It's hard to be a Symphony X fan these days...

[DoomsdayZach]

syxified, i think you have some decent points, but frankly it'd be better to get people once the album is out rather than build up their anticipation if they are casual fans. Wouldn't it be better to go "Hey guys, this is the new album and it's available RIGHT NOW! GO GET IT!" rather than "This is the new album and it's available in... 2 months, so hopefully in 2 months you remember to pick it up!!"

 

[SymphonyXV]

If you don't want to be a fan, no one is forcing you. Go listen to Blink 182 or something and leave the forums alone. SX don't have to do anything for you.

 

[Kenneth R.]

Being a fan is a service to the artist you like, not the other way around.

agreed 100

 

[Alteredmindeath]

Any estimated release for the new record ??

 

[Phanto]

Any estimated release for the new record ??

2012/12/12

 

[CantoX]

You know what this is, folks?

Not really. Maybe if the OP posted this a day after the update in June I would've agreed with you, but it's been 3 months since the last update and if you're basing this on the OP's post then what you're saying isn't relevant.

Since when did you ever have to wait for a letter in the mail about a band, unless you're like 40+ years old. The internet has been alive and thriving since the early 90s and you could easily get info from it just like you're getting it now. Also if you want to get technical about it, with bands back in those days info about them was being updated by the televisions and radio stations that played them. Symphony X doesn't get played on radio stations or on the TV and most of their fans are based on the internet.

Don't make this any bigger than it actually is dude. It's just fans who are interested in updates about the band and since it's been 3 months since the last update we're anxious, that's all.

You know, my Dad listened to a Symphony X song and liked it (Accolade I) and asked me why doesn't this band get played on the radio stations and why aren't they really popular? I replied that their songs are quite long and they don't really play songs that are in 4/4 and have only the chords G, D, and C. He agreed and then asked me what about advertising? Don't they promote themselves? To that I said no, cause they don't do that. They can't even keep their primary fan base (peeps on the internet) updated about the albums and they don't advertise on the TV or radio or promote themselves. They make albums and go play live and that's about it isn't it? The band needs to advertise!! The band has no PR.
I'm not saying they should get played on top hits radio stations, but they should at least be getting played on metal radio stations and their music videos being played on metal video shows on MTV2 or whatever.

But like if Symphony X just wanna do it the way they wanna do it and update every couple of months then okay. I still love their music lol.

 

[Orbis_Tertius]

They are taking almost as long as for PL to release the new album.
2 Albums in 10 years (one of which has been frankly not so inspired) is something that honestly reminds me of the late metallica. I have a bad feeling regarding band's creativity and inspiration level and I hope I'll be proven wrong.

 

[Kenneth R.]

thing is, Canto, you're a fan. The band owes you nothing, like was said before. You and other die-hard fans want to hear your beloved band get recognition. Fine. But radio? Who the flying fuck cares about radio in this decade?

The band certainly has PR. They've also recognized that they have a target market. And that's you. They've likely decided (wisely) that if they blew a load of money advertising on mainstream radio, even metal stations, the return of newly-created fans and of those, purchases, would not balance out the cost. TV is an even worse market. I've always believed that bands copping a 30 second spot on TV were desperate, and wasted a substantial sum of money to advertise to a demographic that doesn't care about their commercial. Again, you really must not let your fandom override reasonable expectations.

Earlier I said that this entire issue was the spawn of the younger generation's conditioning to demand now now now. I need to append another cause: The blindness of some fans to reality - not only do they want now now now, they expect their beloved band to sit upon the pedestal of the world, recognized by all. It is good to want them to succeed, for sure, but this sort of mainstream radio recognition is unrealistic, because that demographic is not interested. They never will be. Symphony X does not fit in with the hit-of-the-day-then-thrown-away world. So why are some fans desperate for recognition of the band? Partly, of course, they want the band to succeed and feel they deserve it for their efforts. Admirable, but again - success in metal has little if anything to do with TV or radio. The other element is that recognition relieves the perceived tension as evidenced by the title of the other bitching thread: It's hard to be a fan. It's hard to be a fan of a band nobody knows about. Unless you're into indie rock, where such a thing is a mark of elitism, you may feel oppressed, or embarrassed, to be into a band that no one on the radio or TV or people outside the metal community know about. And you'd want to change that, spread the word to all nations as it were, so that you would no longer be a part of the out-minority, but of the in-majority.

People invest far, far, far too much of their own personal hopes, dreams, and sense of identity with bands.

 

[Dark Lucidity]

I think people just want to hear about the new album, it's exciting

 

[J-Dubya 777]

I want to add one more thing here, the bands m.o. hasn't changed. It's not like you were getting 5 minute tweets, and 20 FB updates a day, previously.
The cd will kickass, people will download it, and/or hopefully buy it, and we'll most likely see the band on tour shortly thereafter. The band has marched to their own drummer in the past, and will probably continue to do so. I don't think MJR or anybody else in the Sy-X camp cares that DT has a gazillion DVDs out, and updates the fans every 20 seconds while recording. I don't think they ever did, and the never will care how band "X" is marketing themselves. I actually kind of enjoy seeing people get their panties in a twist over this.

 

[JesterIF]

Any estimated release for the new record ??

According to some rumours (I wouldn't bet a dime on it though) it would be out for Christmas.

 

[Kenneth R.]

I actually kind of enjoy seeing people get their panties in a twist over this.

Agreed... If it weren't so damned asinine I'd find it funny. That, and I am an elitist prick. The CD will come and it will be good. That's all I need to know. Don't need any updates at all other than what I already know: that there will be a new album.

 

[Rocksister]

hoi polloi here......not into Facebook or Twitter. I'm subscribed to the blog and I know that the folks who work with/for SX also have other jobs. The band itself is likely the only entity that is SX full-time. TPTB and their volunteers (you DO realize that some of the folks that do stuff for SX do it for FREE, don't you???) will let us know of any major news. In the meantime they have groceries to buy and jobs to go to. Subscribe to their blog and whatever means they use, albeit sparingly, to get their news out. You'll know when something happens. (I do agree about the crappy venues, though. I pray with all my soul that they do better than Masquerade in Atlanta next time around. That place reeks..... Not even a door on the frickin' bathroom.....)

 

[SymphonyXV]

I'm actually no longer excited for this release. I understand a major problem with some bands is that they release way too much music too quickly and then you end up with just a few good songs, but mostly filler. I would rather wait 5 years and get an album that has only good songs. Orphaned Land does this best. The only thing that could really piss me off is if SX cancelled this album or broke up before the release. I highly doubt they will do that.

 

[Postulate]

They are taking almost as long as for PL to release the new album.
2 Albums in 10 years (one of which has been frankly not so inspired) is something that honestly reminds me of the late metallica. I have a bad feeling regarding band's creativity and inspiration level and I hope I'll be proven wrong.

It's strange how extremely consistent the trend is of a band's debut being very close to their next couple of releases, and then the output slowing down from there until you have 4 year gaps or so. I wonder what makes that happen. Is it that the bands get more comfortable, are they busier, or is it more trivial, like a loss of interest (you're most passionate right when you start)?

 

[SyXified]

It's strange how extremely consistent the trend is of a band's debut being very close to their next couple of releases, and then the output slowing down from there until you have 4 year gaps or so. I wonder what makes that happen. Is it that the bands get more comfortable, are they busier, or is it more trivial, like a loss of interest (you're most passionate right when you start)?

A lot of it is the following:

A band's first 2-3 albums come from things band members were working on their entire lives. There is a huge surplus of material that can be developed, and that material is already the cream of the crop of what the musicians have written since learning to compose (i.e. it is the hand picked keepers from every little riff they ever wrote). Also that time is where the musicians are first getting a feel for each other and the new ideas one member gives another quickly blossom into interesting collaborations.

After that time period, the surplus is gone AND the members are familiar with the writing styles of the other members AND if the band is doing well there are far more demands on the member's time, so the time for writing is reduced while the pressure to write in specific time frames increases.

 

[Ryan M.]

I think people just want to hear about the new album, it's exciting

Lolyeah!

@Ken: Dude that was a long post for such a simple topic. Haha!