This interview took place Friday, August 19th in Portland, ME, and was played on my radio show Tuesday, August 23rd along with the SX tunes:
On The Breath Of Poseidon
Prelude
Evolution
King Of Terrors
Wicked
In The Dragon's Den
Black Night Meditations - Originally Symphony X was not going to be participating in Gigantour. What pushed you over the edge to say, "yeah, we're going to do it"?
Romeo - Well, the reason we said we weren't going to do it was because we wanted to get the album done. That was the big thing. We were already behind schedule with the album. Things were taking longer than we thought. It was tough because we all thought (Gigantour) was a cool thing, but we said, "no, we've got to get the album done". And the more we thought about it, the more we realized we made a mistake. So we we're like "yeah, we gotta do it."
BNM - So push the new album aside...
Romeo - Yeah, and we figured we'd try to write on the bus and when we get back we'd buckle down and get it done. It was too good of a thing to pass up.
Pinnella - We're playing in a lot of markets we've never played in before, which is a good thing.
BNM - Are you the kind of guys who like to write while on tour?
Romeo - Well this is the first time we've ever tried it.
Pinnella - It's not easy. There are a lot of distractions.
BNM - Like visiting the towns you've never been to...
Pinnella - No, not that...just the fact that the bus is constantly moving. It's hard, physically.
Romeo - We're trying to work on the laptop, and the mouse is over here and shit is flying across the table. It's not easy.
BNM - The writing that you're doing, is it only for the new album?
Romeo - Oh yeah, it's trying to get it done.
BNM - About how far along are you?
Romeo - (long pause) We have a lot of things and a lot of ideas, but nothing really concrete.
Pinnella - Once we get that first concrete thing...
BNM - Once you get over the first hurdle, and then you see the light at the end of the tunnel?
Pinnella - Yeah, that's it.
BNM - And you're not feeling the vibe here on the bus?
Romeo - It's going; it's cool and all...but like he said there's a lot of distractions. There's always someone in and out, and there's stuff moving around. It's tough. But yeah, we're getting shit done, little by little.
BNM - You said recently that with the new album, the music is going to be even heavier. Is the heaviness something that's just happened with what you've written or are you trying to do it? Is it a concerted effort on your part, or are you finding that what you're writing is in fact the heaviest stuff you've done so far?
Romeo - That's probably it. We don't really try to conciously do anything; we just try to let it happen. Even playing live...a lot of the stuff on The Odyssey, the heavier stuff, it's just a good vibe playing it. So for me, when putting riffs together it just kind of happened. I don't want people to get the wrong idea, that it's gonna be a Thrash album, it's gonna be like The Odyssey. Maybe the heavier riffs will be a little heavier, and maybe the melodic stuff will be a little more melodic. It's basically along the same lines.
BNM -The Odyssey is probably your most heralded album yet. Is this something in your mind, "we've got to top ourselves"?
Romeo - Always.
Pinnella - Always. It's hard.
BNM - Does that factor into the kind of style that's coming out with your writing...the fact that if you're writing something that's a little bit different that's never been heard before on any Symphony X record that you're thinking it's something new so maybe you shouldn't go for it. Do you not want to push the envelope too much? Or is that something you look forward to?
Romeo - (long pause) That's tough. That's a tough one.
Pinnella - I don't think we write anything that's so out there, that it doesn't sound like us.
Romeo - Yeah it's not gonna have this hip-hop part. We're not gonna go there. It's basically all the same kind of stuff. It's Metal, and then there's some of the Progressive elements and some of the Classical stuff. It's basically the same thing, but like you said it's trying to push the envelope...make it cooler, make the riffs maybe a little more groovin' & make some of the other parts a little more interesting.
BNM - Do you like to factor in the groove when you can, like a song like Wicked for instance?
Romeo - Oh yeah.
BNM - Groove is not a word I would normally use in the same sentence with Symphony X. Is that something you will explore if you come up with something.
Romeo - Oh yeah. If you come up with something and it's rockin' and it feels good...
Pinnella - And that song is still a heavy song, and it feels good...especially live. People get into it live.
BNM - On this tour you're only performing for about half an hour, and you're performing the same five songs throughout the tour?
Romeo - Yeah, pretty much.
BNM - Do you find yourselves thinking that you should change the setlist?
Romeo - We thought about what would be the best songs. A lot of things went into it, and one was the time.
Pinnella - That was the biggest factor.
BNM - That kind of takes away you performing The Odyssey.
Romeo - There's a lot of heavier bands on (Gigantour), so we didn't want to play anything too far removed from the vibe.
BNM - Does who you're performing with affect the songs you play? If you're surrounded by heavy bands, would you want to stick with the heavier stuff?
Romeo - Yeah, I think so. And we did a poll with the website. So we took all these things into consideration and thought those were the best songs to do. We were gonna do The Odyssey...just that.
BNM - Uhhhhhhhhh. (laughs) That would be interesting...one song and then you're gone.
Pinnella - It would be cool for our fans, but for new fans & those who've never heard us before...
Romeo - That would be sensory overload.
BNM - Your first two records are your least well-known, for obvious reasons. Would you perform any of those songs on your next headlining tour?
Pinnella - Maybe not the first album. It happened so fast, it was like a demo. We all just met. We didn't know what the hell was going on. We were trying to find our sound. and it didn't happen until Divine. The second record, I would say yes.
Romeo - Yeah, there some stuff on there that's good. The first record, like he said, it was like a demo.
BNM - Would you consider re-recording any of those songs for b-sides or bonus tracks for Japan?
Romeo - We talked about doing it...the first album. Some of the material on the first album is not too bad, but the production was bad. Our writing was just developing, so everything is not as smooth like on later albums.
BNM - I understand. It kind of has that band-in-progress vibe to it.
Pinnella - Yeah.
Romeo - Yeah, that's exactly what it was.
BNM - You hear it and and you can tell it was your first album. Now were you thinking about the entire album?
Romeo - Yeah, we'd redo the whole album with Russ singing, and good production. But then we were listening to it, and we said "we gotta change that, and we gotta do this different". But then it's like writing a whole new album. So we said...
BNM - So it's too much of an undertaking?
Romeo - Yeah. I think new songs is where it's at. If there ever is a time where we have a bunch of down time, maybe we will kick out one or two for, like you said, bonus tracks. But now we got our hands full with the new album.
BNM - Is the label pressuring you for a date (for the album).
Romeo - Of course.
BNM - Obviously they would, but Gigantour is too good of an opportunity to pass up. But they're breathing down your neck?
Romeo - A little. But they know we're doing this (Gigantour), and they know we're trying to work on the bus. We're doing everything we can. Of course they want it yesterday.
BNM - On your down time, when you're not performing, what are you finding yourselves doing while on Gigantour? Are you exploring the local areas, or are you just spending time on the bus? Maybe some other things you don't want to talk about? (laughs)
Pinnella - Not exploring too much.
Romeo - Coke, strippers. We've really just been trying to write. I've got some stuff set up in the back. Russ and some of the guys have been working on lyrics. Me and Mike have been in the back with the music. Most of the down time is really just that. Sure, we'll walk around a little and check out where we are. But most of the time we're working. Definitely this tour is the least amount of fun than any other tour we've been on because we know we have to get the album done.
BNM - Is this a great weight on your shoulders, this album?
Romeo - You try not to think about it, but the expectations from everybody and ourselves too...because we want to do the best we can do. And now we're put in this situation, a different environment to try and get it done. It's tough. But we'll do it.
BNM - Maybe it gives you that extra kick. Then again maybe not. (laughs)
Romeo - Maybe not.
BNM - Do you listen ot music while you're on tour?
Romeo - Sure.
BNM - If I were to rumage through your ipods & cds on this bus, what would I find?
Pinnella - I didn't bring any cds.
Romeo - I brought a couple, but when we write we try not to listen to too much stuff.
Pinnella - Yeah, because it pops up.
BNM - You find that affects your thinking?
Romeo - Yeah, a little bit.
Pinnella - It affects my thinking. I find myself writing something and not realizing it's...
Romeo - It's the same exact thing as what he heard yesterday.
Pinnella - Certain things, they stay in my head and then they come out a month later.
Romeo - I brought a couple of cds, just stuff I normally listen to, some old Sabbath, Priest, Kansas, Pantera.
BNM - Something I'd like to know is when you were little young Metalheads in your room playing the air-guitar, what was it to...KISS Alive!?
Romeo - In the very beginning?
BNM - Yes, this is before you picked up instruments.
Romeo - KISS Alive! Absolutely.
Pinnella - Deep Purple
Romeo - This guy...Barry Manilow.
Pinnella - Manilow...was it? (laughs) Deep Purple - Machine Head.
BNM - Do you prefer one line-up over the other? Are you one of those kind of guys?
Pinnella - Yeah. Blackmore, Gillan, Glover...
BNM - Do you have a favorite song?
Romeo - Copacabana
Pinnella - Pictures Of Home
Romeo - I love that song.
BNM - Yeah, that's a good song.
Pinnella - I like that whole album.
BNM - You had me going there about Barry Manilow. I admit I am a Barry Manilow fan.
Romeo - Ohhhhhhh god!
BNM - I heard him as a kid.
Pinnella - I heard him too.
BNM - This is back in the '70s when I was listening to KISS. I heard Barry Manilow all the time...couldn't get away from him in the '70s. Hey, a good song is a good song. Good melodies.
Pinnella - That's true.
BNM - So no Copacabana b-side for Symphony X.
Romeo - (laughs)
Pinnella - (laughs)
BNM - Now that would be a challenge.
On The Breath Of Poseidon
Prelude
Evolution
King Of Terrors
Wicked
In The Dragon's Den
Black Night Meditations - Originally Symphony X was not going to be participating in Gigantour. What pushed you over the edge to say, "yeah, we're going to do it"?
Romeo - Well, the reason we said we weren't going to do it was because we wanted to get the album done. That was the big thing. We were already behind schedule with the album. Things were taking longer than we thought. It was tough because we all thought (Gigantour) was a cool thing, but we said, "no, we've got to get the album done". And the more we thought about it, the more we realized we made a mistake. So we we're like "yeah, we gotta do it."
BNM - So push the new album aside...
Romeo - Yeah, and we figured we'd try to write on the bus and when we get back we'd buckle down and get it done. It was too good of a thing to pass up.
Pinnella - We're playing in a lot of markets we've never played in before, which is a good thing.
BNM - Are you the kind of guys who like to write while on tour?
Romeo - Well this is the first time we've ever tried it.
Pinnella - It's not easy. There are a lot of distractions.
BNM - Like visiting the towns you've never been to...
Pinnella - No, not that...just the fact that the bus is constantly moving. It's hard, physically.
Romeo - We're trying to work on the laptop, and the mouse is over here and shit is flying across the table. It's not easy.
BNM - The writing that you're doing, is it only for the new album?
Romeo - Oh yeah, it's trying to get it done.
BNM - About how far along are you?
Romeo - (long pause) We have a lot of things and a lot of ideas, but nothing really concrete.
Pinnella - Once we get that first concrete thing...
BNM - Once you get over the first hurdle, and then you see the light at the end of the tunnel?
Pinnella - Yeah, that's it.
BNM - And you're not feeling the vibe here on the bus?
Romeo - It's going; it's cool and all...but like he said there's a lot of distractions. There's always someone in and out, and there's stuff moving around. It's tough. But yeah, we're getting shit done, little by little.
BNM - You said recently that with the new album, the music is going to be even heavier. Is the heaviness something that's just happened with what you've written or are you trying to do it? Is it a concerted effort on your part, or are you finding that what you're writing is in fact the heaviest stuff you've done so far?
Romeo - That's probably it. We don't really try to conciously do anything; we just try to let it happen. Even playing live...a lot of the stuff on The Odyssey, the heavier stuff, it's just a good vibe playing it. So for me, when putting riffs together it just kind of happened. I don't want people to get the wrong idea, that it's gonna be a Thrash album, it's gonna be like The Odyssey. Maybe the heavier riffs will be a little heavier, and maybe the melodic stuff will be a little more melodic. It's basically along the same lines.
BNM -The Odyssey is probably your most heralded album yet. Is this something in your mind, "we've got to top ourselves"?
Romeo - Always.
Pinnella - Always. It's hard.
BNM - Does that factor into the kind of style that's coming out with your writing...the fact that if you're writing something that's a little bit different that's never been heard before on any Symphony X record that you're thinking it's something new so maybe you shouldn't go for it. Do you not want to push the envelope too much? Or is that something you look forward to?
Romeo - (long pause) That's tough. That's a tough one.
Pinnella - I don't think we write anything that's so out there, that it doesn't sound like us.
Romeo - Yeah it's not gonna have this hip-hop part. We're not gonna go there. It's basically all the same kind of stuff. It's Metal, and then there's some of the Progressive elements and some of the Classical stuff. It's basically the same thing, but like you said it's trying to push the envelope...make it cooler, make the riffs maybe a little more groovin' & make some of the other parts a little more interesting.
BNM - Do you like to factor in the groove when you can, like a song like Wicked for instance?
Romeo - Oh yeah.
BNM - Groove is not a word I would normally use in the same sentence with Symphony X. Is that something you will explore if you come up with something.
Romeo - Oh yeah. If you come up with something and it's rockin' and it feels good...
Pinnella - And that song is still a heavy song, and it feels good...especially live. People get into it live.
BNM - On this tour you're only performing for about half an hour, and you're performing the same five songs throughout the tour?
Romeo - Yeah, pretty much.
BNM - Do you find yourselves thinking that you should change the setlist?
Romeo - We thought about what would be the best songs. A lot of things went into it, and one was the time.
Pinnella - That was the biggest factor.
BNM - That kind of takes away you performing The Odyssey.
Romeo - There's a lot of heavier bands on (Gigantour), so we didn't want to play anything too far removed from the vibe.
BNM - Does who you're performing with affect the songs you play? If you're surrounded by heavy bands, would you want to stick with the heavier stuff?
Romeo - Yeah, I think so. And we did a poll with the website. So we took all these things into consideration and thought those were the best songs to do. We were gonna do The Odyssey...just that.
BNM - Uhhhhhhhhh. (laughs) That would be interesting...one song and then you're gone.
Pinnella - It would be cool for our fans, but for new fans & those who've never heard us before...
Romeo - That would be sensory overload.
BNM - Your first two records are your least well-known, for obvious reasons. Would you perform any of those songs on your next headlining tour?
Pinnella - Maybe not the first album. It happened so fast, it was like a demo. We all just met. We didn't know what the hell was going on. We were trying to find our sound. and it didn't happen until Divine. The second record, I would say yes.
Romeo - Yeah, there some stuff on there that's good. The first record, like he said, it was like a demo.
BNM - Would you consider re-recording any of those songs for b-sides or bonus tracks for Japan?
Romeo - We talked about doing it...the first album. Some of the material on the first album is not too bad, but the production was bad. Our writing was just developing, so everything is not as smooth like on later albums.
BNM - I understand. It kind of has that band-in-progress vibe to it.
Pinnella - Yeah.
Romeo - Yeah, that's exactly what it was.
BNM - You hear it and and you can tell it was your first album. Now were you thinking about the entire album?
Romeo - Yeah, we'd redo the whole album with Russ singing, and good production. But then we were listening to it, and we said "we gotta change that, and we gotta do this different". But then it's like writing a whole new album. So we said...
BNM - So it's too much of an undertaking?
Romeo - Yeah. I think new songs is where it's at. If there ever is a time where we have a bunch of down time, maybe we will kick out one or two for, like you said, bonus tracks. But now we got our hands full with the new album.
BNM - Is the label pressuring you for a date (for the album).
Romeo - Of course.
BNM - Obviously they would, but Gigantour is too good of an opportunity to pass up. But they're breathing down your neck?
Romeo - A little. But they know we're doing this (Gigantour), and they know we're trying to work on the bus. We're doing everything we can. Of course they want it yesterday.
BNM - On your down time, when you're not performing, what are you finding yourselves doing while on Gigantour? Are you exploring the local areas, or are you just spending time on the bus? Maybe some other things you don't want to talk about? (laughs)
Pinnella - Not exploring too much.
Romeo - Coke, strippers. We've really just been trying to write. I've got some stuff set up in the back. Russ and some of the guys have been working on lyrics. Me and Mike have been in the back with the music. Most of the down time is really just that. Sure, we'll walk around a little and check out where we are. But most of the time we're working. Definitely this tour is the least amount of fun than any other tour we've been on because we know we have to get the album done.
BNM - Is this a great weight on your shoulders, this album?
Romeo - You try not to think about it, but the expectations from everybody and ourselves too...because we want to do the best we can do. And now we're put in this situation, a different environment to try and get it done. It's tough. But we'll do it.
BNM - Maybe it gives you that extra kick. Then again maybe not. (laughs)
Romeo - Maybe not.
BNM - Do you listen ot music while you're on tour?
Romeo - Sure.
BNM - If I were to rumage through your ipods & cds on this bus, what would I find?
Pinnella - I didn't bring any cds.
Romeo - I brought a couple, but when we write we try not to listen to too much stuff.
Pinnella - Yeah, because it pops up.
BNM - You find that affects your thinking?
Romeo - Yeah, a little bit.
Pinnella - It affects my thinking. I find myself writing something and not realizing it's...
Romeo - It's the same exact thing as what he heard yesterday.
Pinnella - Certain things, they stay in my head and then they come out a month later.
Romeo - I brought a couple of cds, just stuff I normally listen to, some old Sabbath, Priest, Kansas, Pantera.
BNM - Something I'd like to know is when you were little young Metalheads in your room playing the air-guitar, what was it to...KISS Alive!?
Romeo - In the very beginning?
BNM - Yes, this is before you picked up instruments.
Romeo - KISS Alive! Absolutely.
Pinnella - Deep Purple
Romeo - This guy...Barry Manilow.
Pinnella - Manilow...was it? (laughs) Deep Purple - Machine Head.
BNM - Do you prefer one line-up over the other? Are you one of those kind of guys?
Pinnella - Yeah. Blackmore, Gillan, Glover...
BNM - Do you have a favorite song?
Romeo - Copacabana
Pinnella - Pictures Of Home
Romeo - I love that song.
BNM - Yeah, that's a good song.
Pinnella - I like that whole album.
BNM - You had me going there about Barry Manilow. I admit I am a Barry Manilow fan.
Romeo - Ohhhhhhh god!
BNM - I heard him as a kid.
Pinnella - I heard him too.
BNM - This is back in the '70s when I was listening to KISS. I heard Barry Manilow all the time...couldn't get away from him in the '70s. Hey, a good song is a good song. Good melodies.
Pinnella - That's true.
BNM - So no Copacabana b-side for Symphony X.
Romeo - (laughs)
Pinnella - (laughs)
BNM - Now that would be a challenge.
