Iconoclast spoiler thread

[Kenneth R.]

I don't really care much about Turisas, but they're pretty good and energetic live. Same goes with Finntroll, although I like their music too as I find it amusing. I generally don't like humoristic music, but they do it right. Ever seen weird polka dancing breaking out all of the sudden in a moshpit? Apparently you haven't seen Finntroll live. These two bands are probably the best finnish festival bands that I've seen, they can really take their audience, and they get even better if you're really drunk!

Well, that's the thing isn't it? Those guys don't take themselves seriously.

SX and its fans seem to take themselves seriously, so when "stand and fight" lyrics arise, it's not in good fun. It's just bunz.

 

[MegaDTSX]

I really hope they release at least the main album on iTunes without vocals since they released End of Innocence without. Would be awesome to download those seperately.

 

[Adam Fiske]

I don't know about that. It seems to me lately that Turisas takes themselves more seriously than Symphony X. In all the Symphony X interviews I've seen they just eems like a bunch of friends having a good time playing music they like. After the latest Turisas album, they definitely seem a lot more like they think they music they're making is quite good and serious stuff.

 

[Dark Lucidity]

Reign in Madness second part is very much Pantera-like (The Walk?), the vocals the riff.

I was thinking it was like the second part of The Glass Prison

 

[metalxmetalx]

Touche hahaha. Yeah, sometimes I like a cheesy feel-good metal drinking song. But on the whole, I can't just listen to that kind of stuff 24/7.

Even Turisas won't make a song as badly written, lyrically, as some of the crap I saw posted here from the new disc. But that's metal, as some have said: often crap lyrics about darkness or fighting, swords or magic and stuff. It comes with the territory, and some bands have the rare ability to sing about that stuff and do it with style, with lyrical competence. Most don't. Just sayin'.

Of course, the lyrics in Iconoclast pale in contrast to Turisas'.

 

[Detective Clarence Beauregard]

I really hope they release at least the main album on iTunes without vocals since they released End of Innocence without. Would be awesome to download those seperately.

I hope so too! It would serve many functions, such as being karaoke, making the music easier to tab out, and removing Russell's heavier vocals for those who dislike them.

 

[Xtopher]

I was thinking it was like the second part of The Glass Prison

exactly. and even the same key id dare to say, havent listened to that album for months though.
and what about the Opeth part? you know which one im talking about, i could even smell mikael ackerfeldt´s deodorant as i heard it.

 

[Marwen]

I don't think most of the stuff you guys are calling references and influences from other artists were intentional. Try writing an album and I'll bet you that several parts in it will still sound "influenced" by other bands. It's not as easy as you think to write something and have it sound 100% original these days. Don't believe me? Just go ahead and try.

 

[BlackTron]

Okay -4:40 to about 6:00 of When All is Lost was pretty sexy.

 

[Wander]

Responding to the last thing you said here:

Go back and listen to the DWoT album. While doing so please try and imagine if they re-recorded it today with the better, more costly production they now have access to. Besides them adding some of the more mechanical sounds throughout Iconoclast I believe the two albums are very similar in style. I would even say Damnation Game would have this same effect too.

Maybe DWoT had a better production then.

 

[Dark Lucidity]

exactly. and even the same key id dare to say, havent listened to that album for months though.
and what about the Opeth part? you know which one im talking about, i could even smell mikael ackerfeldt´s deodorant as i heard it.

I love every song on this album though, except end of innocence because the single has killed it for me.

 

[Ramtieger]

I'm guessing the next one will be different. The last two records are different but have something in common: being dark/heavy/riff-driven. I think they'll move a bit away from that now (Russ did say "we know what NOT to do" when referring to the next record) and move toward some more dynamic and progressive stuff, but still new and of course still metal.

When Russ said that, he was referring to how difficult it was putting together Children of a Faceless God, which was the first song they tackled. He said that it's easy to overwork an idea and lose momentum as a result, but that they learned from that experience and things went more smoothly from then on.

So I don't think it has anything to do with what you said, but rather how to work with the ideas and not overanalyze things.

 

[JPX]

Wow, listening to this record sequentially I'd say at least 7 tracks sound exactly like each other. Dynamically, tonally, structurally, vocally...everything

If you take out Iconoclast and When all is Lost (which coincidentally appear to be the favorites) you have an extremely one dimensional record.

Did MJR even change the settings on his rig one time the whole record?

 

[aXvXiA]

Has anyone else noticed the typo on the back of the CD booklet/poster thingy? "Intergation" in the artsy text thing is not a word

edit: This is on the deluxe version. I don't know about the other version.

 

[_Gentleman of_the Snow_]

I listened to the entire Special Edition of Iconoclast.

This album is pretty awful.

EDIT: Too disrespectful.

 

[jeffhanneman]

Has anyone noticed the false note in When All Is Lost , at 4:17 ("what could HAVE been...")? I can't decide wether it's Russel or Pinella making a mistake.

 

[donKyle]

^ I don't hear anything unusual.

And I'm really liking this album. There aren't any tracks that I dislike, but then again, there aren't really any Symphony X songs that I dislike besides The Sacrifice

 

[Marwen]

Has anyone noticed the false note in When All Is Lost , at 4:17 ("what could HAVE been...")? I can't decide wether it's Russel or Pinella making a mistake.

sounds perfectly fine to me, no false notes.

 

[azal]

The irony of "Jeff Hanneman" posting about false notes is delicious. Of course, it would be much funnier if it was really him.

my final conclusion is that I like three songs on the album, and none of those three are touching their best material.

They can do what they like, I've gotten five amazing albums from them, but the main gripe is that they seem to be dumbing everything down in order to appeal to a wider range of metalheads.

There is a difference between a good catchy chorus and a chorus that is catchy because it is dumb.

when the chorus is MY DOMINATION!!! YEAAAAAH!!! MY DOMINATION!!! YEAAAAAH!!! of course you are going to remember it, you hear it once and you are already singing it the next time.

but is that a good chorus?

not to me.

this is a good chorus



it might take you 4-5 times to spin the song and learn the lyrics (god forbid!), the melody is very well written, the chorus is dynamic.

that's what Symphony X choruses used to be like. now they are...

YOU ARE THE BASTARDS!!!! OF THE MACHINE!!!! OHHHH WHHOOOOAAHHHHH!!!! YOU ARE THE BASTARDS!!!! OF THE MACHINE!!!!!

 

[symphonyXjapan]

If you keep comparing albums to the best album ever written you will never be satisfied!

But seriously, even though the last 2 albums have been somewhat disappointing, I have noticed that each of them has some classic SyX elements that the other is lacking. PL has more of the epic symphonic elements, which save for the title track, Iconoclast lacks; however, Iconoclast has more of the proggy/atmospheric keys that I thought PL was lacking (there are even some classic key solos). Even so, I think both suffer from having too many "in your face" styled songs.

I would say they are even for me because of this; however, I think Iconoclast just barely wins over PL for me due to the title track and When All is Lost being more faithful to the true/classic SyX style. I have noticed that with the last two album Romeo has written like all the music and that previously all members had some part in the song writing process. I think this may be due to both the members being older and busy with their families/personal lives, and also from lack of true inspiration of a lyrical concept. I have always been one to notice/believe that bands make their best music when they have a concept or topic that they are truly passionate with writing about.