SYMPHONY X INTERVIEW

Symphony X has got to be one of the most important bands right now on the progressive/symphonic/power metal scene. A status their recent European tour (together with Stratovarius and Thunderforce) seemed to prove to great extent, as Symphony X by far were the best band of the bill. If you want proof of how great this band is, then check out their latest disc, "Odyssey", which blows away 99% of what else is out there on the market right now. Martin from Intromental Webzine used the phone to ask some questions across the Atlantic to guitarist Mike Romeo …

Interview by Martin Jørgensen

Your previous album "V: The new mythology suite" was a concept album. Tell me a bit about that and compare it with your newest release "The Odyssey".

"On "V" we were just trying to combine a bunch of different ideas to come up with a cool story; A bit of Atlantis, Egyptian mythology, some astrology. We tried to throw everything into one idea and try get something cool. But with "The Odyssey" the whole thing is not a concept. It's really just the one song "The Odyssey", you know, the epic piece. The other songs are just songs on their own, so this album is not a real concept album."

You put some kind of continuation of the song Accolade from DWoT on Odyssey, Accolade II. What's the story about that?

"Me and Mike Pinella were working out some of the music and we were talking about the last album, and how we were having a lot of fun with different themes and bringing them back and playing them backwards, using different keys and all these other kind of things which was on our last album a lot - a lot of reoccurring melodies and stuff, so we started to talk about the Accolade and about how it would be a cool idea to do the same thing, the same treatment or maybe take some of the melodies from the Accolade and do a continuation and kind of bring some of the pieces back here and there, you know, you can hear a little piece here and there. We have a lot of fun doing things like that, and a lot of people really like that song. There are some pretty good melodies, some good sections, so we just went with it."

Where do you get the inspiration to write albums like that. You know, "V" and songs like "The Odyssey" - stuff like that? Do you do a lot of research?

"On the last album we said: "Let's do a concept album, let's find some cool ideas". You know, do a little research, just so we kind of know what the hell we're talking about, and then try to come up with something original. With "Odyssey" the whole plan was that we were going to try to do something a little more heavy, maybe a little more aggressive, a bit more energy. We wanted to NOT make it like the last album. The last album was very polished, you know, one giant big piece of music. So we figured let's get back into some really heavy riffs with some good songs and good melodies with a little bit more edge, a little more raw, but still have a song like "The Odyssey" or "Accolade II" where it's very progressive and you have the orchestral stuff. But usually we just try to find something that is inspiring with the music and the lyrics. When we were talking about doing a long song, Mike Lepond said: "What about the odyssey"? So we did a little bit of reading, watched some movies - that kind of thing, and we just thought it would be cool to approach it with some music, I mean, you have all these cool things happening with the orchestra here with these totally big, dark mean sounding thing with the sea monsters all these cool things that you can do. Or even like a song like King of Terrors, which is just a song on its own, but the lyrics that Russ had were based on Edgar Allan Poe's The Pit and the Pendulum, and then you just attack it the same way, like, this song is dark and it's heavy so you have got to come up with a riff that is just dark and heavy. For that kind of songs you've got to stay with what it is, and with The Odyssey, we wanted to attack it from the feeling of the song we are trying to get across."

So, that kind of leads me on to my next question; What is it that you want to offer the listener when writing songs and albums like that?

"Well, it all boils down to something that we find inspiring that we think that once we've started it we'll stay interested in it. With "The Odyssey" we said: Okay, let's do this thing. Let's put some lyrics together and the music. For us it's just a lot of fun and it's a little bit challenging, but the listener too will find it exiting with all these different changes, all these different moods. We try to keep it interesting for us and an album doesn't sound exactly like the last album or sound like this and that - it is what it is."

What album has influenced you the most, musically and lyrically?

"That's tough!! There are so many things, and there's so much more than just albums. It would be a long list, but it's definitely things that progressed over the years. For me being a guitar player it would be like Randy Rhodes, then you're into Sabbath and bands like Rush, you know, a little bit more progressive and you kind of put needs together. I'm also a big movie fan. I like Star Wars, Lord of the Rings… so everything gets kind of inspirational and you just use so much of it as you can."

What does Symphony X mean to you as a name for your band?

"We kind of came up with the name of the band quick when we first got together. We were hanging out and we needed a name for the band. We knew there was going to be some kind of classical influences, so the word "symphony" came up, but then we figured we were still some kind of a metal band and we had some progressive influences, you know, things like that. Then someone just said "x"! Like the unknown! So we didn't really think too much about it. We just said it has a cool thing and it kind of represents what we do with all the classical elements. In thought of what music we do it really has nothing to do with the name of the band. It's just whatever we feel is right for our song mixing together all the different influences that everybody in the band has. There are just so many different things, so with that name we allow us selves to use whatever we want."

Thomas Miller's leaving ... Did it effect the way of writing music and lyrics, the "spirit" in the band?

"No, I don't think so."

So absolutely nothing changes when a member leaves the band?

"Well, there are always little things that happen. Me and Mike Pinella pretty much write most of the music and Russel and Tom were writing a lot of the lyrics. When Tom left we all tried to fill in that and for this album everyone was contributing lyrics. Jason was working lyrics with Russel and Lepond with me, but as far as the music, no change."

You have had a lot of success with your music right from the start in Europe and Japan, and slowly, but steady, people start to make notice of your name and what you do in your home country. Why do you think the European and Japanese audience has "accepted" your music so quickly compared to the Americans?

"A lot with America has a lot to do with the media like MTV and radio, and a lot of kids don't really get to hear half of the music that is out there. It's a little different here, and its really tough for a band like us - or even like any metal band. You have all this grunge or you hip-hop and you got all these things that are on the radio or on TV and that's all the kids know, so to try and get our stuff out is kind of difficult. And when they get to hear it its maybe not what they thought it was and maybe they'll like it, but its just getting them to hear it that's the hard part. There are just so many other things that are so popular like Britney Spears and…eh…who the hell else knows :-)"

Through the last 3-5 years we have seen a boom in the downloading and sharing of the music file format, mp3,. What do you think of the invention of mp3?

"There are definitely good and bad things about it. The good point would be if there was a couple of songs available to people so they could hear what the music was all about like we do on our website. What isn't cool is when people download the whole album and they have it before it even comes out and who the hell knows how they even got it!? I guess the most uncool thing is when they download the entire album and then they have it and that's it. That really sucks. I have a couple of friends who are like that, and I'd like to kick the guys in the ass and say: "Dude, if you like it, at least go buy it". It's just not cool. But I think that most of our fans are pretty loyal and buy our music and we are totally thankful of that, and I think if they like it, they will buy it."

My opinion exactly. I think the metal audience is one of, it not the most, loyal audience at all.

"I totally agree. But it really doesn't bother me too much because most people will be cool, but there are always people who think: "It's there for me and I'm gonna take it". Bottom line is there is nothing you can do about it! You know, you close one thing and another 10 pop up. You just have to deal with it and hope that people are cool enough to do the right thing, and at least I'd like to think that most people are cool about it."

You've currently finished a European tour with Finish power metal band Stratovarius, but you haven't toured that much before.

"That's right. We actually got a late start. We were together a few years before we started to tour, and it was mostly because we were a new band to each other and after the first album we were just getting to know each other, and there were member changes. I think that after the third album, The Divine Wings of Tragedy" we should have started to tour, because that was when things started to really go good, but Jason had to leave the band for personal problems for a little while. These things happen and you really have no control. Then it almost happened again when we did the Twilight in Olympus album. It took us a while to find a new drummer and we had Tom Walling playing drums on that album and we were getting ready for that tour, but then he said he couldn't tour, he just couldn't do that. Luckily Jason came back and it got really cool with him, and by that time we got it going with a tour in Japan, Europe, South America and so forth."

Why tour with a power metal band like Stratovarius when you are playing a completely different kind of metal; call it mythological, neo-classical, symphonic progressive metal…or whatever :-)

"Actually, I don't think we're that much different. Sure there a definitely differences between the bands, but we're both pretty much metal bands, and the people who have put it all together, even Stratovarius and even us, we thought it would be a pretty cool thing to do. You know, we're different enough that there is a nice variety of music, and we thought it would be a nice package. Plus we know those guys, we're all friends and it would just be a cool thing… I guess."

You didn't visit Denmark on your European tour. Why not?

"Well, we're just the opening band, and it's really Stratovarius' tour, so they're calling the shots. But we in the band have talked about doing some festivals in the summer and get our own tour for Europe happening and visit some of the places we haven't been yet. We are going to try and tour as much as we can."

Well, that was actually all I wanted to ask you, so I just want to say that it has been really cool talking to you.

"Yeah man, you too. Definitely cool."

So what are you going to spend the rest of your day with?

"Well, it's about 2.30 pm so I'm just going to practice a little bit and then I got to head over to rehearsal… You know, just trying to keep busy :-)"

Okay. You have a nice day then, and say hi to the other guys for me.

"I'll do that, and you have a good evening too…"