The next album? American Gods!

[Phanto]

I didn't know Lady of the Snow was japanese themed but it actually makes a lot of sense, with the flute and all.
Maybe they could do something like that, a traditional asian theme.

 

[Pamonha]

Symphony X has always used mythology and fantastic themes. Although Iconoclast lyrics was from average too poor, I think it's better than the majority in the genre of power/prog metal, and the way I see it was a nice start for the band into a more "reality based" theme, even with all the apocalypse/fiction thing going on.

And I have to disagree with eyeball kid. Talking about reality doesn't detract from epic genres, and there's plenty of examples around. And that's not only because the most epical stuff happens in real life, but because the best lyrics and music come from reality - themed ideas, because they make a huge impact on whoever is writing.

I don't remember who said that the tzar's worse enemy was Chopin's music, but that pretty much draws the picture.

 

[Wander]

e-mail Arjen. He likes this kind of thing.

That's funny. I seriously don't think it'd be too far-fetched for the next Ayreon album to be just that if someone suggested it to him.

 

[metalxmetalx]

Their next album could be based on 'Thus Spake Zarathustra' by Nietzsche!

 

[Marwen]

^ Nietzsche is a trve black metaller, not the same style.

 

[Kenneth R.]

Am I the only one that would prefer lyrics that are just based in reality? A song that talks about something real that we can relate to? Cheese factor non-existent?...

ah, lyrics about contemporary life. tune in to your top 40 station, or country station, and you're all set!

seriously though, *MOST* of the time, those kinds of lyrics are boring. it's only not boring when the everyday-life situation is viewed through the lens of metaphor.

that said, lyrics about slaying dragons can be boring too. listen to dragonforce.

 

[Isaac_de_Moorea]

...seriously though, *MOST* of the time, those kinds of lyrics are boring. it's only not boring when the everyday-life situation is viewed through the lens of metaphor.

I´m totally agree with this. Of course isn´t a constant, but for example metaphors can transform some situations that in "rough words" could be even pathetic or silly, into some kind of "misterious" and "dark" histories. Space Dye Vest comes to my mind... (Sorry I couldn´t remember a more convincent example )

IMO "Awakenings" and "Candlelight Fantasia" have some of the better lyrics that SX has ever done... they bring some methaphors as well.

 

[metalxmetalx]

^ Nietzsche is a trve black metaller, not the same style.

Well, since they released an album called Iconoclast, I think they should pay tribute to Nietzsche, the TRUE iconaclast!

 

[_Gentleman of_the Snow_]

ah, lyrics about contemporary life. tune in to your top 40 station, or country station, and you're all set!

seriously though, *MOST* of the time, those kinds of lyrics are boring. it's only not boring when the everyday-life situation is viewed through the lens of metaphor.

that said, lyrics about slaying dragons can be boring too. listen to dragonforce.

Yeah... I guess I prefer a mixture of both types. I hate cheesy stuff, but overly simple lyrics with nothing special about 'em can definitely be boring.

I was thinking about bands like Pain of Salvation and Porcupine Tree when I wrote that post.

Using fantasy to tell a story that can relate to a bigger picture is effective. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, for example, is purely science fiction, but the messages are fully real.

 

[Detective Clarence Beauregard]

I honestly feel, especially with power/symphonic/progressive metal - lyrics based in complete realism detract from the song. Keeping things rooted in some sort of fiction or fantasy adds an air of mystique to the lyrics, a mystique which is already present in the music. The sound of Symphony X, regardless of how much they modernize, will always contain a bit of mysticism. IMO, the music demands a certain amount of emotional disconnect with reality.

*MOST* of the time, [reality-based] lyrics are boring. it's only not boring when the everyday-life situation is viewed through the lens of metaphor.

I agree with both of you. While I don't think everything should be rooted in fantasy (like Dio or something), a metaphor is a great way to "disguise" modern, realistic lyrics. The overall theme is what matters most to me.

I remember talking to Russ a while back about the lyrics on Paradise Lost, and he told me that when he writes lyrics for Symphony X, he uses these types of metaphors.

If the band was chugging away with guitar/drum polyrhythms and synthesized orchestral bridges, but Russell was singing about some women that done left him for another man...I'd check out.

 

[donKyle]

One of the reasons I like metal is because of the lyrics about all this fantasy stuff, and the storytelling. Yeah it can be cheesy sometimes, but it doesn't really bother me like lyrics you might find in more popular music. I'm not saying I'm one sided either, as far as lyrics, because I do like it occasionally.

 

[symphonyXjapan]

I know that metal lyrics can get pretty cheesy; however, I think mainstream music that is about everyday life and such is a lot more cheesy than the cheesiest of metal. Has anyone ever heard a Shinedown song on the radio ever for example? Their lyrics go beyond cheesy into just plain corny. Me and a friend always joke about how "awesome" Shinedown is while laughing hysterically.

For example: 'It's 4:03...and I can't sleep...without you next to me, I toss and turn like the sea".

Really? I mean come on, this is like something that was written by a 3rd grader at school during their English lesson about simile's and metaphor's.

 

[RuRoRul]

Shinedown lyrics aren't anything special at all but they aren't really that cheesy either. That song is I guess, but on average I don't think there's that much cheesiness about them (and even if you don't think they are bad, being bad is not always the same as being cheesy). I am glad you and your friend have found such clever ways to amuse yourself though.

 

[PurpleDink]

Like the idea and i will check out the novel. But is his name really pronounced Gay-Man?

 

[Kenneth R.]

Shinedown lyrics aren't anything special at all but they aren't really that cheesy either. That song is I guess, but on average I don't think there's that much cheesiness about them (and even if you don't think they are bad, being bad is not always the same as being cheesy). I am glad you and your friend have found such clever ways to amuse yourself though.

You've got to be kidding me. "Modern" rock/metal is rife with lyrics as cliche as dead baby jokes and drive further into the ground the palimpsest of of shakespeare.