Symphony X
Encyclopedia
Symphony X is an American progressive metal
band from Middletown, New Jersey.
Founded in 1994 by guitarist Michael Romeo
, their albums The Divine Wings of Tragedy
and V: The New Mythology Suite
have given the band considerable attention within the progressive metal community. They also have achieved more commercial success with the 2007 album Paradise Lost
; the band's 2011 album Iconoclast
is the highest chart position and the most first-week sales in the band's history.
(ex-Phantom's Opera, ex-Gemini) recorded a studio album entitled The Dark Chapter
, which featured himself and keyboard player Michael Pinnella
. The tape attracted a fair share of attention, particularly in Japan
. He then recruited bassist Thomas Miller, drummer Jason Rullo
, and vocalist Rod Tyler. Their self-titled debut album
was recorded in the same year, and released to a positive reception in Japan by the now-extinct record company Zero Corporation Label. The band's second studio album, The Damnation Game, followed six months later. Singer Rod Tyler had left the band by then and was replaced by current singer Russell Allen
.
was the album that first gave Symphony X exposure in metal circles. It took a considerable time to record the album, with the recording sessions beginning in 1996 and concluding in 1997. The positive feedback from the specialized press served to establish Symphony X in Europe
; their success in Japan
only continued to grow.
At the end of 1997 and for part of the next year, Jason Rullo, their drummer, had to stay away from the band in order to solve personal issues. He was temporarily replaced by Thomas Walling. Even with a temporary drummer, the band recorded Twilight in Olympus
, released in early 1998. That year also saw the first live performances from the band, which by then had already gathered many fans from around the globe. Their first official show happened in 1998, in Japan
. It was soon followed by a world tour. Bassist Thomas Miller left the band and was replaced by Michael Lepond
in that year.
A compilation album, Prelude to the Millennium
, was released by the end of 1998. As an extra, it featured a second version of the song "Masquerade" from the first album, with Russell Allen on vocals.
, released in 2000. It was the band's first release on major progressive label InsideOut Music
. The album was their first concept album
, dealing with the myth of Atlantis
. The album features classics such as "Communion and the Oracle," "Egypt" and the mini-suite "Rediscovery," and includes pieces of classical music.
The band went on a European tour shortly after its release and recorded their first live album, Live on the Edge of Forever
.
In 2002, the band released The Odyssey
, an album prominently featuring a 24-minute long musical interpretation of the Homer
ic epic
, the Odyssey
.
, was released in the summer of 2005. With this album, Allen took a different musical direction from that seen in his work with Symphony X. It was considered by many—including Allen himself—to be a hard rock
album. Also in 2005, he recorded an album called The Battle with former Masterplan vocalist Jørn Lande
under the moniker "Allen/Lande." The two would later record a follow-up album entitled The Revenge
, released May 11, 2007. In 2005 Symphony X was featured on Gigantour
, a summer festival headlined by Megadeth
with Dream Theater
and Anthrax
. Two Symphony X songs from the tour, "Inferno" and "Of Sins and Shadows," are featured on the Gigantour DVD and CD-set, released in September 2006.
The band's album Paradise Lost
, a concept album loosely inspired by John Milton
's epic poem of the same name
, was recorded in Romeo's studio and released worldwide on June 26, 2007. The band claimed this work had darker themes musically. The album included a special DVD of footage shot by the band throughout their history, available in FYE
stores. The release coincided with a 14-month world tour, including a tour through all of Europe with Dream Theater
in the fall of 2007. The band also revealed plans to perform in Japan and other Asian countries, as well as appear for the first time ever in Russia, India, and the Middle East.
Paradise Lost debuted at number 123 on the Billboard 200
album chart in the United States, selling 6,300 copies in its first week. The record also debuted at number 1 on the Top Heatseekers
Chart.
Symphony X released their first music video
for the song "Serpent's Kiss" on July 28, 2007. It was followed by a video for "Set the World on Fire," released on January 11, 2008. The band toured North and South America from October to November 2008, and toured Asia in February 2009.
and will have its lyrics centered around "machines taking over everything and all this technology we put our society into pretty much being our demise." When asked about a release date, Allen said, "We are in post-production, so the album is pretty much almost done. At this point, mixes are being wrapped up and finalized and it's off to mastering and should be ready for release in a few months, definitely first quarter of 2011. We've got the artworks all done, we're taking pictures next week... all that good stuff. So everything's on track for release pretty soon. Allen also commented that "Sonically, it's in the realm of [Paradise Lost] in a way, in terms of the sound of things; the guitar sound is a little different. Basically, the album is pretty intense, probably the most intense record we've ever done... "This album will contain a good body of work that harkens back to a lot of early metal, some early metal, and a lot of Symphony X standards that you guys know already, and a little bit of a newer sound too, here and there, just a newer direction."
On February 25, 2011, Symphony X played the first show of their 2011 tour in Stuttgart
, Germany, where they performed two songs from Iconoclast: "End of Innocence" and "Dehumanized." Some days later, in Antwerp, Belgium, they performed yet another new song, "Heretic." During their show in London, England, the band debuted another new song titled "Prometheus."
On March 25, 2011, it was announced on the Nuclear Blast website and Blabbermouth.net that the new Symphony X album, Iconoclast, would be released in Europe on June 17 and in North America on June 21, as a Standard Edition as well as a 2-CD Digipack.
Iconoclast debuted at number 76 on the Billboard 200
album chart in the United States, selling more than 7,300 copies in its first week. The record also debuted at number 7 on the Top Hard Rock Chart, number 19 on the Top Rock
Chart and number 13 on the Top Independent
Chart. The album showcases the highest chart position and the most first-week sales in the band's history.
, Fates Warning
and Shadow Gallery
. Their music includes complex timings and odd meters while incorporating elements of symphonic metal
and more traditional heavy metal. It also contains strong neo-classical elements reminiscent of Yngwie Malmsteen, Cacophony
, Randy Rhoads
, and other neo-classical metal
artists.
and V: The New Mythology Suite
were partly recorded in The Dungeon, while The Odyssey
, Paradise Lost
and Iconoclast
were fully recorded there and produced by Romeo himself. Symphony X spent a sum of money upgrading The Dungeon and buying state of the art orchestration software and tools for the rich symphonic arrangements in their songs.
Former members
Progressive metal
Progressive metal is a subgenre of heavy metal originating in the United Kingdom and North America in the late 1980s...
band from Middletown, New Jersey.
Founded in 1994 by guitarist Michael Romeo
Michael Romeo
Since 2005, Romeo has taken advantage of a new custom model, Caparison Dellinger II - Michael Romeo Custom, which he used to record the Symphony X album Paradise Lost...
, their albums The Divine Wings of Tragedy
The Divine Wings of Tragedy
The Divine Wings of Tragedy is the third studio album by progressive metal band Symphony X, released in 1997.-Track listing:-Allusions:...
and V: The New Mythology Suite
V-The New Mythology Suite
V: The New Mythology Suite, a concept album, is the fifth studio album by progressive metal band Symphony X. The album deals with the story of Atlantis, ancient Egyptian mythology, and astrology. It is the first Symphony X album to feature bassist Michael Lepond...
have given the band considerable attention within the progressive metal community. They also have achieved more commercial success with the 2007 album Paradise Lost
Paradise Lost (Symphony X album)
-Personnel:Symphony X*Russell Allen – vocals*Michael Romeo – guitars, orchestral keyboards and programming*Michael Pinnella – piano, keyboards*Michael Lepond – bass*Jason Rullo – drumsProduction*Produced, recorded, and engineered by Michael Romeo...
; the band's 2011 album Iconoclast
Iconoclast (Symphony X album)
Iconoclast is the eighth album by American progressive metal band Symphony X.It was released on June 17, 2011, in Europe, June 21, 2011, in the United States and in June 28, 2011, in Canada.-Theme:...
is the highest chart position and the most first-week sales in the band's history.
The Dark Chapter, Symphony X and The Damnation Game (1994−1995)
In early 1994 Michael RomeoMichael Romeo
Since 2005, Romeo has taken advantage of a new custom model, Caparison Dellinger II - Michael Romeo Custom, which he used to record the Symphony X album Paradise Lost...
(ex-Phantom's Opera, ex-Gemini) recorded a studio album entitled The Dark Chapter
The Dark Chapter
The Dark Chapter is a studio album by Symphony X guitarist Michael Romeo, released in April 1994 through Zero Corporation and reissued in 2000 through InsideOut Music .-Background:...
, which featured himself and keyboard player Michael Pinnella
Michael Pinnella
Michael Pinnella is a keyboard player, most notably for the band Symphony X. He has also released a solo album, a mixture of classical and progressive-styled music titled Enter By the Twelfth Gate on the InsideOut Music label in 2004...
. The tape attracted a fair share of attention, particularly in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. He then recruited bassist Thomas Miller, drummer Jason Rullo
Jason Rullo
Jason Rullo is the drummer for the progressive metal band Symphony X. He has been featured in the Modern Drummer readers' polls. He also performed on the 2003 self-titled album by Redemption, a super group including members of Prymary and Fates Warning...
, and vocalist Rod Tyler. Their self-titled debut album
Symphony X (album)
Symphony X is the first album by progressive metal band Symphony X, released in 1994 through Zero Corporation and reissued in 1996 through InsideOut Music .-Track listing:-Personnel:*Rod Tyler – vocals, engineering, mixing, production...
was recorded in the same year, and released to a positive reception in Japan by the now-extinct record company Zero Corporation Label. The band's second studio album, The Damnation Game, followed six months later. Singer Rod Tyler had left the band by then and was replaced by current singer Russell Allen
Russell Allen
Russell Allen is the singer of the American progressive metal band Symphony X.-Biography:Before working with a rock band, he was a jouster at a Medieval Times Dinner Theater. He was introduced to the band Symphony X by former singer Rod Tyler...
.
The Divine Wings of Tragedy and Twilight in Olympus (1996−1998)
The Divine Wings of TragedyThe Divine Wings of Tragedy
The Divine Wings of Tragedy is the third studio album by progressive metal band Symphony X, released in 1997.-Track listing:-Allusions:...
was the album that first gave Symphony X exposure in metal circles. It took a considerable time to record the album, with the recording sessions beginning in 1996 and concluding in 1997. The positive feedback from the specialized press served to establish Symphony X in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
; their success in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
only continued to grow.
At the end of 1997 and for part of the next year, Jason Rullo, their drummer, had to stay away from the band in order to solve personal issues. He was temporarily replaced by Thomas Walling. Even with a temporary drummer, the band recorded Twilight in Olympus
Twilight in Olympus
Twilight in Olympus is the fourth studio album by progressive metal band Symphony X, which was released in 1998. It features eight tracks, two of which have become classics: "Smoke and Mirrors" and "Through the Looking Glass", the latter an epic based on Through the Looking-Glass, the sequel to...
, released in early 1998. That year also saw the first live performances from the band, which by then had already gathered many fans from around the globe. Their first official show happened in 1998, in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. It was soon followed by a world tour. Bassist Thomas Miller left the band and was replaced by Michael Lepond
Michael Lepond
Michael Anthony LePond III is the bass guitar player of the North American progressive metal band Symphony X, and also is the bassist for Dead on Arrival, a heavy metal band from New York. The group issued an album - Alive and Kickin’ - on the independent Polo label in 1996...
in that year.
A compilation album, Prelude to the Millennium
Prelude to the Millennium
Prelude to the Millennium: Essentials of Symphony is a compilation album by progressive metal band Symphony X, released in 1999. It features selections from their first four studio albums, although no original versions from their debut album Symphony X are included...
, was released by the end of 1998. As an extra, it featured a second version of the song "Masquerade" from the first album, with Russell Allen on vocals.
V: The New Mythology Suite and The Odyssey (1999−2002)
Jason Rullo returned to the drums for the band's fifth album, V: The New Mythology SuiteV-The New Mythology Suite
V: The New Mythology Suite, a concept album, is the fifth studio album by progressive metal band Symphony X. The album deals with the story of Atlantis, ancient Egyptian mythology, and astrology. It is the first Symphony X album to feature bassist Michael Lepond...
, released in 2000. It was the band's first release on major progressive label InsideOut Music
InsideOut Music
Inside Out Music is a German independent record label based in Kleve, in the North Rhine-Westphalia region, and dedicated to the publication of progressive rock, progressive metal and related styles music albums.-History:...
. The album was their first concept album
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
, dealing with the myth of Atlantis
Atlantis
Atlantis is a legendary island first mentioned in Plato's dialogues Timaeus and Critias, written about 360 BC....
. The album features classics such as "Communion and the Oracle," "Egypt" and the mini-suite "Rediscovery," and includes pieces of classical music.
The band went on a European tour shortly after its release and recorded their first live album, Live on the Edge of Forever
Live on the Edge of Forever
Live on the Edge of Forever is the first live album by progressive metal band Symphony X, which was recorded on their European tour in 2000 and 2001. The album starts like their previous studio effort V: The New Mythology Suite, but whereas "The Death of Balance" normally segues into "Lacrymosa,"...
.
In 2002, the band released The Odyssey
The Odyssey (album)
The Odyssey is the sixth studio album by progressive metal band Symphony X. It was the first to be recorded entirely at guitarist Michael Romeo's home studio. The fourth track, "Accolade II," is a sequel to "The Accolade" from The Divine Wings of Tragedy. The album is heavily influenced by the...
, an album prominently featuring a 24-minute long musical interpretation of the Homer
Homer
In the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...
ic epic
Epic poetry
An epic is a lengthy narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation. Oral poetry may qualify as an epic, and Albert Lord and Milman Parry have argued that classical epics were fundamentally an oral poetic form...
, the Odyssey
Odyssey
The Odyssey is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is, in part, a sequel to the Iliad, the other work ascribed to Homer. The poem is fundamental to the modern Western canon, and is the second—the Iliad being the first—extant work of Western literature...
.
Solo albums (2003−2006)
Keyboardist Michael Pinnella released a solo album, entitled Enter By the Twelfth Gate, on October 12, 2004. Vocalist Russell Allen's solo debut, entitled Atomic SoulAtomic Soul
Atomic Soul is Symphony X's lead singer Russell Allen's debut solo album. It was released on April 26, 2005. The album is different from Symphony X's harder, more progressive sound, and has been dubbed by many, including Allen himself, as "Hard Rock". The album was released in 2005 on the InsideOut...
, was released in the summer of 2005. With this album, Allen took a different musical direction from that seen in his work with Symphony X. It was considered by many—including Allen himself—to be a hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
album. Also in 2005, he recorded an album called The Battle with former Masterplan vocalist Jørn Lande
Jørn Lande
Jørn Lande is a Norwegian hard rock and heavy metal singer who has sold over 2 million records worldwide. He is probably best known for being the lead singer of the power metal band Masterplan.-Biography:...
under the moniker "Allen/Lande." The two would later record a follow-up album entitled The Revenge
The Revenge (album)
The Revenge is the second album by Allen/Lande, the collaboration between Symphony X vocalist Russell Allen and Masterplan vocalist Jørn Lande, with arrangement and songwriting by Starbreaker guitarist Magnus Karlsson...
, released May 11, 2007. In 2005 Symphony X was featured on Gigantour
Gigantour
Gigantour is the name of a sporadically organised traveling heavy metal music festival organized by Megadeth's Dave Mustaine. The tour was founded in 2005 with dates across North America, and the 2006 and 2007 line-ups also traveled to Australia...
, a summer festival headlined by Megadeth
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...
with Dream Theater
Dream Theater
Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung, and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out of their studies to further concentrate on the band that would...
and Anthrax
Anthrax (band)
Anthrax is an American heavy metal band from New York City, formed in 1981. Founded by guitarists Scott Ian and Danny Lilker, the band has since released ten studio albums and 20 singles, and an EP featuring Public Enemy. The band was one of the most popular of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
. Two Symphony X songs from the tour, "Inferno" and "Of Sins and Shadows," are featured on the Gigantour DVD and CD-set, released in September 2006.
Paradise Lost (2007-2010)
Paradise Lost (Symphony X album)
-Personnel:Symphony X*Russell Allen – vocals*Michael Romeo – guitars, orchestral keyboards and programming*Michael Pinnella – piano, keyboards*Michael Lepond – bass*Jason Rullo – drumsProduction*Produced, recorded, and engineered by Michael Romeo...
, a concept album loosely inspired by John Milton
John Milton
John Milton was an English poet, polemicist, a scholarly man of letters, and a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell...
's epic poem of the same name
Paradise Lost
Paradise Lost is an epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton. It was originally published in 1667 in ten books, with a total of over ten thousand individual lines of verse...
, was recorded in Romeo's studio and released worldwide on June 26, 2007. The band claimed this work had darker themes musically. The album included a special DVD of footage shot by the band throughout their history, available in FYE
Fyé
Fyé is a commune in the Sarthe department in the region of Pays-de-la-Loire in north-western France.-References:*...
stores. The release coincided with a 14-month world tour, including a tour through all of Europe with Dream Theater
Dream Theater
Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung, and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out of their studies to further concentrate on the band that would...
in the fall of 2007. The band also revealed plans to perform in Japan and other Asian countries, as well as appear for the first time ever in Russia, India, and the Middle East.
Paradise Lost debuted at number 123 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
album chart in the United States, selling 6,300 copies in its first week. The record also debuted at number 1 on the Top Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical...
Chart.
Symphony X released their first music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for the song "Serpent's Kiss" on July 28, 2007. It was followed by a video for "Set the World on Fire," released on January 11, 2008. The band toured North and South America from October to November 2008, and toured Asia in February 2009.
Iconoclast (2011-present)
On March 1, 2010, an update on the Symphony X official website announced that the band had recorded most of their next album and that Romeo and Allen were working on lyrics; Romeo was getting ready to start doing tracking for the album. The album's name and lyrical concept were revealed on January 29, 2011 in an interview by DJ JC Green of Metal Messiah Radio's "Heavy Metal Thunder" show with Russell Allen: the follow-up to Paradise Lost will be titled IconoclastIconoclast (Symphony X album)
Iconoclast is the eighth album by American progressive metal band Symphony X.It was released on June 17, 2011, in Europe, June 21, 2011, in the United States and in June 28, 2011, in Canada.-Theme:...
and will have its lyrics centered around "machines taking over everything and all this technology we put our society into pretty much being our demise." When asked about a release date, Allen said, "We are in post-production, so the album is pretty much almost done. At this point, mixes are being wrapped up and finalized and it's off to mastering and should be ready for release in a few months, definitely first quarter of 2011. We've got the artworks all done, we're taking pictures next week... all that good stuff. So everything's on track for release pretty soon. Allen also commented that "Sonically, it's in the realm of [Paradise Lost] in a way, in terms of the sound of things; the guitar sound is a little different. Basically, the album is pretty intense, probably the most intense record we've ever done... "This album will contain a good body of work that harkens back to a lot of early metal, some early metal, and a lot of Symphony X standards that you guys know already, and a little bit of a newer sound too, here and there, just a newer direction."
On February 25, 2011, Symphony X played the first show of their 2011 tour in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
, Germany, where they performed two songs from Iconoclast: "End of Innocence" and "Dehumanized." Some days later, in Antwerp, Belgium, they performed yet another new song, "Heretic." During their show in London, England, the band debuted another new song titled "Prometheus."
On March 25, 2011, it was announced on the Nuclear Blast website and Blabbermouth.net that the new Symphony X album, Iconoclast, would be released in Europe on June 17 and in North America on June 21, as a Standard Edition as well as a 2-CD Digipack.
Iconoclast debuted at number 76 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
album chart in the United States, selling more than 7,300 copies in its first week. The record also debuted at number 7 on the Top Hard Rock Chart, number 19 on the Top Rock
Rock Songs
Rock Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks the airplay of songs on alternative, mainstream rock and triple A radio stations. The first chart was published in the issue dated June 20, 2009. "Know Your Enemy" by Green Day was the first number-one song. The Rock Songs...
Chart and number 13 on the Top Independent
Independent Albums
The Billboard Independent Albums is a chart of the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays in the United States, compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is used to list artists who are not signed to major labels...
Chart. The album showcases the highest chart position and the most first-week sales in the band's history.
Sound
Symphony X is often compared to other progressive metal bands such as Dream TheaterDream Theater
Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung, and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out of their studies to further concentrate on the band that would...
, Fates Warning
Fates Warning
Fates Warning is an American progressive metal band, formed in 1982 by vocalist John Arch, guitarists Jim Matheos and Victor Arduini, bassist Joe DiBiase, and drummer Steve Zimmerman in Hartford, Connecticut. Fates Warning has experienced numerous line-up changes...
and Shadow Gallery
Shadow Gallery
Shadow Gallery is an American progressive metal band formed in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, United States, during the early 1980s, originally under the name Sorcerer. After changing their name to Shadow Gallery and recording a short 8-track demo, the band was signed to Magna Carta Records in 1991...
. Their music includes complex timings and odd meters while incorporating elements of symphonic metal
Symphonic metal
Symphonic metal is a term used to describe heavy metal music that has symphonic elements; that is, elements that are either borrowed from classical music or, as with progressive rock music, create a style reminiscent of it, e.g...
and more traditional heavy metal. It also contains strong neo-classical elements reminiscent of Yngwie Malmsteen, Cacophony
Cacophony (band)
Cacophony was an American Speed metal band formed in 1986 by guitarists Marty Friedman and Jason Becker. Cacophony is often recognized for its technically challenging, neo-classical metal and speed metal elements, as well as featuring two shred guitarists...
, Randy Rhoads
Randy Rhoads
Randall William "Randy" Rhoads was an American heavy metal guitarist who played with Ozzy Osbourne and Quiet Riot. A devoted student of classical guitar, Rhoads often combined his classical music influences with his own heavy metal style. While on tour with Ozzy Osbourne, he would seek out...
, and other neo-classical metal
Neo-classical metal
Neo-classical metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music that is heavily influenced by classical music. It refers to a very technical performanceExact quote from the french text: "L'arrivée du néoclassique remet au goût du jour la virtuosité et le travail de l'instrument", « Les secrets du metal-...
artists.
Recording studio: The Dungeon
The Dungeon is the studio located at the home of Symphony X's guitarist and composer Michael Romeo. The albums The Divine Wings of TragedyThe Divine Wings of Tragedy
The Divine Wings of Tragedy is the third studio album by progressive metal band Symphony X, released in 1997.-Track listing:-Allusions:...
and V: The New Mythology Suite
V-The New Mythology Suite
V: The New Mythology Suite, a concept album, is the fifth studio album by progressive metal band Symphony X. The album deals with the story of Atlantis, ancient Egyptian mythology, and astrology. It is the first Symphony X album to feature bassist Michael Lepond...
were partly recorded in The Dungeon, while The Odyssey
The Odyssey (album)
The Odyssey is the sixth studio album by progressive metal band Symphony X. It was the first to be recorded entirely at guitarist Michael Romeo's home studio. The fourth track, "Accolade II," is a sequel to "The Accolade" from The Divine Wings of Tragedy. The album is heavily influenced by the...
, Paradise Lost
Paradise Lost (Symphony X album)
-Personnel:Symphony X*Russell Allen – vocals*Michael Romeo – guitars, orchestral keyboards and programming*Michael Pinnella – piano, keyboards*Michael Lepond – bass*Jason Rullo – drumsProduction*Produced, recorded, and engineered by Michael Romeo...
and Iconoclast
Iconoclast (Symphony X album)
Iconoclast is the eighth album by American progressive metal band Symphony X.It was released on June 17, 2011, in Europe, June 21, 2011, in the United States and in June 28, 2011, in Canada.-Theme:...
were fully recorded there and produced by Romeo himself. Symphony X spent a sum of money upgrading The Dungeon and buying state of the art orchestration software and tools for the rich symphonic arrangements in their songs.
Line-up
Current members- Michael RomeoMichael RomeoSince 2005, Romeo has taken advantage of a new custom model, Caparison Dellinger II - Michael Romeo Custom, which he used to record the Symphony X album Paradise Lost...
− guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
(1994–present) - Michael PinnellaMichael PinnellaMichael Pinnella is a keyboard player, most notably for the band Symphony X. He has also released a solo album, a mixture of classical and progressive-styled music titled Enter By the Twelfth Gate on the InsideOut Music label in 2004...
− keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, backing vocals (1994–present) - Jason RulloJason RulloJason Rullo is the drummer for the progressive metal band Symphony X. He has been featured in the Modern Drummer readers' polls. He also performed on the 2003 self-titled album by Redemption, a super group including members of Prymary and Fates Warning...
– drums (1994–1997, 2000–present) - Russell AllenRussell AllenRussell Allen is the singer of the American progressive metal band Symphony X.-Biography:Before working with a rock band, he was a jouster at a Medieval Times Dinner Theater. He was introduced to the band Symphony X by former singer Rod Tyler...
− lead vocals (1995–present) - Michael LepondMichael LepondMichael Anthony LePond III is the bass guitar player of the North American progressive metal band Symphony X, and also is the bassist for Dead on Arrival, a heavy metal band from New York. The group issued an album - Alive and Kickin’ - on the independent Polo label in 1996...
− bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, backing vocals (1998–present)
Former members
- Thomas Miller − bass guitar (1994−1998)
- Rod Tyler − vocals (1994)
- Thomas Walling − drums (1998−2000)
Discography
| Year | Title | Type | U.S. Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
FR | UK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Symphony X Symphony X (album) Symphony X is the first album by progressive metal band Symphony X, released in 1994 through Zero Corporation and reissued in 1996 through InsideOut Music .-Track listing:-Personnel:*Rod Tyler – vocals, engineering, mixing, production... |
Studio | - | - | - |
| 1995 | The Damnation Game | Studio | - | - | - |
| 1997 | The Divine Wings of Tragedy The Divine Wings of Tragedy The Divine Wings of Tragedy is the third studio album by progressive metal band Symphony X, released in 1997.-Track listing:-Allusions:... |
Studio | - | - | - |
| 1998 | Twilight in Olympus Twilight in Olympus Twilight in Olympus is the fourth studio album by progressive metal band Symphony X, which was released in 1998. It features eight tracks, two of which have become classics: "Smoke and Mirrors" and "Through the Looking Glass", the latter an epic based on Through the Looking-Glass, the sequel to... |
Studio | - | - | - |
| 1999 | Prelude to the Millennium Prelude to the Millennium Prelude to the Millennium: Essentials of Symphony is a compilation album by progressive metal band Symphony X, released in 1999. It features selections from their first four studio albums, although no original versions from their debut album Symphony X are included... |
Compilation | - | - | - |
| 2000 | V: The New Mythology Suite V-The New Mythology Suite V: The New Mythology Suite, a concept album, is the fifth studio album by progressive metal band Symphony X. The album deals with the story of Atlantis, ancient Egyptian mythology, and astrology. It is the first Symphony X album to feature bassist Michael Lepond... |
Studio | - | - | - |
| 2001 | Live on the Edge of Forever Live on the Edge of Forever Live on the Edge of Forever is the first live album by progressive metal band Symphony X, which was recorded on their European tour in 2000 and 2001. The album starts like their previous studio effort V: The New Mythology Suite, but whereas "The Death of Balance" normally segues into "Lacrymosa,"... |
Live | - | 145 | - |
| 2002 | The Odyssey The Odyssey (album) The Odyssey is the sixth studio album by progressive metal band Symphony X. It was the first to be recorded entirely at guitarist Michael Romeo's home studio. The fourth track, "Accolade II," is a sequel to "The Accolade" from The Divine Wings of Tragedy. The album is heavily influenced by the... |
Studio | - | 67 | - |
| 2007 | Paradise Lost Paradise Lost (Symphony X album) -Personnel:Symphony X*Russell Allen – vocals*Michael Romeo – guitars, orchestral keyboards and programming*Michael Pinnella – piano, keyboards*Michael Lepond – bass*Jason Rullo – drumsProduction*Produced, recorded, and engineered by Michael Romeo... |
Studio | 123 | 60 | 161 |
| 2011 | Iconoclast Iconoclast (Symphony X album) Iconoclast is the eighth album by American progressive metal band Symphony X.It was released on June 17, 2011, in Europe, June 21, 2011, in the United States and in June 28, 2011, in Canada.-Theme:... |
Studio | 76 | - | 167 |
Music videos
- "The Serpent's Kiss" – 2007
- "Set The World On Fire" – 2008
- "Electric Messiah" - 2011