Twilight in Olympus is the fourth studio album by progressive metal band Symphony X, which was released in 1998. It features eight tracks, two of which have become classics: Smoke and Mirrors and Through the Looking Glass, the latter an epic based on Through the Looking-Glass, the sequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

The drums on this album were played by Tom Walling, due to Jason Rullo temporarily leaving the band for personal reasons.

The album is also the last with longtime bassist Thomas Miller, who left the band during the album tour for personal and health problems.

Notes

Smoke and Mirrors cites J.S. Bach's Mass in B Minor (Kýrie eléison) in the instrumental interlude after the second chorus.

Sonata contains parts of the second and third movements of Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 8 ("Pathétique").

Orion - The Hunter contains lyrics from Symphony X's debut album.

According to Thomas Miller, Lady of the Snow was inspired by the popular Japanese mythological figure, Yuki Onna. According to Michael Romeo, "the band was looking for a musical and lyrical theme to represent tonalities and scale ideas for a new song, and Tom suggested the Lady of the Snow story, the music was written to reflect the lyrics."

Also notable is the absence of a title track, which appeared on Symphony X's previous two efforts. Michael Romeo confirmed that the track was originally intended to be a long, epic song similar to The Divine Wings of Tragedy, but was not finished in time due to deadlines. Rumors would later emerge saying the track would be included on one of their future releases. Instead, the song's riffs and melodies were broken up and used in the next album, V: The New Mythology Suite, scattered throughout the songs.

Personnel

*Russell Allen – vocals

*Michael Romeo – guitars, sitar, mini-harp, backing vocals

*Michael Pinnella – keyboards, backing vocals http

*Thomas Miller – bass

*Thomas Walling – drums

References

Category:Symphony X albums

Category:1998 albums

Category:Albums produced by Steve Evetts

es:Twilight in Olympus

fr:Twilight in Olympus

it:Twilight in Olympus

hu:Twilight in Olympus

ja:トワイライト・イン・オリンポス

no:Twilight in Olympus

pl:Twilight in Olympus

pt:Twilight in Olympus

sr:Twilight In Olympus

sv:Twilight in Olympus

Artist/Band Information

Symphony X are an American progressive metal band from Middletown, New Jersey.

Founded 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 studio album 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 (2007-2010)

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.

Iconoclast (2011-present)

On March 1, 2010, an update on the Symphony X Official Website announced that the band had recorded most of the new album and that Michael and Russell were working on lyrics; Michael was getting ready to start doing tracking for the album. The album's name and lyrical concept were revelaed on January 29, 2011 in an interview between DJ JC Green of Metal Messiah Radio's "Heavy Metal Thunder" show and Russell Allen: the follow-up to Paradise Lost will be titled Iconoclast and will have its lyrics centered around "machines taking over everything and all this technology we put our society into pretty much being our demise." When asked about a release date Allen said, "We are in post-production, so the album is pretty much almost done. At this point, mixes are being wrapped up and finalized and it's off to mastering and should be ready for release in a few months, definitely first quarter of 2011. We've got the artworks all done, we're taking pictures next week... all that good stuff. So everything's on track for release pretty soon. Allen also commented that "Sonically, it's in the realm of in a way, in terms of the sound of things; the guitar sound is a little different. Basically, the album is pretty intense, probably the most intense record we've ever done... "This album will contain a good body of work that harkens back to a lot of early metal, some early metal, and a lot of Symphony X standards that you guys know already, and a little bit of a newer sound too, here and there, just a newer direction."

On February 25, 2011, Symphony X played the first show of their 2011 tour in Stuttgart, Germany, where they performed two songs from Iconoclast: "End of Innocence" and "Dehumanized." The following day, in Antwerp, Belgium, they performed yet another new song, "Heretic."

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 (1995–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