symphony x

[Bitchin]

I recently started listening to Yngwie and other neoclassical shredders. I like it. Symphony x is playing in my town (nyc) this weekend and ive heard alot of good things about them. Can you guys tell me some of their best songs or albums to get? Thanks dudes.

[u10ajf]

I wish I knew, I have heard bits. Their lead guitar (is it Michael Romeo or marcel Conen?) kicks ass in a prodiguously scary fashion. I heard him play on a rush tribute album called "working man" produced by magna Carta Records. You're bound to love it if you like Malmsteem and his ilk!

[DreamRyche2112]

SX is a great band... Russel Allen is one of the best Heavy Metal singers of all time.... maybe better than ronny dio.Michael Romeo can play some sik guitar.

Buy the cd The Odyssey... very good songs on it

Also buy The Dammnation Game.

[aiwass]

Michael Romeo is ten times the player Malmsteen is, and doesn't really sound THAT much like him either. He uses some of the same ideas for harmonic minor alternate picked runs and such, and sometimes when sweeping, but that's about it. Romeo is more famous for his insane legato and tapped arpeggios.

As a band, Symphony X are monsters. Michael Romeo, in addition to being a badass shredder, has an amazing sense of melody, and is one of the best songwriters I have heard. He is also amazing at orchestration, and a lot of their songs feature orchestra or choir parts. Russel Allen is without a doubt the best singer in metal today, and can sing all styles, ranging from ultra-high power metal to smokey R&B/Blues style, and can even do brutal Pantera-like vocals better than Pantera can.

I've seen these guys live, and they are without a doubt one of the best live bands in existence. They all play flawlessly, but they also put on a hell of a show. Russel Allen just has such a PRESENCE, it has to be experienced to be believed, and he really gets the crowd going, and connects with the audience. He'll even get people who don't know Symphony X to sing along to all the songs. I also think Russel could have done the show without a mic even, and these guys play LOUD. His vocal power is just inhuman. To sum up their live performances, these guys play every show as if it's their last.

Overall, they're probably my favorite band ever. IMO, their best albums are The Divine Wings of Tragedy, V - The New Mythology Suite, and The Odyssey. Twilight In Olympus is also cool if you like their more neoclassical side, however I recommed the three aforementioned albums over it. Their earlier albums are also good (although their debut had a different singer, who couldn't possibly match up to Russel), but can be a bit cliched at times. This is however not the case with their later work.