treeduck Posted May 18, 2015 Author Share Posted May 18, 2015 Oh great. :eyeroll:You've not read it properly! You mean the part about faking everyone out? Yes I did.I totally had you too! :clap: :banana: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EagleMoon Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 Oh great. :eyeroll:You've not read it properly! You mean the part about faking everyone out? Yes I did.I totally had you too! :clap: :banana: Well sure, why not? It looked like it could be legit. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treeduck Posted May 19, 2015 Author Share Posted May 19, 2015 Oh great. :eyeroll:You've not read it properly! You mean the part about faking everyone out? Yes I did.I totally had you too! :clap: :banana: Well sure, why not? It looked like it could be legit. :)Aye! I used my special skills to create a Symphony X style whatsit! :hi: :hi: :hi: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treeduck Posted May 19, 2015 Author Share Posted May 19, 2015 Song timings (no I've not made these up, honest!) 01. Overture - 4:1402. Nevermore - 5:3003. Underworld - 5:4804. Without You - 5:5105. Kiss Of Fire - 5:0906. Charon - 6:0607. Hell And Back - 9:2308. In My Darkest Hour - 4:2209. Run With The Devil - 5:3810. Swansong - 7:2911. Legend - 6:29 Which brings us to a total of: 65:59 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod in Toronto Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 New song: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treeduck Posted May 22, 2015 Author Share Posted May 22, 2015 New song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_z3AHbjeb1U&feature=youtu.beThat's pretty nice, the vocal melody was a little weird to my ears, but maybe that's a good thing, it might take a few listens to get accustomed to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EagleMoon Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 New song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_z3AHbjeb1U&feature=youtu.beThat's pretty nice, the vocal melody was a little weird to my ears, but maybe that's a good thing, it might take a few listens to get accustomed to. Its a little tedious until about the 4:35 mark when they change key. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LyndseyG Posted May 23, 2015 Share Posted May 23, 2015 New song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_z3AHbjeb1U&feature=youtu.beThat's pretty nice, the vocal melody was a little weird to my ears, but maybe that's a good thing, it might take a few listens to get accustomed to. Its a little tedious until about the 4:35 mark when they change key. I love it!! :clap: 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclonus X-1 Posted May 24, 2015 Share Posted May 24, 2015 (edited) New song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_z3AHbjeb1U&feature=youtu.be I've listened to this a couple of times now, and I'm liking it. The riffing reminds me of Inferno on the Odyssey album. Then they switch to the really melodic choruses like they did for a number of Paradise Lost tunes, but this seems to "soar" more than a lot of the PL stuff; in fact, the vocal style reminds me of the "Seems like forever that my eyes have been denied" parts of the Odyssey title track. Romeo sounds like he was really revved up for this album, and Russell sounds fantastic as usual, bringing melody as well as a nice bit of softness to the mix this time. Edited May 24, 2015 by Cyclonus X-1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treeduck Posted May 25, 2015 Author Share Posted May 25, 2015 New song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_z3AHbjeb1U&feature=youtu.be I've listened to this a couple of times now, and I'm liking it. The riffing reminds me of Inferno on the Odyssey album. Then they switch to the really melodic choruses like they did for a number of Paradise Lost tunes, but this seems to "soar" more than a lot of the PL stuff; in fact, the vocal style reminds me of the "Seems like forever that my eyes have been denied" parts of the Odyssey title track. Romeo sounds like he was really revved up for this album, and Russell sounds fantastic as usual, bringing melody as well as a nice bit of softness to the mix this time.Here's some more info and quotes: Whether it's the genius writing and execution of Michael Romeo-his thoughts incubating exactly four years since the band's slamming last album Iconoclast-or the richness of experience gained by Russell Allen over a triumphant run with Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Symphony X have struck an enriched level of maturity with this their ninth album, entitled Underworld.Symphony X have triumphed, creating a panoramic old school "album rock" experience in an era cursed with shorter and shorter attention spans. "This new one is about the song," begins axe wizard Michael Romeo, chief writer in the band, and possessor of The Dungeon, the tricked-out studio in which the album was crafted, newly equipped with the latest in technology required to execute the band's famous symphonic and orchestrated touches with aplomb. "Every song is to-the-point and fine-tuned, with us paying a lot of attention to the hooks, voices, riffs, and keeping the interest and the energy high for the whole record, so it can be listened to start to finish." "Underworld's not really a concept album," agrees Michael, "but like the last couple of records, there's a theme that carries through. I started looking at Dante, and Orpheus in the underworld, where he's going to go to Hades or hell to save this girl. So there's the theme of going to hell and back for something or someone you care about." Immediately with "Nevermore," the focus Michael speaks about becomes clear. Russell is right there with the vocal after a brief, non-nonsense thrash intro, and then the clouds part for a chorus of beauty, Russell sliding a melody on top of a feverish prog riff of erudite magic from Michael. "Without You" on the other hand is a strident ballad but one full of rock events and vaulted arranging, light vs. shade, soaring harmonies, punch, power, and last but not least progressive time signatures. "That one's a bit mellower, with a big chorus and a sweeping feel. I don't know if I would call it a ballad, but it's a little bit softer, not so much about riff, but more the acoustic and electric interplay." "And Russell, he's just a natural," notes Romeo. "When he first heard the songs, he had mentioned that he really wanted to sing more, even though the material was heavy. So we put a lot of emphasis on his abilities and making the choruses strong vocally" But ultimately, to reiterate, the band's goal-and mission accomplished-was to create a record where strength of song was paramount. In that respect, with Underworld, Symphony X have transcended the stigma with which progressive metal is often saddled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treeduck Posted June 19, 2015 Author Share Posted June 19, 2015 Another song from the album: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EagleMoon Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 Another song from the album: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZe-Pmgq9DY If the rest of the album is like this, I'm not going to bother. Boring. Nothing new or original here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treeduck Posted June 20, 2015 Author Share Posted June 20, 2015 Another song from the album: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZe-Pmgq9DY If the rest of the album is like this, I'm not going to bother. Boring. Nothing new or original here.Depends what you mean by "new and original". If you're looking for something that's never been heard before in the history of music, truly original, you are never going to find it, so don't look for it. it's an endless road that you'll eternally travel. Maybe you only need one album from each band with a recognizable style because nothing else by them can be truly original ever again. Is Moving Pictures truly "new and original" compared to Permanent Waves? And so on. Get on your endeless road and ride Eagle, ride like the wind! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclonus X-1 Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 It may not be the "most original" work in the history of music, but it definitely doesn't sound like a rehash of any of their earlier material to my ears. The acoustic parts sound great, as do the keys following the solo (Pinnella always seems to come up with really good parts for their ballad-type songs). At this point, the choruses sound "less good" than the other parts to me, which is somewhat surprising, as the choruses are usually my favorite parts of Symphony X songs. But they're still good; and of course, they may yet grow on me. All in all, I'm really happy with this track. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treeduck Posted June 20, 2015 Author Share Posted June 20, 2015 It may not be the "most original" work in the history of music, but it definitely doesn't sound like a rehash of any of their earlier material to my ears. The acoustic parts sound great, as do the keys following the solo (Pinnella always seems to come up with really good parts for their ballad-type songs). At this point, the choruses sound "less good" than the other parts to me, which is somewhat surprising, as the choruses are usually my favorite parts of Symphony X songs. But they're still good; and of course, they may yet grow on me. All in all, I'm really happy with this track.Yeah me too! :haz: :haz: :haz: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EagleMoon Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 Another song from the album: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZe-Pmgq9DY If the rest of the album is like this, I'm not going to bother. Boring. Nothing new or original here.Depends what you mean by "new and original". If you're looking for something that's never been heard before in the history of music, truly original, you are never going to find it, so don't look for it. it's an endless road that you'll eternally travel. Maybe you only need one album from each band with a recognizable style because nothing else by them can be truly original ever again. Is Moving Pictures truly "new and original" compared to Permanent Waves? And so on. Get on your endeless road and ride Eagle, ride like the wind! That isn't what I meant and I think you know that. It's just not as interesting and well thought out as something like The Odyssey. There's just nothing that stands out about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treeduck Posted June 20, 2015 Author Share Posted June 20, 2015 Another song from the album: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZe-Pmgq9DY If the rest of the album is like this, I'm not going to bother. Boring. Nothing new or original here.Depends what you mean by "new and original". If you're looking for something that's never been heard before in the history of music, truly original, you are never going to find it, so don't look for it. it's an endless road that you'll eternally travel. Maybe you only need one album from each band with a recognizable style because nothing else by them can be truly original ever again. Is Moving Pictures truly "new and original" compared to Permanent Waves? And so on. Get on your endeless road and ride Eagle, ride like the wind! That isn't what I meant and I think you know that. It's just not as interesting and well thought out as something like The Odyssey. There's just nothing that stands out about it.Well why don't you say what you mean in the first place! I'm gonna have to take away your metal patches and studded wrist bands and blue prog anorak and make you an ex prog-metal fan! I'll excommunicate you! :madra: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EagleMoon Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 Another song from the album: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZe-Pmgq9DY If the rest of the album is like this, I'm not going to bother. Boring. Nothing new or original here.Depends what you mean by "new and original". If you're looking for something that's never been heard before in the history of music, truly original, you are never going to find it, so don't look for it. it's an endless road that you'll eternally travel. Maybe you only need one album from each band with a recognizable style because nothing else by them can be truly original ever again. Is Moving Pictures truly "new and original" compared to Permanent Waves? And so on. Get on your endeless road and ride Eagle, ride like the wind! That isn't what I meant and I think you know that. It's just not as interesting and well thought out as something like The Odyssey. There's just nothing that stands out about it.Well why don't you say what you mean in the first place! I'm gonna have to take away your metal patches and studded wrist bands and blue prog anorak and make you an ex prog-metal fan! I'll excommunicate you! :madra: So I won't beep when I walk through the airport metal detectors? :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treeduck Posted June 20, 2015 Author Share Posted June 20, 2015 Oh and hey you've only heard two songs from the album so far Would two songs be enough to tell you if the Odyssey was good or bad? An epic masterpiece or a bit of old shopworn plastic ready for the dustbin? What say you?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treeduck Posted June 20, 2015 Author Share Posted June 20, 2015 Another song from the album: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZe-Pmgq9DY If the rest of the album is like this, I'm not going to bother. Boring. Nothing new or original here.Depends what you mean by "new and original". If you're looking for something that's never been heard before in the history of music, truly original, you are never going to find it, so don't look for it. it's an endless road that you'll eternally travel. Maybe you only need one album from each band with a recognizable style because nothing else by them can be truly original ever again. Is Moving Pictures truly "new and original" compared to Permanent Waves? And so on. Get on your endeless road and ride Eagle, ride like the wind! That isn't what I meant and I think you know that. It's just not as interesting and well thought out as something like The Odyssey. There's just nothing that stands out about it.Well why don't you say what you mean in the first place! I'm gonna have to take away your metal patches and studded wrist bands and blue prog anorak and make you an ex prog-metal fan! I'll excommunicate you! :madra: So I won't beep when I walk through the airport metal detectors? :) :madra: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod in Toronto Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 I'm combing my mullet here while I listen to Armored Saint's Symbol of Salvation and wait for this argument to end. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treeduck Posted July 25, 2015 Author Share Posted July 25, 2015 My copy is on the way! :haz: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djflex Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 On tap for this weekend. High hopes here, have previewed any songs on purpose.If its as good as iconoclast im excited 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treeduck Posted July 25, 2015 Author Share Posted July 25, 2015 Australia's The Rockpit recently conducted an interview with vocalist Russell Allen of New Jersey progressive metal masters SYMPHONY X. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below. The Rockpit: So [with SYMPHONY X's ninth studio album, titled "Underworld"] there was nothing particularly new as far as the writng and recording process — [it was] pretty much the same as you have always done it? Russell: Yeah, pretty much. The process hardly changed at all. The only thing that was different was that I'm in a heck of a lot better shape than I used to be in the old days, so I got all my tracks done in eight days — from creating them to singing them to everything. I mean, Mike [Romeo, guitar] had a lot of the stuff written. There's a ton of stuff to go off of — it's not like he writes me a guide book and says sing this or whatever; that's not how we do it. He does go, "I kinda like this there. What do you think?" "Oh, I like that, and it can go here too," and he goes, "Oh, I like that too." "Oh, okay. Great. Well, these words fit. I'll make them fit." "Okay. Great. What have you got? We need some lyrics? Okay. What are we talking about? Okay. Great. I've got this." That first song, "Run With The Devil", there's no verses; it's the one song that's lyrics galore! It has the most lyrics on the whole record on that one song. So I sat down for an hour or so and just penned them and they just came right out. "What are we talking about? Where are we in the story? What's happening?" He told me what, in time, needs to happen, what's going on, and I just went. But I've been writing and recording and doing these projects, so my workflow is just a heck of a lot better these days than it used to be, so I'm definitely in a different place. So my process is definitely different than what it was in the past. It's kind of like a muscle in your body and your brain is the same thing — you use your brain creatively and you're creating and creating and you can really channel that inspiration in the moment and get something really good. When you're fighting it all the time because you are so fustrated, it doesn't happen, so I've kinda learned to just relax and let it flow, let the ideas come out. Just make that channeling vibe happen pretty quickly and stay focused and not lose focus during the sessions. That was the biggest thing for me. The Rockpit: The last album ("Iconoclast") was quite successful for you guys; it was received really well by the fans. The fans absolutely lapped it up and it was also quite heavy for you guys. Did you feel any pressure at all to outdo that one? Russell: No, not really. The pressure is always there on ourselves to create the best record that we can, regardless of the one before it or after; you are always in the moment. But the truth of it is we don't compare to each other like the fans do, because they are all different. This isn't a story about technology killing the human spirit, this is a love story. So there's deeper elements in it, there's compassion. It's not about betrayal except for the actual evil itself fooling you into thinking that everything is going to be okay. The last record was very aggressive because the content was aggressive, the lyrical content was aggressive. This album is different, so we didn't feel we had to measure up to the last one, and the fans, they expect a certain thing, and so we try and just create the best record that we can. Of course, there are some things on the new record that are reminiscent of the last one, but that's because we are the same band. [Laughs] Same five guys, but there's a little bit of growth there too — also the same five guys who have grown up a little more in the past five years, so there's a maturity on the record that was not on the last one. There's a synergy on this album that wasn't on the ones before it, because we are 20 years together now and there's something to be said for that. To be still at the top of your game playing and still getting better and making quality music 20 years in. And that's a special thing as it is. A lot of bands they just implode early on, and they get so much success, they just can't handle it. They just shred to pieces before they can really mature, and all you are left with... sometimes it's brilliant, like GUNS N' ROSES' "Appetite For Destruction", and then they did the "Use Your Illusion" thing and then they're gone, that's it. And you're left with these brilliant rock albums that are just a flash in the pan, a moment in time, and that's it. And then there's other bands like RUSH that go for a lot of years and are able to continue to make good records. And we're just one of those bands that are able to just stick it out and put out records all these years. I think this latest album definitely shows a maturity level that is reflected on our tenure that we've had in the business and together as a band, and the songwriting is just really solid, so I'm happy. There's something on this record for everybody — fans of "Iconoclast", fans of "Paradise Lost", fans of "Divine" and the old stuff — so it's a pretty well-rounded album. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djflex Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 Listened to new one today. Loved it right on the first run, which is not often for me. Will keep it in rotation for awhile 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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