Lost.

Favorite songs: To Hell And Back (The riff in the middle is now my all time favorite SX riff [even better than the Sirens section of The Odyssey]), Swan Song (Sounds like Accolade II), Kiss of Fire (Riffs everywhere), and Charon.


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## troyguitar (Jul 24, 2015)

beneharris said:


> Come on dude, geez.



Come on indeed. 

No band has EVER streamed their new album for free in the history of the internet.


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## SilentCartographer (Jul 24, 2015)

sweet! haven't liked a lot since the Odyssey


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## SilentCartographer (Jul 24, 2015)

Also not much can beat Accolade 2, dem feels


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## HyperKinetic (Jul 27, 2015)

Really digging this at the moment, its alot heavier than I was expecting. Stand out tracks thus far for me are Without You, Kiss of Fire and Charon


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## Xaios (Jul 28, 2015)

Adam Of Angels said:


> Your taste.





But yeah, "Communion and the Oracle" is just one of the most perfect songs I've ever heard. The ending especially is one of the greatest "quiet intensity" passages of music ever written. There's also some great vocal harmonies and chord choices.


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## Unleash The Fury (Jul 28, 2015)

Why no love for damnation game album? I love winters dream pt.2. How hauntingly beautiful it is. Very nostalgic. It's one of those songs that feel nostalgic the first time you hear it, like you use to listen to it back in the day. But you really didnt.


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## Adam Of Angels (Jul 28, 2015)

Unleash The Fury said:


> Why no love for damnation game album? I love winters dream pt.2. How hauntingly beautiful it is. Very nostalgic. It's one of those songs that feel nostalgic the first time you hear it, like you use to listen to it back in the day. But you really didnt.



Dude, "The Edge of Forever" is the song. I will never grow tired of that one. I agree that 'Damnation Game' is nearly on par with the "holy trinity" we keep bringing up. Doesn't have Russ, but still rules.


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## TheShreddinHand (Jul 28, 2015)

Adam Of Angels said:


> Dude, "The Edge of Forever" is the song. I will never grow tired of that one. I agree that 'Damnation Game' is nearly on par with the "holy trinity" we keep bringing up. Doesn't have Russ, but still rules.



Huh? This was Russ' first album with them. He wasn't on the self-titled the year before. That was Rod Tyler.


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## Sermo Lupi (Jul 28, 2015)

TheShreddinHand said:


> Huh? This was Russ' first album with them. He wasn't on the self-titled the year before. That was Rod Tyler.



Yeah, the Damnation Game seems to get doubly forgotten because it is often confused for the self-titled album, which many people avoid. I wouldn't necessarily put it up there with Divine Wings of Tragedy, but it's a great album nonetheless. Can't really fault it for not being a masterpiece. 

As for the self-titled...I just can't get past Rod Tyler's vocals whenever I try to give the album another chance. _He's just so bad._ Getting Russell Allen on board was the smartest thing Symphony X ever did.


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## troyguitar (Jul 28, 2015)

I keep forgetting that damnation game exists, I've never heard it.


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## Adam Of Angels (Jul 28, 2015)

TheShreddinHand said:


> Huh? This was Russ' first album with them. He wasn't on the self-titled the year before. That was Rod Tyler.




Somebody had me convinced that it was someone who sounded a lot like Russ, which I guess makes me look kind of dumb  Obviously, it's not one of my most frequently rotated records. Totally makes sense now, though. I love the vocal performance on that album.


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## Unleash The Fury (Jul 28, 2015)

troyguitar said:


> I keep forgetting that damnation game exists, I've never heard it.



Really? Well give it a try at least. you must. Songs like dressed to kill are amazing


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## New Age Moron (Jul 29, 2015)

Oh yeah, Damnation game is a masterpiece, up there with Wings and V in my opinion. Edge of Forever and Winter's Dream are two of their best songs ever - so much atmosphere, so much emotion.


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## DLG (Jul 29, 2015)

troyguitar said:


> I keep forgetting that damnation game exists, I've never heard it.



you would love it , knowing your tastes.


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## TheShreddinHand (Jul 29, 2015)

Sermo Lupi said:


> Yeah, the Damnation Game seems to get doubly forgotten because it is often confused for the self-titled album, which many people avoid. I wouldn't necessarily put it up there with Divine Wings of Tragedy, but it's a great album nonetheless. Can't really fault it for not being a masterpiece.
> 
> As for the self-titled...I just can't get past Rod Tyler's vocals whenever I try to give the album another chance. _He's just so bad._ Getting Russell Allen on board was the smartest thing Symphony X ever did.



I feel the same about both those albums. Just can't get past the vocals on the S/T album, they are that bad. Damnation Game is an awesome album though, some really great tracks on there (minus the middle portion of the album).

Back on the new album.....I really feel like Romeo would benefit from mixing it up with another tuning here and there. Maybe Drop C, or C# standard or something. I mean, don't get me wrong, the new album is killer, but the riffs are all so similar to each other and past releases. So many hammer-on/pull-off style riffs and of course everything rotating around D standard (which isn't bad, one of my fav. alt tunings, just been used by Romeo too much at this point).


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## TheShreddinHand (Jul 29, 2015)

Adam Of Angels said:


> Somebody had me convinced that it was someone who sounded a lot like Russ, which I guess makes me look kind of dumb  Obviously, it's not one of my most frequently rotated records. Totally makes sense now, though. I love the vocal performance on that album.



Happens to the best of us!


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## troyguitar (Jul 29, 2015)

Unleash The Fury said:


> Really? Well give it a try at least. you must. Songs like dressed to kill are amazing



Yeah somehow I never bought it and then forgot about it, it's on my list now.

All of the "new" music I've picked up over the past several years now has been stuff like this that isn't actually new at all, just new to me.

It boggles my mind that people are able to actually keep up with everything put out by everyone and talk about "Best CD of 2015" or whatever. I haven't even heard all of 1975 yet let alone gotten near 2015.


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## Unleash The Fury (Jul 29, 2015)

troyguitar said:


> Yeah somehow I never bought it and then forgot about it, it's on my list now.
> 
> All of the "new" music I've picked up over the past several years now has been stuff like this that isn't actually new at all, just new to me.
> 
> It boggles my mind that people are able to actually keep up with everything put out by everyone and talk about "Best CD of 2015" or whatever. I haven't even heard all of 1975 yet let alone gotten near 2015.



Haha yeah same here. I'm still digging around in bands back catalogs that I've never heard yet!


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## TheShreddinHand (Sep 5, 2015)

Well, probably have listened to this album a good 25-30 times now and this is their strongest album since Odyssey for sure. I love this new album. Can't get enough! Now if only Romeo would do another instructional video showing us how to play all the killer stuff on this album!


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## Captastic (Sep 5, 2015)

TheShreddinHand said:


> Well, probably have listened to this album a good 25-30 times now and this is their strongest album since Odyssey for sure. I love this new album. Can't get enough! Now if only Romeo would do another instructional video showing us how to play all the killer stuff on this album!



Yeah...I love the new album. I've been listening to it over and over and it just makes me smile each time I hear it. Kicks DT ass so bad its not funny...


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## neurosis (Sep 5, 2015)

Captastic said:


> Yeah...I love the new album. I've been listening to it over and over and it just makes me smile each time I hear it. Kicks DT ass so bad its not funny...



Right? I never understood how this band isn´t HUGE. They have the songs and they have infallible musicianship. I think something that benefited DT greatly was doing the whole press and TV roller coaster in the nineties. I think their management was probably way on top of things. 

Symphony X have literally played people they have opened for off the stage for years. I would never want to play after a band like that. They are perfect players.


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## madwham (Sep 6, 2015)

neurosis said:


> Right? I never understood how this band isn´t HUGE. They have the songs and they have infallible musicianship. I think something that benefited DT greatly was doing the whole press and TV roller coaster in the nineties. I think their management was probably way on top of things.



I don't think you need to go that far to find reasons. I love and prefer Symphony X, but DT worked their asses off for years, touring relentlessly and maintaining an active fanclub with numerous, real advantages. On the other hand, Symphony X is much more passive, the quality of their music nonewithstanding.


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## TheShreddinHand (Sep 6, 2015)

madwham said:


> I don't think you need to go that far to find reasons. I love and prefer Symphony X, but DT worked their asses off for years, touring relentlessly and maintaining an active fanclub with numerous, real advantages. On the other hand, Symphony X is much more passive, the quality of their music nonewithstanding.



True. It seems as if Sy X write a killer album, do one tour, and then disappear for 4 years only to repeat the cycle. I just don't get it. DT is my favorite band but Sy X should be just as popular (and could be if they tried).


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## Jaxcharvel (Sep 16, 2015)

Honestly, this album kinda let me down. Romeo's lead work is phenomenal, but the riffs seem kinda stock to me. And it's (in my opinion) Russel's weakest vocal performance I've heard from them.


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## neurosis (Sep 16, 2015)

madwham said:


> I don't think you need to go that far to find reasons. I love and prefer Symphony X, but DT worked their asses off for years, touring relentlessly and maintaining an active fanclub with numerous, real advantages. On the other hand, Symphony X is much more passive, the quality of their music nonewithstanding.



It´s true that bands get popular because they grind it. I didn´t mean to take that away from DT even though reading my comment now it might have looked like it. I sort of rushed it but mentioning the management and TV presence stuff I thought I was implying something similar to what you just pointed out. 

X are huge musicians. I just always wondered why they were´t as popular as DT considering they´re fairly known. 

If DT had the fan club and that was decisive, it can be counted to all the other things they must have done business wise to grow. So besides touring I guess Symphony X are maybe not as quick when it comes to business? 

In any case good that both exist. It´s a blessing for us.


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