Symphony X | Iconoclast
by Justin Gaines
Staff Writer
If you’ve been following the career of progressive metal band Symphony X, there are two trends that have emerged in recent years. The first is that the band is taking longer to record new albums. Their eighth (and latest) offering, Iconoclast, comes four years after Paradise Lost, which in turn came five years after The Odyssey. The second is that the band’s sound has been getting heavier with each new album. What began to emerge on the first half of The Odyssey is now in full sway on Iconoclast. Whether this is a good thing depends on the listener.
For fans that discovered Symphony X back in the `90s, when they had an impressive run of “Malmsteen meets Kansas” style progressive/neoclassical albums, the heavier, darker sounds of Iconoclast are not going to be very reassuring. There’s a real sense of power and a vibrant dark energy on Iconoclast that albums like V: The New Mythology Suite and Twilight in Olympus – as good as they are – lack. It helps that the band has abandoned fantasy themes and subjects in favor of more contemporary concepts, as that matches perfectly their heavier sound.
Iconoclast is still very much a Symphony X album. Michael Romeo still shreds away with wicked precision, but he’s doing it against a backdrop of some crushingly heavy rhythms. Michael Pinella’s keyboard work still plays a prominent role, but it seems more integrated into the overall songs. And of course Russell Allen still utilizes his incredible range and power, but he’s doing a lot more gruff singing to balance his cleaner style. It’s not – despite what some have said – any kind of death metal growl, but a fiercer, more aggressive style that totally suits the album’s mood. Underneath the heaviness and darker imagery, you’ll still find the incredible technicality and yes, plenty of melody, that is key to Symphony X’s sound. Iconoclast is the crowning achievement of a seasoned band at the top of their game and with the willingness to truly progress their sound.
It’s not going to please those fans that are longing for the old-style Symphony X, but Iconoclast may just be the band’s strongest overall album to date. Far from being a carbon copy of Paradise Lost, Iconoclast immediately resonates and establishes its own identity, especially in the dark glory of “Dehumanized” and “Electric Messiah,” the epic grandeur of “When All Is Lost” and the haunting “Children of a Faceless God.” If Symphony X keeps releasing albums of Iconoclast‘s quality, progressive metal will have a new standard-bearer.
Edition Notes: The limited edition version of Iconoclast comes in a double-digipack and has four bonus tracks. Rather than just tacking them onto the second disc, they’re interspersed with the main album for an expanded Iconoclast experience that is spread out over two discs. Given how much a part of the album’s overall character the extra tracks are, it’s hard to imagine why anyone would settle for the standard single-disc version.
Genre: Progressive Metal
Band:
Russell Allen (v)
Michael Romeo (g)
Michael LePond (b)
Jason Rullo (d)
Michael Pinella (k)
Track Listing (Limited Edition):
Disc 1
1. Iconoclast
2. The End of Innocence
3. Dehumanized
4. Bastards of the Machine
5. Heretic
6. Children of a Faceless God
7. When All Is Lost
Disc 2
1. Electric Messiah
2. Prometheus (I Am Alive)
3. Light Up the Night
4. The Lords of Chaos
5. Reign In Madness
Label: Nuclear Blast
Website: http://www.symphonyx.com/
Hardrock Haven rating: 9/10