I cannot express how much this band has changed my life as a musician and composer I did cover many of their songs, solo and live with 3 bands years ago, my favorite band of all time ♥
Honestly, I think the Damnation Game has the best choruses, every single one is super memorable to me, and each one has been stuck in my head at some point
I dig both eras.. My favorite album is probably The Odyssey, but I LOVE all albums, with Russell especially.. The first album is good too, but I loved the MAsquarade song with Russell on vocals, which is a bonus track on the Odyssey album.. AMAZING BAND!!!!!!!!
Good job man, i agree in almost everything... winter's dream and awakenings deserve soooo much more recognition!! IMO their best era is the prog one (i was introduced to them with The Odissey). I would like to put a spotlight on In My Darkest Hour, cause the solo is one of the most glorious things i've ever heard
and it's sad that Tom Walling disappearded from the face of the earth after recording Twilight. I think his playing is outstanding!! Especially in Through the looking glass, which is kind of a suite like TDWOT too, worth mentioning as well. From what I know Walling is a jazz drummer that filled in only cause Rullo wasnt in shape at the time but then ditched the band cause he didnt want to tour or something like that. Too bad not seeing one shot of him playing live. This album was made pretty much at gun point, cause there was some deal with the label and they had a bunch of songs and went and recorded them.
(Fucking long post incoming sorry: but this is one of my absolute favorite bands..) -A Winter's Dream is an underrated song? FUCK YES! Finally found someone who loves that awesome song! -13:50 whoops, that's the Accolade II, even though you're talking about the first one? (heh) -THANK. YOU. For giving a shout out to Awakenings. The Odyssey may be tied for my absolute favorite song ever, but Awakenings is among the top of SX's songs. The piano and the melodies on the song are almost unparalleled! -2nd half of Paradise Lost (album) = underrated? Yes! Revelation and Seven are awesome proggy thrashers! Eve of Seduction is so damn catchy, great riffs, and mind blowing solo. And the Sacrifice has one of Russell's best performances. Just listen to the 2nd verse! He's screaming his fucking lungs out!! -Iconoclast was the album that made me get into the band. Title track, End of Innocence and Bastards of the Machine were my starting point. Funny enough, I never liked Dehumanized. To me, it's one of their most boring songs, period! -oddly enough, I would say the 3 bonus tracks on Iconoclast could easily replace Dehumanized, Heretic, and either Bastards of the Machine or Prometheus (why must the intro be so long, without much going on at all?!) -I LOVE the guitar work on Run With The Devil (and the synth after the 2nd chorus). But oh god I hate the chorus.. just like To Hell And Back, In My Darkest Hour, Without You and Nevermore. Although the middle section of To Hell and Back is top-tier (great riffs, vox performance and catchy "on and on" chorus!). -Just like you said, I hope for another "oldschool" SX album with the modern production. The choirs sound so awesome on the new shit! But FUCK ME, I hate how little piano stuff Pinella plays on the last 3 albums. To me, the band is best on songs such as Candlelight Fantasia, Odyssey, Accolade II/Awakenings, Church of the Machine etc. and they are all carried by heavy riffs, catchy melodies and mesmerizing keyboard work from Pinella. Symphony X could revise the "Symphony" part of their name.. But I fear this might have been the last album, seeing how Russell seems more interested in Adrenaline Mob (and looks more like a rock diva on stage now - wearing sunglasses indoors and a half buttoned shirt), + the tragedies that have struck the band (former drummer and now recently the car crash). That could take the will to go on with music out of any man, sadly, and I'd respect his choice if he would just go home to his family after that shit. SX is one of my 3 favorite bands, but I don't think there will be much more now, nor do I care anymore. Since the last tour we've heard nothing, but to me Underworld and Iconoclast has been their 2 least interesting albums since the debut. If only they had more success with the early style. I still love everything they have given us! 95-2007 was probably the best band ever imo (probably..?).
song is amazing I listen to Winters Dream every winter since i was a kid. last 18 years. been a tradition people think of christmas songs like Deck the halls etc. I think of Candlelight Fantasia and Winters Dream
DownFall NetWork I had a conversation with Mike LePond (bassist for symphony x) on Facebook (got to make friends with him since I funded his 2014 Kickstarter for his solo album, Mike LePond’s Silent Assassins) and from what he told me this week they’re starting to work on the next album, and that Russell Allen is doing well.
Mal Reynolds Indeed. They're not in the studio or in any stage where they're actively making the next album, but they're definitely at the discussion stage, soexpect a new album next year. Also, Mike LePond dropped a second silent assassins disc this year, and it's a great effort that covers MacBeth (something he wanted Symphony X to do). The vocalist is a cross between Bobby Blitz from Overkill and Jeff Scott Soto from Yngwie Malmsteen and Sons of Apollo. Reccomend it.
thematically i think Paradise lost was a continuation of the song Divine wings of Tragedy but extended to full album length but i mean both Divine Wings and the album are inspired by the Milton epic of the same name as the album
Dude nearly completely agree with you! Talking about weird choruses, I would take The Witching Hour over Pharaoh. Much prefer the high whining vox to breaking the flow with that odd groove and singing. Completely agree on Twilight On Olympus, I fucking love that record, and spinning it over and over I do like the rest of the songs a lot too, not just Smoke & Mirrors. Never liked Children of the Faceless God tho, and Underworld is... well I foolishly expected another Divine Wings of Tragedy or V and it takes some time to appreciate it properly :P
I really hope Underworld isn't their last. For some reason it hasn't quite grabbed me like the other albums, but maybe I need a few more spins. I would like to see them take one more shot at a super epic like Divine Wings or The Odyssey before they ride into the sunset. But regardless of what happens, Symphony X is my favorite band full stop, and there will never be another band like this. Sure there are plenty of other progressive power metal bands, but most do not have the consistency or sheer awesomeness of this band.
I like literally every song by them. From the very first to their latest. Very inspirational stuff. But if you ask me what is my favorite era of Symphony X, I am much into their neoclassical stuff. TDWOT is my staple album, even though iconoclast is my favorite song of all time by them. One of the things I look for metal is the melody, how catchy it is. To me melody is more important than heaviness, technicality comes 2nd or 3rd. Of course if it was a death metal band or Slayer then I don't expect any melody at all, the mood is different and then switched to heavy as first priority. But for bands like Symphony X, melody is first. I'm actually not a fan of the "groove" stuff when it comes to metal but I don't dislike it either. I have appreciation for it but it's not something that I seek as 1st priority when it comes to metal bands. That's why Iconoclast to me is somewhat my least album but still a good album. And like I said it have my favorite song of all time, so there is balance.
Spot on about iconoclast. Its my best friends favorite and my least favorite lol. And yes im way more into the early stuff, too much x, not enough symphony anymore for my tastes. I dont like the long drawn out choruses either
The first album was awesome! The first singer was not bad, idk why you think he is. I love all of their albums! But you are right on one thing... I skip over Shades of Grey every time because it's a shitty song. The rest on the first album though are all SO good. The new singer is a little better but the old one wasn't bad. I honestly haven't listened to Underworld yet. I think I need to.
Wasn't an easy task but i think i made up my mind. 1. Underworld 2. Odyssey 3. V: 4. Iconoclast 5. Paradise Lost 6. The Divine Wings of Tragedy 7. Twilight in Olympus 8. The Damnation Game 9. Symphony X
20:50 IN fact the Egyptians, Minoans and Etruscans and the gods of Olympus have A LOT in common with the Atlantis (which sank about 12 000 years ago in a war between Atlantians and the Blue race - the gods of India who lived in what is now the Gobi desert - also destroyed).
My Ranking: 9. Symphony X 8. The Damnation Game 7. Iconoclast 6. Twilight in Olympus 5. Paradise Lost 4. Underworld 3. The Odyssey 2. The Divine Wings of Tragedy 1. V: The New Mythology Suite
I would rate them: 1. DWoT 2. Paradise Lost 3. The Oddysey 4. Underworld 5. V: Mythology Suite 6. Twilight 7. Damnation Game 8/9. Iconoclast/Debut All of them are top tier. Symphony X/Michael Romeo are easily my biggest musical inspirations... so I cannot deny the near perfection of these 9 albums.
Man, how I love this band, I was first introduced to them with Evolution (The Grand Design) and I was amazed, so I decided to listen every album. The first one really surprised me lol, I wasn't expecting that vocals (honestly, I was kinda dumb and thought that Russel just had a GREAT evolution with his vocals, since Damnation Game have kinda "weaker" vocals, I thought he just trained a lot hahahaha) but I fucking loved Masquerade. When I heard Of Sins And Shadows, I knew that band would be one of my favorites, but when I finally Reached V: The New Mythology Suite, oh boy, how fucking hyped I was, this album is probably one of the BEST albums I've ever heard, this album is a masterpiece from start to finish, there's not a SINGLE bad song, even the interludes are great! I honestly didn't like the first time I heard Inferno (Unleash the Fire), it was way heavier than the other songs, but nowadays I really like that song, and I LOVED the rest of The Odyssey, and Paradise Lost is also a fucking great album. Iconoclast was really a shock at first, it's just so heavy, it breaks the pattern a lot, I didn't like the first time I heard but then I tried to hear one more time and it's actually great, not my favorite but it's really good, Children Of A Faceless God is really good, Dehumanized is a fucking headbanger and The End Of Innocence is beautiful, I'm really hyped to see their next album, the first that I'll see in the release. Great video of one of the best metal bands ever!
I fucking love everything from "V" to the present (They are all my numbers one but "V" is just perfectly beautiful from beginning to end). 01A.- 2000 - V- The New Mythology Suite 01B.- 2002 - The Odyssey 01C.- 2007 - Paradise Lost 01D.- 2011 - Iconoclast 01E.- 2015 - Underworld Please, don't compare bands or musicians, because it's just toxic. I also love Dream Theater. They are all great! I really enjoyed this video a lot.
I love this video. To note. I was so freaked when the adrenaline mob bus got in the accident. I was really close, To where I live. And I am super sad about the lost. But I am glad everyone else is recovering. He just did a show with Ayreon.
I felt Dominici was a good fit for Dream Theater. But for whatever reason, they booted him. Interestingly enough Labrie sounds fairly good on his solo material tho. At least to me.
I've always been a prog guy and a metal guy at the same time. First bands I ever got into were iron maiden and rush, shortly followed by megadeth. So I appreciate the instrumentation of dream theater a lot more and, considering I grew up on geddy lee and dave mustaine, vocals never really bother me
Good point about the live performances. I was seriously annoyed about Dream Theater in Oslo getting to play for 3 hours or whatever and Symphony X the warm up act getting like 20 minutes. I've had a subjectively bad relationship to Dream Theater because of this..... And the nerdy atmosphere of the Dream Theater fans. Symph X kick ass live though! No idea how they play so complex music that effortlessly
I love Iconoclast. Though V was my first, and still my proggier fav from them. I love the sound, the heaviness, the keys, the aggression, the vocals. There is something I noticed about it that lessens it's impact, and it took a long time for me to figure out: The choruses, with a few exceptions, are not as great as the verses. You expect choruses to take you higher and harder, but they don't. But they still sound cool, and...somehow...this (the double-disc version) is one of my fav albums, I keep listening to it, and would share it with someone wanting to understand and get into metal. I just love the sound they achieved which is a perfect metal sound to me, that perfect mix of edgier, thrashier metal with key textures and power metal with slick, technical production. My SX go to.
First of all, great video. Learned a bit as i never bought all their albums but do love them. Only negative point is i love Sanctus Ignis from Adagio as they seem to out Sympony X, Symphony X in terms of great vocals, well integrated classical music and heaviness and it bugs me.
it's the one band I can't seem to be able to pick a favorite album. dudes are simply too good also, read some rumors on a new album from them soon. hope it's true, despite agreeing that "the legend never dies" would be an extremely cathartic line for symphony to rest upon while the wind carries its legacy
It’s probably nostalgia but I’m 21 and grew up listening to symphony X from my dad ever since I was 6 years old and I love the first album this band does not have a bad album and shades of grey was one of my favorite songs as a kid I love it and I don’t mind his vocals now is it anywhere comparable to Russells hell the fuck no but I still enjoy it to this day but definitely the weakest album but still not bad
Don’t listen to all these hate comments. This is my favorite video on UA-cam. You keep making retrospectives and I’ll keep watching them! After all, this is your opinions on these bands.
Symphony X are one of the greatest bands ever, genius and unable to be copied, which is why I was able to watch/listen to this video in spite of the grating and vomit inducing narration. At least proper respect was given to an awesome band of monumental caliber.
1 Paradise Lost 2 V The New Mythology Suite 3 Twilight in Olympus 4 The Damnation Game 5 The Odyssey 6 The Divine Wings 7 Iconoclast 8 Underworld 9 Symphony X Underworld is growing on me.
I love SX but everything after The Odyssey is pretty boring when I look back on it. Paradise Lost was cool when it came out but all the others after it sound basically the same. Great music for what it is, just rather dull overall. The Divine Wings - Twilight - V - The Odyssey - these are all amazing and diverse sounding albums and have their own identity. Paradise Lost - Iconoclast - Underworld - you can swap songs from each of these and it would feel the same. And the production is stale on all three albums. Gone is the diversity in Russell's singing too.
They sure as hell have worse musical videos than DT, and that's saying a shit ton. Didn't you hate editing the videos you recorded the audio for? No Jimmy, we love your bird-ass. Will this be a running gag by the way for the rest of your reviews or not?
would be cool if you could use some audio from alex's videos in a retrospective btw. he has a six degrees if inner turbulence review would be cool to see that if you're doing dt.
to be honest i agree with you on Witching Hour it feels relay out of place for me and coming off the back of not one but 2 of the best songs of the album makes it come off as weaker
My personal ranking, starting from bottom: 9) Symphony X: Russell Allen was not there and the whole sound of the band was still quite raw 8) The Damnation Game: first SX album I bought. A clear step forward compared to Symphony X, A Winter's Dream is awesome, but still too much neoclassical tones and Russell not using his whole range From here it becomes increasingly difficult to rate albums: 7) V: (takes cover..) Please don't shoot me. I like this album but feel that there's too much filler with keyboards and Russell's voice is sometimes really annoying. This albums is a sort of watershed in their music and I feel they have no real direction at this stage. The three following albums are very close: 6) The Divine Wings of Tragedy: the first album where their sound starts to really get together. Of Sins and Shadows and the Accolade are two masterpieces. 5) Twilight in Olympus: Great solid album. The impact of Smoke and Mirrors, the complexity of Through the Looking Glass, the middle-east music feelings of Lady of the Snow, all good stuff 4) The Odyssey: I loved the change from V to the Odyssey. Tighter music, wider range of vocals, all killer no filler. Inferno, Wicked, The Odyssey are a kind of songs no other band is doing. In the first three positions I'll place their last three albums: 3) Paradise Lost: going further down the path started with the Odyssey, Paradise Lost is incredibly dense and packed with emotions. Russell gets better and better here, especially in Paradise Lost and The Sacrifice. 2) Iconoclast: from first to last song everything is screaming "this is a Symphony X song). Technique, complex arrangements, seamless changes from one section to the next one without losing steam. I especially love Iconoclast, The End of Innocence, When All is Lost and Reign in Madness (a really underrated song) 1) Underworld: why Underworld at nr. 1? Many fans don't like the "commercial" change but I think that is the real plus. I have many friends that don't listen to metal and they got immediately drawn in by Underworld. This album is still pure Symphony X, with everything you'd like to hear in a progressive metal album but is in a sense "cleaner", removing all the clutter and becoming something everybody can listen and understand. That's the real step forward to make it a classic. I'd like to hear more metal like this instead of metal becoming more and more technical, convolute and hard to understand for a wider audience.😀
And... the best SX album which is "in the middle of both eras" is not V, but THE ODESSEY!!! Odessey is the absolute masterpiece!!! And also it is recodred quite good, comparing to previous albums.
Cut it off was in reference to you saying they should just cut it off here. Not sure where you heard this could be the last album, but I have never heard that and follow the shit out of these guys since the second album. 40:44 You gave that statement...not I.
The last album was shit and too commercial, they are trying to appeal to more audiences, i wish they go back to the older sound...and yes i love the power metal era more cuz they sounded more creepy in a castlevania way which i love
More people need to hear about Symphony X, this band is absolutely legendary, it has been my favorite band since 10 years and it will be forever
V: The Mythology Suite is one of those rare perfect albums. To add or to remove anything would make it imperfect.
completely agree, my favorite album for sure
@@billybob728 It's up there for me. It's definitely my first and most common pick for playing at the gym, especially on the elliptical.
Russell Allen is the most powerfull singer! Great vocal range, impressive live performance and he´s a great frontman!
I started with Twilight in Olympus. But then when "V" came out it just freaking blew me away with that Antonín Dvořák intro.
I cannot express how much this band has changed my life as a musician and composer
I did cover many of their songs, solo and live with 3 bands years ago, my favorite band of all time ♥
When the short snippets of the songs get played between your narration, I am full blown vocal on the singing! Damn, they are a good band!
Where has this documentary been all my life???
Honestly, I think the Damnation Game has the best choruses, every single one is super memorable to me, and each one has been stuck in my head at some point
V: The new mythology suite sounds a lot like if Kansas became a metal band. Absolutely perfect
I dig both eras.. My favorite album is probably The Odyssey, but I LOVE all albums, with Russell especially.. The first album is good too, but I loved the MAsquarade song with Russell on vocals, which is a bonus track on the Odyssey album.. AMAZING BAND!!!!!!!!
Iconoclast is my favorite album next to the odyssey 🤘
Good job man, i agree in almost everything... winter's dream and awakenings deserve soooo much more recognition!!
IMO their best era is the prog one (i was introduced to them with The Odissey).
I would like to put a spotlight on In My Darkest Hour, cause the solo is one of the most glorious things i've ever heard
and it's sad that Tom Walling disappearded from the face of the earth after recording Twilight. I think his playing is outstanding!! Especially in Through the looking glass, which is kind of a suite like TDWOT too, worth mentioning as well. From what I know Walling is a jazz drummer that filled in only cause Rullo wasnt in shape at the time but then ditched the band cause he didnt want to tour or something like that. Too bad not seeing one shot of him playing live.
This album was made pretty much at gun point, cause there was some deal with the label and they had a bunch of songs and went and recorded them.
2:02: could not agree more! LaBrie was past his prime in the early 90s
The guy got that food poisoning thing that screwed up his vocal chords after recording Awake and it was over after that... It's sad
If I were constructing the greatest band ever,, Sir Russell Allen would be the singer.
I opened for Symphony X in 2002. Nice guys.
So glad they re-recorded masquerade. Makes it easily a top 10 song
I fear this band is done, and it makes me so fucking sad. By far one of the best bands in the galaxy.
Juan Germano www.metalinjection.net/latest-news/symphony-x-hopes-to-release-a-new-album-either-this-year-or-next-year Fear not.
Cool! i was thinking the same!
Yeah Ive had that same feeling since after the oddesey tbh
I was listening to the 'Paradise Lost' record today at work in my ear buds.
Such a killer record. Michael Romeo's spidery riffs are awesome.
(Fucking long post incoming sorry: but this is one of my absolute favorite bands..)
-A Winter's Dream is an underrated song? FUCK YES! Finally found someone who loves that awesome song!
-13:50 whoops, that's the Accolade II, even though you're talking about the first one? (heh)
-THANK. YOU. For giving a shout out to Awakenings. The Odyssey may be tied for my absolute favorite song ever, but Awakenings is among the top of SX's songs. The piano and the melodies on the song are almost unparalleled!
-2nd half of Paradise Lost (album) = underrated? Yes! Revelation and Seven are awesome proggy thrashers! Eve of Seduction is so damn catchy, great riffs, and mind blowing solo. And the Sacrifice has one of Russell's best performances. Just listen to the 2nd verse! He's screaming his fucking lungs out!!
-Iconoclast was the album that made me get into the band. Title track, End of Innocence and Bastards of the Machine were my starting point. Funny enough, I never liked Dehumanized. To me, it's one of their most boring songs, period!
-oddly enough, I would say the 3 bonus tracks on Iconoclast could easily replace Dehumanized, Heretic, and either Bastards of the Machine or Prometheus (why must the intro be so long, without much going on at all?!)
-I LOVE the guitar work on Run With The Devil (and the synth after the 2nd chorus). But oh god I hate the chorus.. just like To Hell And Back, In My Darkest Hour, Without You and Nevermore. Although the middle section of To Hell and Back is top-tier (great riffs, vox performance and catchy "on and on" chorus!).
-Just like you said, I hope for another "oldschool" SX album with the modern production. The choirs sound so awesome on the new shit! But FUCK ME, I hate how little piano stuff Pinella plays on the last 3 albums. To me, the band is best on songs such as Candlelight Fantasia, Odyssey, Accolade II/Awakenings, Church of the Machine etc. and they are all carried by heavy riffs, catchy melodies and mesmerizing keyboard work from Pinella. Symphony X could revise the "Symphony" part of their name..
But I fear this might have been the last album, seeing how Russell seems more interested in Adrenaline Mob (and looks more like a rock diva on stage now - wearing sunglasses indoors and a half buttoned shirt), + the tragedies that have struck the band (former drummer and now recently the car crash). That could take the will to go on with music out of any man, sadly, and I'd respect his choice if he would just go home to his family after that shit. SX is one of my 3 favorite bands, but I don't think there will be much more now, nor do I care anymore. Since the last tour we've heard nothing, but to me Underworld and Iconoclast has been their 2 least interesting albums since the debut. If only they had more success with the early style.
I still love everything they have given us! 95-2007 was probably the best band ever imo (probably..?).
thanks for watching and giving me your input
i cant believe i fucked up accolade! eh they are the same song anyways lol
song is amazing
I listen to Winters Dream every winter since i was a kid. last 18 years. been a tradition
people think of christmas songs like Deck the halls etc. I think of Candlelight Fantasia and Winters Dream
the solo in Shades of Grey is fucking amazing
*looks into comments to see if someone has already mentioned it* Shades of Grey has a sick guitar solo though
I saw recently that Symphony X announced they’re getting ready to make another record this year.
fuck
DownFall NetWork I had a conversation with Mike LePond (bassist for symphony x) on Facebook (got to make friends with him since I funded his 2014 Kickstarter for his solo album, Mike LePond’s Silent Assassins) and from what he told me this week they’re starting to work on the next album, and that Russell Allen is doing well.
Mal Reynolds Indeed. They're not in the studio or in any stage where they're actively making the next album, but they're definitely at the discussion stage, soexpect a new album next year. Also, Mike LePond dropped a second silent assassins disc this year, and it's a great effort that covers MacBeth (something he wanted Symphony X to do). The vocalist is a cross between Bobby Blitz from Overkill and Jeff Scott Soto from Yngwie Malmsteen and Sons of Apollo. Reccomend it.
Great news!
@@blucu001 ok where it at tho
just saw them live for the 5th time in Toronto and cant wait for a new album :) got a signed drum skin at the merch booth.
thematically i think Paradise lost was a continuation of the song Divine wings of Tragedy but extended to full album length but i mean both Divine Wings and the album are inspired by the Milton epic of the same name as the album
My all time favorite band!
'Shades of Grey' was the "take a short break at the concert" song
Dude nearly completely agree with you! Talking about weird choruses, I would take The Witching Hour over Pharaoh. Much prefer the high whining vox to breaking the flow with that odd groove and singing. Completely agree on Twilight On Olympus, I fucking love that record, and spinning it over and over I do like the rest of the songs a lot too, not just Smoke & Mirrors. Never liked Children of the Faceless God tho, and Underworld is... well I foolishly expected another Divine Wings of Tragedy or V and it takes some time to appreciate it properly :P
I really hope Underworld isn't their last. For some reason it hasn't quite grabbed me like the other albums, but maybe I need a few more spins. I would like to see them take one more shot at a super epic like Divine Wings or The Odyssey before they ride into the sunset. But regardless of what happens, Symphony X is my favorite band full stop, and there will never be another band like this. Sure there are plenty of other progressive power metal bands, but most do not have the consistency or sheer awesomeness of this band.
I like literally every song by them. From the very first to their latest. Very inspirational stuff. But if you ask me what is my favorite era of Symphony X, I am much into their neoclassical stuff. TDWOT is my staple album, even though iconoclast is my favorite song of all time by them. One of the things I look for metal is the melody, how catchy it is. To me melody is more important than heaviness, technicality comes 2nd or 3rd. Of course if it was a death metal band or Slayer then I don't expect any melody at all, the mood is different and then switched to heavy as first priority. But for bands like Symphony X, melody is first. I'm actually not a fan of the "groove" stuff when it comes to metal but I don't dislike it either. I have appreciation for it but it's not something that I seek as 1st priority when it comes to metal bands. That's why Iconoclast to me is somewhat my least album but still a good album. And like I said it have my favorite song of all time, so there is balance.
Spot on about iconoclast. Its my best friends favorite and my least favorite lol. And yes im way more into the early stuff, too much x, not enough symphony anymore for my tastes. I dont like the long drawn out choruses either
The first album was awesome! The first singer was not bad, idk why you think he is. I love all of their albums! But you are right on one thing... I skip over Shades of Grey every time because it's a shitty song. The rest on the first album though are all SO good. The new singer is a little better but the old one wasn't bad. I honestly haven't listened to Underworld yet. I think I need to.
Wasn't an easy task but i think i made up my mind.
1. Underworld
2. Odyssey
3. V:
4. Iconoclast
5. Paradise Lost
6. The Divine Wings of Tragedy
7. Twilight in Olympus
8. The Damnation Game
9. Symphony X
Iconoclast amazing album!!
Saw them last week. They officially stated a new album is being made and should be out soon
20:50
IN fact the Egyptians, Minoans and Etruscans and the gods of Olympus have A LOT in common with the Atlantis (which sank about 12 000 years ago in a war between Atlantians and the Blue race - the gods of India who lived in what is now the Gobi desert - also destroyed).
With out you is so great
My Ranking:
9. Symphony X
8. The Damnation Game
7. Iconoclast
6. Twilight in Olympus
5. Paradise Lost
4. Underworld
3. The Odyssey
2. The Divine Wings of Tragedy
1. V: The New Mythology Suite
I would rate them:
1. DWoT
2. Paradise Lost
3. The Oddysey
4. Underworld
5. V: Mythology Suite
6. Twilight
7. Damnation Game
8/9. Iconoclast/Debut
All of them are top tier. Symphony X/Michael Romeo are easily my biggest musical inspirations... so I cannot deny the near perfection of these 9 albums.
The debut is one of the best imo
its awesome. love absinthe and rue
so many good songs like masquerade
but god damn the singer is shit
it's absolutely brutal
Yeah...is an amazing album with that Castlevania touch.
Hot take! I do love that album. It’s very good. The weird production is somehow endearing.
Man, how I love this band, I was first introduced to them with Evolution (The Grand Design) and I was amazed, so I decided to listen every album. The first one really surprised me lol, I wasn't expecting that vocals (honestly, I was kinda dumb and thought that Russel just had a GREAT evolution with his vocals, since Damnation Game have kinda "weaker" vocals, I thought he just trained a lot hahahaha) but I fucking loved Masquerade. When I heard Of Sins And Shadows, I knew that band would be one of my favorites, but when I finally Reached V: The New Mythology Suite, oh boy, how fucking hyped I was, this album is probably one of the BEST albums I've ever heard, this album is a masterpiece from start to finish, there's not a SINGLE bad song, even the interludes are great! I honestly didn't like the first time I heard Inferno (Unleash the Fire), it was way heavier than the other songs, but nowadays I really like that song, and I LOVED the rest of The Odyssey, and Paradise Lost is also a fucking great album. Iconoclast was really a shock at first, it's just so heavy, it breaks the pattern a lot, I didn't like the first time I heard but then I tried to hear one more time and it's actually great, not my favorite but it's really good, Children Of A Faceless God is really good, Dehumanized is a fucking headbanger and The End Of Innocence is beautiful, I'm really hyped to see their next album, the first that I'll see in the release. Great video of one of the best metal bands ever!
solid fucking video man
after i found symphony x, all music i heard after just sounded meh compared symphony x
Shades of grey is one of my fav songs on the first album actually)))The solo is also amazing there.
Shades of grey has one of my fav Romeo guitar solos. Oh lord, the song is in general worth it just for that
I fucking love everything from "V" to the present (They are all my numbers one but "V" is just perfectly beautiful from beginning to end).
01A.- 2000 - V- The New Mythology Suite
01B.- 2002 - The Odyssey
01C.- 2007 - Paradise Lost
01D.- 2011 - Iconoclast
01E.- 2015 - Underworld
Please, don't compare bands or musicians, because it's just toxic. I also love Dream Theater. They are all great!
I really enjoyed this video a lot.
I love this video. To note. I was so freaked when the adrenaline mob bus got in the accident. I was really close, To where I live. And I am super sad about the lost. But I am glad everyone else is recovering. He just did a show with Ayreon.
I felt Dominici was a good fit for Dream Theater. But for whatever reason, they booted him. Interestingly enough Labrie sounds fairly good on his solo material tho. At least to me.
Also, when you sampled accolade. You played accolade 2.
And I love your opinions on awakenings. I love that track. So fucking sick.
As you can probably tell. I'm commenting as I watch the video lol, I'm a symphony x super fan.
My favorite solo on iconoclast and maybe of all time, electric messiah. When they played it live. I shat a brick.
I've always been a prog guy and a metal guy at the same time. First bands I ever got into were iron maiden and rush, shortly followed by megadeth. So I appreciate the instrumentation of dream theater a lot more and, considering I grew up on geddy lee and dave mustaine, vocals never really bother me
Why all the immature comments and hate. It’s stupid on your part.
What hate? I like every album.
Good point about the live performances. I was seriously annoyed about Dream Theater in Oslo getting to play for 3 hours or whatever and Symphony X the warm up act getting like 20 minutes. I've had a subjectively bad relationship to Dream Theater because of this..... And the nerdy atmosphere of the Dream Theater fans. Symph X kick ass live though! No idea how they play so complex music that effortlessly
Monster band!!
Dreamtheater plays way tooo many major chords, sounds too happy. Symphony X is more harmonic minor scale oriented
Juan Pablo Monzon ironic since Symphony X always brings a smile to my face.
More dramatically realistic. The title of their songs are way better too
They’re releasing a new album this year 🙂
I love Iconoclast. Though V was my first, and still my proggier fav from them.
I love the sound, the heaviness, the keys, the aggression, the vocals.
There is something I noticed about it that lessens it's impact, and it took a long time for me to figure out: The choruses, with a few exceptions, are not as great as the verses. You expect choruses to take you higher and harder, but they don't. But they still sound cool, and...somehow...this (the double-disc version) is one of my fav albums, I keep listening to it, and would share it with someone wanting to understand and get into metal.
I just love the sound they achieved which is a perfect metal sound to me, that perfect mix of edgier, thrashier metal with key textures and power metal with slick, technical production. My SX go to.
"...the same thing, but SLAYEEER!!!" jajaja xD
First of all, great video. Learned a bit as i never bought all their albums but do love them. Only negative point is i love Sanctus Ignis from Adagio as they seem to out Sympony X, Symphony X in terms of great vocals, well integrated classical music and heaviness and it bugs me.
it's the one band I can't seem to be able to pick a favorite album. dudes are simply too good
also, read some rumors on a new album from them soon. hope it's true, despite agreeing that "the legend never dies" would be an extremely cathartic line for symphony to rest upon while the wind carries its legacy
Walls of Babylon is my fav on PL.
It’s probably nostalgia but I’m 21 and grew up listening to symphony X from my dad ever since I was 6 years old and I love the first album this band does not have a bad album and shades of grey was one of my favorite songs as a kid I love it and I don’t mind his vocals now is it anywhere comparable to Russells hell the fuck no but I still enjoy it to this day but definitely the weakest album but still not bad
Don’t listen to all these hate comments. This is my favorite video on UA-cam. You keep making retrospectives and I’ll keep watching them! After all, this is your opinions on these bands.
I never get bothered by comments unless they start spamming, I ban very few people
Rod tyler is not Boring sorry
great recap!! too bad you missed the original Accolade from TDWOT at 13:50
Symphony X are one of the greatest bands ever, genius and unable to be copied, which is why I was able to watch/listen to this video in spite of the grating and vomit inducing narration. At least proper respect was given to an awesome band of monumental caliber.
You played Accolade 2 while talking about Accolade 1))
Great.
1 Paradise Lost
2 V The New Mythology Suite
3 Twilight in Olympus
4 The Damnation Game
5 The Odyssey
6 The Divine Wings
7 Iconoclast
8 Underworld
9 Symphony X
Underworld is growing on me.
Serpent of Old bro. Underworld is fucking delicious.
Facepalm
Most accurate review EVER.
I learned a new word today. Majestacy! :-D
Riffwise SX is more similar ro Pantera than DT.
What the fuck. Shades of Gray is actually my favorite song on the first album.
I love SX but everything after The Odyssey is pretty boring when I look back on it. Paradise Lost was cool when it came out but all the others after it sound basically the same. Great music for what it is, just rather dull overall.
The Divine Wings - Twilight - V - The Odyssey - these are all amazing and diverse sounding albums and have their own identity.
Paradise Lost - Iconoclast - Underworld - you can swap songs from each of these and it would feel the same. And the production is stale on all three albums. Gone is the diversity in Russell's singing too.
You should have included how they ripped off Dream Theater's 'The Mirror' on the song 'The Death of Balance' on "V: the new Mythology suite"
That riffing is very common in progressive rock. King Crimson did it many years earlier
holy cheesus
14:41 man, I am with you on that one… really cheesy, more like their first vocalist.
But The Witching Hour is hard as fuck to perform live or in the studio.. just saying
They sure as hell have worse musical videos than DT, and that's saying a shit ton.
Didn't you hate editing the videos you recorded the audio for? No Jimmy, we love your bird-ass. Will this be a running gag by the way for the rest of your reviews or not?
Yep
I like editing some the I record audio for, I liked doing this one and opeth a lot
would be cool if you could use some audio from alex's videos in a retrospective btw. he has a six degrees if inner turbulence review would be cool to see that if you're doing dt.
The last comment was EPIC!!! fuck ahahahahaha
Iconoclast is my favorite.
to be honest i agree with you on Witching Hour it feels relay out of place for me and coming off the back of not one but 2 of the best songs of the album makes it come off as weaker
My personal ranking, starting from bottom:
9) Symphony X: Russell Allen was not there and the whole sound of the band was still quite raw
8) The Damnation Game: first SX album I bought. A clear step forward compared to Symphony X, A Winter's Dream is awesome, but still too much neoclassical tones and Russell not using his whole range
From here it becomes increasingly difficult to rate albums:
7) V: (takes cover..) Please don't shoot me. I like this album but feel that there's too much filler with keyboards and Russell's voice is sometimes really annoying. This albums is a sort of watershed in their music and I feel they have no real direction at this stage.
The three following albums are very close:
6) The Divine Wings of Tragedy: the first album where their sound starts to really get together. Of Sins and Shadows and the Accolade are two masterpieces.
5) Twilight in Olympus: Great solid album. The impact of Smoke and Mirrors, the complexity of Through the Looking Glass, the middle-east music feelings of Lady of the Snow, all good stuff
4) The Odyssey: I loved the change from V to the Odyssey. Tighter music, wider range of vocals, all killer no filler. Inferno, Wicked, The Odyssey are a kind of songs no other band is doing.
In the first three positions I'll place their last three albums:
3) Paradise Lost: going further down the path started with the Odyssey, Paradise Lost is incredibly dense and packed with emotions. Russell gets better and better here, especially in Paradise Lost and The Sacrifice.
2) Iconoclast: from first to last song everything is screaming "this is a Symphony X song). Technique, complex arrangements, seamless changes from one section to the next one without losing steam. I especially love Iconoclast, The End of Innocence, When All is Lost and Reign in Madness (a really underrated song)
1) Underworld: why Underworld at nr. 1? Many fans don't like the "commercial" change but I think that is the real plus. I have many friends that don't listen to metal and they got immediately drawn in by Underworld. This album is still pure Symphony X, with everything you'd like to hear in a progressive metal album but is in a sense "cleaner", removing all the clutter and becoming something everybody can listen and understand. That's the real step forward to make it a classic. I'd like to hear more metal like this instead of metal becoming more and more technical, convolute and hard to understand for a wider audience.😀
Great video, but you should probably learn the difference between polyrhythms and odd-time signatures.
Ok if they are done. Then I hear by start a petition. Russle Allen for dream theater !!!!!!!
And... the best SX album which is "in the middle of both eras" is not V, but THE ODESSEY!!! Odessey is the absolute masterpiece!!! And also it is recodred quite good, comparing to previous albums.
Cursing does not make you cooler.
Awekenings is one of their best songs, I think. For me its not underrrated. I rate it very high. Absolute TOP.
lmfaooooooo shades of grey....so cheesy. great solo though
Anybody else likes Gates of Misery more than Eye of Medusa?
do haken
Better to wait until virus is out first
Cut it off ? What the fuck are you talking about?
what the fuck are you talking about?
do you really expect me to know what part of the video you're talking about if you give me a vague statement like that
Cut it off was in reference to you saying they should just cut it off here. Not sure where you heard this could be the last album, but I have never heard that and follow the shit out of these guys since the second album. 40:44 You gave that statement...not I.
well russell has doubled down on adreneline mob
The second vocalist sounds Dio's fat, gay brother. Or Freddie Mercury's fat, straight brother.
The last album was shit and too commercial, they are trying to appeal to more audiences, i wish they go back to the older sound...and yes i love the power metal era more cuz they sounded more creepy in a castlevania way which i love
oh and Symphony X is neoclassical prog metal noob
power metal is fucking like blind guardian or helloween
not even same genre
I would say symphony x is more symphonic then neo-classical.
Michael Romeo is a mix of Yngwie Malmsteen x Allan Holdsworth x Shawn Lane, lot's of his riffs had a heavy Pantera influence to my ears too.