Paradise Lost is the seventh studio album by progressive metal band Symphony X, and it deals greatly with John Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost. Its release had been delayed numerous times since the announcement on November 16, 2005 that they were going to "start pulling it all together". The album was released on June 26, 2007.

Overview

Style

In a fan club chat on March 18, 2006, Michael Romeo, the lead guitarist and writer, said that the album will be "a bit darker—the direction is still the same—for the most part," and went on to say that "the classical stuff was getting to a point where we need to evolve the music a bit. There is still a lot of classic influence in there—not as obvious as ' Ashes', say." He went on to suggest that there may be a song or songs on the album themed around the works of H. P. Lovecraft, and that there would be "A BIG tune on here … Paradise Lost is the theme as of now," lending rumor to the title of the album.

In August 2006, some preliminary cover art was leaked on the internet, confirming suspicions that the title of the album would be the same as the song "Paradise Lost". The album art originally leaked and categorized by the band as only "preliminary" artwork has been revealed to be the official artwork, with the full panorama (including the back cover) being made available on the official Symphony X website on May 12, 2007 .

Paradiselostpackaging.jpgleftthumb150pxThe CD packaging for Paradise Lost

Release

At one point it was announced that the album would be released in late 2006, but the date was pushed back several times before its final release date of June 26, 2007.

On May 12, 2007, the song "Serpent's Kiss" was made available on the band's . Also, MP3 samples from the album are available courtesy of .

In a first for the band, the album included a special DVD of footage shot by the band throughout their history, exclusively available in FYE stores.

The album was released to more fanfare than previous Symphony X albums in the U.S., reaching #1 on the Top Heatseekers Chart, and #123 on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart.

5.1 Release

Symphony X released a version of Paradise Lost with 5.1 sound. The album includes a DVD of the videos for "Serpent's Kiss" and "Set the World on Fire." When pre-ordered at Newbury Comics, the first 500 copies received a signed CD booklet.

Personnel

*Russell Allen – vocals

*Michael Romeo – guitars, orchestral keyboards and programming

*Michael Pinnella – piano, keyboards

*Michael Lepond – bass

*Jason Rullo – drums

References

Category:2007 albums

Category:Concept albums

Category:Symphony X albums

Category:InsideOut Music albums

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Artist/Band Information

Symphony X is an American progressive metal band.

Founded in New Jersey in 1994 by guitarist Michael Romeo, their albums The Divine Wings of Tragedy and V: The New Mythology Suite have given the band considerable attention within the progressive metal community.

Biography

The Dark Chapter, Symphony X and The Damnation Game (1994−1995)

In early 1994 Michael Romeo (ex-Phantom's Opera, ex-Gemini) recorded a demo tape entitled The Dark Chapter, which featured himself and keyboard player Michael Pinnella. The tape attracted a fair share of attention, particularly in Japan. He then recruited bassist Thomas Miller, drummer Jason Rullo, vocalist Rod Tyler, and finally keyboard player Michael Pinnella. Their self-titled debut album was recorded in the same year, and released to a positive reception in Japan by the now-extinct record company Zero Corporation Label. The band's second studio album, The Damnation Game, followed six months later. Singer Rod Tyler had left the band by then and was replaced by current singer Russell Allen.

The Divine Wings of Tragedy and Twilight in Olympus (1996−1998)

The Divine Wings of Tragedy was the album that first gave Symphony X exposure in metal circles. It took a considerable time to record the album, with the recording sessions beginning in 1996 and concluding in 1997. The positive feedback from the specialized press served to establish Symphony X in Europe; their success in Japan only continued to grow.

At the end of 1997 and for part of the next year, Jason Rullo, their drummer, had to stay away from the band in order to solve personal issues. He was temporarily replaced by Thomas Walling. Even with a temporary drummer, the band recorded Twilight in Olympus, released in early 1998. That year also saw the first live performances from the band, which by then had already gathered many fans from around the globe. Their first official show happened in 1998, in Japan. It was soon followed by a world tour. Bassist Thomas Miller left the band and was replaced by Michael Lepond in that year.

A compilation album, Prelude to the Millennium, was released by the end of 1998. As an extra, it featured a second version of the song "Masquerade" from the first album, with Russell Allen on vocals.

V: The New Mythology Suite and The Odyssey (1999−2002)

Jason Rullo returned to the drums for the band's fifth album, V: The New Mythology Suite, released in 2000. It was the band's first release on major progressive label InsideOut Music. The album was their first concept album, dealing with the myth of Atlantis. The album features classics such as "Communion and the Oracle," "Egypt" and the mini-suite "Rediscovery," and includes pieces of classical music.

The band went on a European tour shortly after its release and recorded their first live album, Live on the Edge of Forever.

In 2002, the band released The Odyssey, an album prominently featuring a 24-minute long musical interpretation of the Homeric epic, the Odyssey.

Solo albums (2003−2006)

Keyboardist Michael Pinnella released a solo album, entitled Enter By the Twelfth Gate, on October 12, 2004. Vocalist Russell Allen's solo debut, entitled Atomic Soul, was released in the summer of 2005. With this album, Allen took a different musical direction from that seen in his work with Symphony X. It was considered by many—including Allen himself—to be a hard rock album. Also in 2005, he recorded an album called The Battle with former Masterplan vocalist Jørn Lande under the moniker "Allen/Lande." The two would later record a follow-up album entitled The Revenge, released May 11, 2007. In 2005 Symphony X was featured on Gigantour, a summer festival headlined by Megadeth with Dream Theater and Anthrax. Two Symphony X songs from the tour, "Inferno" and "Of Sins and Shadows," are featured on the Gigantour DVD and CD-set, released in September 2006.

Paradise Lost and forthcoming album (2007−present)

Sx-russell-3-small.JPGthumbrightLead vocalist Russell Allen performing at a concert in San Juan, Puerto Rico on May 27, 2007.

The band's album Paradise Lost, a concept album loosely inspired by John Milton's epic poem of the same name, was recorded in Romeo's studio and released worldwide on June 26, 2007. The band claimed this work had darker themes musically. The album included a special DVD of footage shot by the band throughout their history, available in FYE stores. The release coincided with a 14-month world tour, including a tour through all of Europe with Dream Theater in the fall of 2007. The band also revealed plans to perform in Japan and other Asian countries, as well as appear for the first time ever in Russia, India, and the Middle East.

Paradise Lost debuted at number 123 on the Billboard 200 album chart in the United States, selling 6,300 copies in its first week. The record also debuted at number 1 on the Top Heatseekers Chart.

Symphony X released their first music video for the song "Serpent's Kiss" on July 28, 2007. It was followed by a video for "Set the World on Fire," released on January 11, 2008. The band toured North and South America from October to November 2008, and toured Asia in February 2009. The band are also currently in the process of gathering material for a Live DVD. However, a recent interview with the magazine Classic Rock Presents... PROG made it apparent that a new album was currently in the works and that they hoped for it to be released some time in Spring of 2010. On March 1st 2010, an update on the Symphony X Official Website made it clear that the band had recorded most of the album and that Michael and Russell were working on lyrics and that Michael was getting ready to start doing tracking for the album.

Sound

Symphony X is often compared to other progressive metal bands such as Dream Theater, Fates Warning and Shadow Gallery. Their music includes complex timings and odd meters while incorporating elements of symphonic metal and more traditional heavy metal. It also contains strong neo-classical elements reminiscent of Yngwie Malmsteen, Cacophony, Randy Rhoads, and other neo-classical metal artists.

Recording Studio : The Dungeon

The Dungeon is the studio located at the home of Symphony X's guitarist and composer Michael Romeo. The albums The Divine Wings of Tragedy and V: The New Mythology Suite were partly recorded in The Dungeon, while The Odyssey and Paradise Lost were fully recorded there and produced by Romeo himself. Symphony X spent a sum of money upgrading The Dungeon and buying state of the art orchestration software and tools for the rich symphonic arrangements in their songs.

Line-up

Current members

* Russell Allen − vocals (1994-present)

* Michael Romeo − guitar (1994-present)

* Michael Pinnella − keyboards (1994-present)

* Michael Lepond − bass guitar (2000-present)

* Jason Rullo − drums (1994-1998, 2000-present)

Former members

* Rod Tyler − vocals (1994)

* Thomas Miller − bass guitar (1994−2000)

* Thomas Walling − drums (1998−2000)

Discography

Music videos

* The Serpent's Kiss - 2007

* Set The World On Fire - 2008

References