Written by Xtopher on 15.06.2011 at 04:39

If you check the SX forums you will find that the great majority thinks that this is an uninspired album with no heart...

No heart? Ouch. I think that's one of SX's strong points, thanks to Russell Allen. And personally, I think the vocals sound more heartfelt than Paradise Lost's. But eh, to each his own. I can imagine fans being severely disappointed with this release if they think this. :/

Written by Fat & Sassy! on 15.06.2011 at 04:51

Written by Xtopher on 15.06.2011 at 04:39

If you check the SX forums you will find that the great majority thinks that this is an uninspired album with no heart...

No heart? Ouch. I think that's one of SX's strong points, thanks to Russell Allen. And personally, I think the vocals sound more heartfelt than Paradise Lost's. But eh, to each his own. I can imagine fans being severely disappointed with this release if they think this. :/

Yeah, they actually are. Its very sad really because we all wanted so much more from a band that is our favorite one you know?
some cant believe the album is getting so high reviews if they even think this album is the worst of their catalog since the self-titled.
imagine that.

the phrase "sold out" has just appeared on the forums as well, so its getting pretty bad over there.

Written by Xtopher on 15.06.2011 at 05:00

the phrase "sold out" has just appeared on the forums as well, so its getting pretty bad over there.

I think you're letting other peoples' opinions factor too much into your own.

But that's just my opinion.

Written by Wes on 15.06.2011 at 01:43

Worst review ever. This album is awful.. come on guys. The band has lost it.

I don't think so dude! the band is better than ever! i think they are evolving in a good direction! the riffs in this album is what Prog metal iss all about. if you were expecting some neo-classic stuff like the old days well..it's not going to happen! so go and listen to some Malmesteen or so!

One thing is not liking the album other is saying the band has lost it, because if you try to be fair you will recognize the effort and the quality it has...just saying...

Excelent Album

Written by Xtopher on 15.06.2011 at 05:00

the phrase "sold out" has just appeared on the forums as well, so its getting pretty bad over there.

Well, that is just stupid. This album doesn't sound like anything but SX doing what they do best. They are pretty conservative with their sound. >_>

Written by Troy Killjoy on 15.06.2011 at 05:15

I think you're letting other peoples' opinions factor too much into your own.

But that's just my opinion.

I see what you did there, and I appreciate it.

Well written review, but I'm shocked that an album this soulless, hollow and repetitive is getting hailed by anyone as a masterpiece.

Written by Troy Killjoy on 15.06.2011 at 05:15

Written by Xtopher on 15.06.2011 at 05:00

the phrase "sold out" has just appeared on the forums as well, so its getting pretty bad over there.

I think you're letting other peoples' opinions factor too much into your own.

But that's just my opinion.

im just informing whats going on over there.
I already said i enjoy the new album unlike many of the core fans of the band, but agree with them in some things, like lyrics...
"hit the switch you son of a b!tch", oh come on!

Hm, I don't get masturbating over V, too over-the-top and epic to fit my taste. It's awesome, yeah, but too much in one direction for such a versatile band. I've always considered The Odyssey to be their magnum opus, because 25 minutes of over-the-top epicness in shape of the title song is quite enough not to spoil the pleasure for me

Written by Xtopher on 15.06.2011 at 05:00
the phrase "sold out" has just appeared on the forums as well, so its getting pretty bad over there.

Emm... out of the 12 songs on the album, only one is under 5 minutes long, and most are at least over 6 minutes. One is 12 minutes long, and two others are round the 9 minutes mark. ("When All Is Lost" is just over 9 minutes, and "Reign In Madness" is just under) And the album is a concept album. None of those things scream out to me "hey, lets write songs for tv and radio!" lol

Symphony X are a progressive metal band, and the new album does absolutely nothing except solidify that fact. Of course, people are free to dislike it if they wish, but to say they've "sold out" just shows the level of intelligence of those making that comment. Lots of ignorant people cry "sell out!" as soon as a band they love starts making music that they dont like. It's a lazy, and very overused term. As using it against "Iconoclast" is further proof of that. The band have had an aggressive side for most of their career (the intro/main riff to "Into The Dragon's Den" would fit right in with the more aggressive riffs in "Iconoclast" and "Paradise Lost"), the only difference now is, the aggressive style has been incorporated a lot more into their sound. But that doesn't mean that the more melodic side of the band has been ditched, far from it! Even in most of Iconoclast's heaviest moments, there is harmonies, huge memorable choruses, and lighter melodies mixed in with them. And Michael Pinnella's keyboard wizardry hasn't been held back at all, as he has significant parts in just about every song. xD So it's hardly as if they've totally ditched their old sound, and have become a thrash or a death band.

"When All Is Lost" is one of the most beautiful and atmospheric songs they've ever done, with Russell only using his sweeter, clean voice for just about the whole song. I love the old Symphony X, but their new stuff is just as awesome, albeit a little heavier overall, but their roots are still intact. The long songs, the captivating melodies, the amazing vocals of Russell Allen, and the neo-classicalisms of Michael Romeo are all very much still in the band's sound today.

The day they make an album where all the songs are under 5 minutes, have only one or two simplistic riffs in them, and Russell starts singing in a gabba or death metal style, then maybe you might have a point. Until that day comes, Symphony X are still now what they always have been, progressive metal! The new album is not a "sell out" in any shape, form, or way. The people who are saying that are simple minded, and don't know what they're talking about.

9 for performances and production seems to low for me

Best album since V for me... I think they have finally got the production right, Odyssey had that weird drum sound, PL was too light in certain areas. An enjoyable listen from start to finish.

Michael Pinnella is off on this album, last album great keyboards on Set the world on fire, Seven and so on but on this album Pinnella lost it although Romeo is still great and improvising and being the greatest Symphony X fan and been listening to all their albums throughout and note by note, this album lacks old form Symphony X

Written by Wes on 15.06.2011 at 01:43

Worst review ever. This album is awful.. come on guys. The band has lost it.

Worst comment ever. This album is great... come on dude. The band is at the top of their game.

Written by Angelic Storm on 15.06.2011 at 13:02

Written by Xtopher on 15.06.2011 at 05:00
the phrase "sold out" has just appeared on the forums as well, so its getting pretty bad over there.

Emm... out of the 12 songs on the album, only one is under 5 minutes long, and most are at least over 6 minutes. One is 12 minutes long, and two others are round the 9 minutes mark. ("When All Is Lost" is just over 9 minutes, and "Reign In Madness" is just under) And the album is a concept album. None of those things scream out to me "hey, lets write songs for tv and radio!" lol

Symphony X are a progressive metal band, and the new album does absolutely nothing except solidify that fact. Of course, people are free to dislike it if they wish, but to say they've "sold out" just shows the level of intelligence of those making that comment. Lots of ignorant people cry "sell out!" as soon as a band they love starts making music that they dont like. It's a lazy, and very overused term. As using it against "Iconoclast" is further proof of that. The band have had an aggressive side for most of their career (the intro/main riff to "Into The Dragon's Den" would fit right in with the more aggressive riffs in "Iconoclast" and "Paradise Lost"), the only difference now is, the aggressive style has been incorporated a lot more into their sound. But that doesn't mean that the more melodic side of the band has been ditched, far from it! Even in most of Iconoclast's heaviest moments, there is harmonies, huge memorable choruses, and lighter melodies mixed in with them. And Michael Pinnella's keyboard wizardry hasn't been held back at all, as he has significant parts in just about every song. xD So it's hardly as if they've totally ditched their old sound, and have become a thrash or a death band.

"When All Is Lost" is one of the most beautiful and atmospheric songs they've ever done, with Russell only using his sweeter, clean voice for just about the whole song. I love the old Symphony X, but their new stuff is just as awesome, albeit a little heavier overall, but their roots are still intact. The long songs, the captivating melodies, the amazing vocals of Russell Allen, and the neo-classicalisms of Michael Romeo are all very much still in the band's sound today.

The day they make an album where all the songs are under 5 minutes, have only one or two simplistic riffs in them, and Russell starts singing in a gabba or death metal style, then maybe you might have a point. Until that day comes, Symphony X are still now what they always have been, progressive metal! The new album is not a "sell out" in any shape, form, or way. The people who are saying that are simple minded, and don't know what they're talking about.

Can not say it better =)

Written by Xtopher on 15.06.2011 at 07:05

im just informing whats going on over there.
I already said i enjoy the new album unlike many of the core fans of the band, but agree with them in some things, like lyrics...
"hit the switch you son of a b!tch", oh come on!

Imo, SX has *never* had thought-provoking lyrics or anything. I mean, they sometimes paint some good imagery with their epics, but I don't see what the big deal is.

Oh, and this "Symphony X selling out" crap is bull.

"Boohoo, I don't like the album. Why is this? It can't just be my tastes! Something must be wrong with the band. They've sold out, because *I* am not pleased!"

How lame.

Written by Angelic Storm on 15.06.2011 at 13:02

Of course, people are free to dislike it if they wish, but to say they've "sold out" just shows the level of intelligence of those making that comment. Lots of ignorant people cry "sell out!" as soon as a band they love starts making music that they dont like. It's a lazy, and very overused term. As using it against "Iconoclast" is further proof of that.

You can get upset and call people ignorant if you want, but those who say "sold out" do have a valid point. While Symphony X never really had great songwriting skills to begin with, they've dumbed things down significantly with their last two albums and dropped the neoclassical influence in favor of straightforward, commercial power metal with generic vocals and choir samples. This has won them greater mainstream appeal and a larger audience at the cost of alienating many of their old fans, which is where the "selling out" accusation comes from. If you like the new direction, that's fine, but claims of selling out are always going to accompany a change like this, and you'll have to learn to deal with it without getting angry and offended.

So people think Symphony X are out to "win" more fans by making their music more "accessible"? I used to think Symphony X had a pretty cool and level-headed fanbase for a metal band. Guess I have been proven wrong. *le sigh*

Written by Hammer Pie on 15.06.2011 at 06:24

Well written review, but I'm shocked that an album this soulless, hollow and repetitive is getting hailed by anyone as a masterpiece.

EXACTLY

This album, and Paradise Lost are just terribly uninspired.

4/10

I have found elements of all albums mixed into this one, I don't get why would people be upset. This is album is very good, but it is true that some riffs are repetitive and some songs are boring.

I don't see how The Odyssey or IV could ever be beaten.

Written by Fat & Sassy! on 15.06.2011 at 23:21

So people think Symphony X are out to "win" more fans by making their music more "accessible"? I used to think Symphony X had a pretty cool and level-headed fanbase for a metal band. Guess I have been proven wrong. *le sigh*

Every band has fans like that hah.

That said, I really enjoyed the album. Definitely one of the best releases of the year.

Paradise Lost was better, but they bring something new to the table and I enjoyed it a lot.

Symphony X are a very intelligent band. They are aware that they can't produce album after album in the same style.
So they took a slight turn on "Paradise Lost", and followed that path, developing it even more, on "Iconoclast" - the latest release is a logical continuation of "PL" - harsher, heavier, but still retaining all the qualities of older SX releases.

It seems to me that all those who are so disappointed in the album are those who expect SX to churn out the same stuff over and over again. Guess what, after a few more albums similar to "V" you'd be complaining about stagnation and lack of new ideas. When you do get new ideas, you're not happy... It's up to you of course, and I respect your disappointment.
I for once understand and accept the changes the band made to their music. They don't want to do the same all the time. Their new sound is as fantastic as the old sound, and "Iconoclast", at least to these ears, is SX's best album since "V", hence their second best ever.

EDIT: I read somewhere here that SX's new release is a bow to wider audience, aimed at winning the charts. I don't know about others, but the heavier side of SX seems a lot less crowd-appealing to me...

Written by Daniell on 16.06.2011 at 14:39

Symphony X are a very intelligent band. They are aware that they can't produce album after album in the same style.
So they took a slight turn on "Paradise Lost", and followed that path, developing it even more, on "Iconoclast" - the latest release is a logical continuation of "PL" - harsher, heavier, but still retaining all the qualities of older SX releases.

It seems to me that all those who are so disappointed in the album are those who expect SX to churn out the same stuff over and over again. Guess what, after a few more albums similar to "V" you'd be complaining about stagnation and lack of new ideas. When you do get new ideas, you're not happy... It's up to you of course, and I repect your disappointment.
I for once understand and accept the changes the band made to their music. They don't want to do the same all the time. Their new sound is as fantastic as the old sound, and "Iconoclast", at least to these ears, is SX's nest album since "V", hence their second best ever.

EDIT: I read somewhere here that SX's new release is a bow to wider audience, aimed at winning the charts. I don't know about others, but the heavier side of SX seems a lot less crowd-appealing to me...

I couldn´t agree more with you. I really think V is really a unique album in lots of aspects and almost impossible to surpass in my opinion. And of course is perfectly understandable that the band wanted to make a change after that release. In The Odissey we can see that change already, altough not clearly enough, only to be confirmed in Paradise Lost. Iconoclast follows the vibe of PL, and in my opinion is a great release. I think it has one or two inconsistencies, but in general is a grandious SX release. It has lots of tecnichal and heavy riffs, great solos and choruses, wonderful vocals as usual and spectacular production. In a way i understand some of the older fans dissapointment, because they wanted SX to release similar albums like V, but in other hand you have to understand that´s not an easy task for a band to play the same style of sound every time. SX felt that they were needing a slight change in their style, and i think it turned out really good.
For me the highlights in Iconoclast are: Iconoclast, Heretic, Electric Messiah, When All is Lost and Prometheus (I´m Alive).

Written by Daniell on 16.06.2011 at 14:39


So they took a slight turn on "Paradise Lost", and followed that path, developing it even more, on "Iconoclast" - the latest release is a logical continuation of "PL" - harsher, heavier, but still retaining all the qualities of older SX releases.

It's a bit proggier than PL, and also, you can hear a lot of influences in one song, while Paradise Lost was more in style of 'one song contains mixes of a couple of styles, the second song contains some other two vibes' etc. Blah, my communication skills suck today -.-

Written by Troy Killjoy on 13.06.2011 at 14:22

Written by Daniell on 13.06.2011 at 14:11

So how do you know if you haven't listened yet? What does it say about your assessment of the album if you judged it before hearing it?

I think it says that he doesn't believe anything they release will trump V, given that it's probably one of his favorite albums.

Exactly

I also preordered Iconoclast without hearing it, I trust in MS reviews and I trust in Symphony X!!

Hails!!

Written by Daniell on 16.06.2011 at 14:39

Symphony X are a very intelligent band. They are aware that they can't produce album after album in the same style.
So they took a slight turn on "Paradise Lost", and followed that path, developing it even more, on "Iconoclast" - the latest release is a logical continuation of "PL" - harsher, heavier, but still retaining all the qualities of older SX releases.

It seems to me that all those who are so disappointed in the album are those who expect SX to churn out the same stuff over and over again. Guess what, after a few more albums similar to "V" you'd be complaining about stagnation and lack of new ideas. When you do get new ideas, you're not happy... It's up to you of course, and I respect your disappointment.
I for once understand and accept the changes the band made to their music. They don't want to do the same all the time. Their new sound is as fantastic as the old sound, and "Iconoclast", at least to these ears, is SX's best album since "V", hence their second best ever.

EDIT: I read somewhere here that SX's new release is a bow to wider audience, aimed at winning the charts. I don't know about others, but the heavier side of SX seems a lot less crowd-appealing to me...

Absolutely spot on, my friend.
In addition, I'd just like to say that the change in music is pretty minimal to my ears. it's not like they ditched their trademark sound in order to pursue something absolutely new. That's relieving to say the least. The new Symphony X is heavier, no doubt, but it still carries the soul of its past in exemplary fashion.

This shit makes Enslaved look like gay Muppets at recess. American metal dominates once again.

I can feel the presence of ponderer.

Written by (((O))) on 20.06.2011 at 02:06

I can feel the presence of ponderer.

Now what would make you say that?

On subject, a concept album about gay Muppets at recess sounds a lot more interesting than an album about machines taking over the world. >:[ At least it'd be original.

Written by (((O))) on 20.06.2011 at 02:06

I can feel the presence of ponderer.

You're spot on my friend.