Symphony X, Live at Club Nokia in Downtown Los Angeles, CA on 02/18/2012

Symphony X have been described as progressive rock, but to me, fall more heavily into power metal than what most "prog bands" bring to mind.

Symphony X blend epic keyboards and brilliant driving guitars with melodic, yet dark vocals in the power metal vein, but also host a unique sound and talent amongst which ever genre you want to classify them in.

The ferocity and intensity of the guitar playing is only surpassed by the technical and melodic complexities it carries. This is due to the extreme abilities of Michael Romeo, a brilliant artist who has had the word "virtuoso" thrown around many times in the context of his song writing and playing.

It only takes about thirty seconds into the opening opus, "Iconclast", off of the new record of the same name, to see what he is all about.

Now the rest of the band have been recruited (or perhaps pleaded to join his cause for all I know) due to their powerful talents as well....

So by the time you layer in Michael LePond on bass guitar, and Michael Pinnella's epic keyboard orchestrations, and then round it out with a powerful percussionary base by Jason Rullo, you have one hell of a sound (and quite a few Michaels too).

Now with all that awesome instrumentation, the final lynch-pin in the works is the awesome voice and lyrics of Russell Allen.

Iconoclast itself, is a concept album consumed by rich tapestries of tales involving the rise of the Dark Iconoclast and an apocalyptic battle against terminator-esque machines which allows for many allegories to our current plight as humans living in a world of technology.

That being said, many songs allow an open interpretation and apply to today's existence with or without the contextual tale that frames it.

I have wanted to see Symphony X for quite some time, and was beyond excited to hear they would be co-headlining with another of my favorite bands, Iced Earth.

Throughout the tour they have been swapping the final position of the night but here in Los Angeles, they were up for first on the bill.

They opened the set with the aforementioned epic new title track that clocks in at just under eleven minutes and by the time it is over, you wish it was still going. I love this song and loved that they opened with it. It was powerful and perfectly executed in a live environment.

Romeo is really impressive as you watch his fingers dancing at incredible speed with a deft precision that makes your jaw drop.

They followed up with a lot more material from the new album, which was great. They performed "The End of Innocence", "Dehumanized", the powerful "Bastards of the Machine" and then the moving ballad; "When All Is Lost".

On this song you really appreciate how talented Russell's vocals are as he hits every note perfectly, and captivates a rowdy crowd with an emotional a cappella piece.

After this moody, slower song they blasted into another fret-busting, circle-pit inducing hit, this time off one of their past releases. They played "Inferno (Unleash the Fire)" off of The Odyssey which was as wickedly fast paced as the last song was downtempo and thoughtful.

Coming back to the new album for one of my favorite songs of theirs,"Electric Messiah" and then "Children of a Faceless God" rounded out the amazing set. This brought them to their final song, "Of Sins and Shadows" off of The Divine Wings of Tragedy album from the late Nineties.

The audience was completely blown away and as the band left the stage, a fierce chanting and stomping issued forth.

Without much delay, they came back out and the drummer announced that it was his wife's birthday so everyone sang her "Happy Birthday" and then he dedicated the next song to her which was "Eve of Seduction" off of their second to latest album, Paradise Lost.

They did two more encore songs off of this same album which were "Serpent's Kiss", and the finale of the evening, "Set the World on Fire (The Lie of Lies)".

It was a great show and I had to remark to friends present, that I absolutely loved it (and it was a good thing it was Iced Earth on after them because I don't think any other band could have held up following such a performance).

If you have not heard Iconoclast yet, I cannot recommend it enough, in my opinion their best album to date. It also sports really cool artwork that enhances the mood and theme (and made great tour merchandise too).

These guys are without a doubt an amazing band that hold a special place in whatever genre you wish to throw them into. Once you have heard them, you won't know how your music collection and favorites lists could have done without them.

I highly recommend seeing them, on this tour especially as you get Iced Earth as well.




				Symphony X Live at Club Nokia Downtown Los Angeles, California February18th, 2012 Review and Photos by Travis Baumann Symphony X have been described as progressive rock, but to me, fall more heavily into power metal than what most "prog bands" bring to mind. Symphony X blend epic keyboards and brilliant driving guitars with melodic, yet dark vocals in the power metal vein, but also host a unique sound and talent amongst which ever genre you want to classify them in. The ferocity and intensity of the guitar playing is only surpassed by the technical and melodic complexities it carries. This is due to the extreme abilities of Michael Romeo, a brilliant artist who has had the word "virtuoso" thrown around many times in the context of his song writing and playing. It only takes about thirty seconds into the opening opus, "Iconclast", off of the new record of the same name, to see what he is all about. Now the rest of the band have been recruited (or perhaps pleaded to join his cause for all I know) due to their powerful talents as well.... So by the time you layer in Michael LePond on bass guitar, and Michael Pinnella's epic keyboard orchestrations, and then round it out with a powerful percussionary base by Jason Rullo, you have one hell of a sound (and quite a few Michaels too). Now with all that awesome instrumentation, the final lynch-pin in the works is the awesome voice and lyrics of Russell Allen. Iconoclast itself, is a concept album consumed by rich tapestries of tales involving the rise of the Dark Iconoclast and an apocalyptic battle against terminator-esque machines which allows for many allegories to our current plight as humans living in a world of technology. That being said, many songs allow an open interpretation and apply to today's existence with or without the contextual tale that frames it. I have wanted to see Symphony X for quite some time, and was beyond excited to hear they would be co-headlining with another of my favorite bands, Iced Earth. Throughout the tour they have been swapping the final position of the night but here in Los Angeles, they were up for first on the bill. They opened the set with the aforementioned epic new title track that clocks in at just under eleven minutes and by the time it is over, you wish it was still going. I love this song and loved that they opened with it. It was powerful and perfectly executed in a live environment. Romeo is really impressive as you watch his fingers dancing at incredible speed with a deft precision that makes your jaw drop. They followed up with a lot more material from the new album, which was great. They performed "The End of Innocence", "Dehumanized", the powerful "Bastards of the Machine" and then the moving ballad; "When All Is Lost". On this song you really appreciate how talented Russell's vocals are as he hits every note perfectly, and captivates a rowdy crowd with an emotional a cappella piece. After this moody, slower song they blasted into another fret-busting, circle-pit inducing hit, this time off one of their past releases. They played "Inferno (Unleash the Fire)" off of The Odyssey which was as wickedly fast paced as the last song was downtempo and thoughtful. Coming back to the new album for one of my favorite songs of theirs,"Electric Messiah" and then "Children of a Faceless God" rounded out the amazing set. This brought them to their final song, "Of Sins and Shadows" off of The Divine Wings of Tragedy album from the late Nineties. The audience was completely blown away and as the band left the stage, a fierce chanting and stomping issued forth. Without much delay, they came back out and the drummer announced that it was his wife's birthday so everyone sang her "Happy Birthday" and then he dedicated the next song to her which was "Eve of Seduction" off of their second to latest album, Paradise Lost. They did two more encore songs off of this same album which were "Serpent's Kiss", and the finale of the evening, "Set the World on Fire (The Lie of Lies)". It was a great show and I had to remark to friends present, that I absolutely loved it (and it was a good thing it was Iced Earth on after them because I don't think any other band could have held up following such a performance). If you have not heard Iconoclast yet, I cannot recommend it enough, in my opinion their best album to date. It also sports really cool artwork that enhances the mood and theme (and made great tour merchandise too). These guys are without a doubt an amazing band that hold a special place in whatever genre you wish to throw them into. Once you have heard them, you won't know how your music collection and favorites lists could have done without them. I highly recommend seeing them, on this tour especially as you get Iced Earth as well.

























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