V Appreciation Thread

[Liampie]

Aggressive or not, I can't see a LONG song go horribly wrong. I see a clear correlation between song lenght and how much I like it.

Good 'news'!

 

[Detective Clarence Beauregard]

That's true for me, too, at least with Symphony X. I generally consider their 10+ minute songs to be their best, but not just because of their length; they're simply more intricate and interesting songs to me. I want to be taken on a musical journey (as cheesy as that sounds). Songs like "Bastards of the Machine" just don't cut it for me.

 

[Postulate]

I totally see where this is coming from and can agree with some of the points made. I don't have a problem with people not liking Iconoclast.

I get annoyed when people act like they're better than the people who like Iconoclast (an imaginary group that doesn't even exist as an entity separate of SX fans generally) because the like the old stuff better. I get annoyed when people jump on the hipsterish bandwagon of automatically hating on the new stuff because liking older, supposedly less-known material is cool (obviously a phenomenon outside fans of SX as well). I get annoyed when people act like they somehow know that Romeo is either selling out or has been enslaved by Allen's preference for more straightforward material because they can't possibly accept that their hero is most likely writing exactly what he wants to write.

Preferrences aside, letting things not related to the actual music infuence your attitude towards said music is retarded. And I'll be damned if this isn't something that happens even on this very forum to some extent.

Your hypothesis doesn't seem to account for the fact that the same people who supposedly dislike Iconoclast because it is newer and more well-known also do not generally favor the debut album, which is the oldest and least well-known of SX's albums, over Divine Wings, V, etc., which are newer and more famous.

So there goes that theory.

 

[Detective Clarence Beauregard]

Your hypothesis doesn't seem to account for the fact that the same people who supposedly dislike Iconoclast because it is newer and more well-known also do not generally favor the debut album, which is the oldest and least well-known of SX's albums, over Divine Wings, V, etc., which are newer and more famous.

So there goes that theory.

So very true.

To me, Divine Wings through (and including) The Odyssey is their high point. The debut would have been just as good (if not better) than Damnation Game if Russ had done the vocals, although the production on both albums is quite bad.

My dislike for Iconoclast and PL isn't because it's more "well-known." It's because the music just isn't as good. The magic (trying not to sound too cheesy) is gone; it's just mostly generic "tuf guy" metal now. Any metal band can write generic metal, but I prefer Symphony X to write the powerful, progressive stuff. I want a song to take me on a journey, not feature just "cool riffs, bro."

 

[Prog is King]

That's true for me, too, at least with Symphony X. I generally consider their 10+ minute songs to be their best, but not just because of their length; they're simply more intricate and interesting songs to me. I want to be taken on a musical journey (as cheesy as that sounds). Songs like "Bastards of the Machine" just don't cut it for me.

So very true.

To me, Divine Wings through (and including) The Odyssey is their high point. The debut would have been just as good (if not better) than Damnation Game if Russ had done the vocals, although the production on both albums is quite bad.

My dislike for Iconoclast and PL isn't because it's more "well-known." It's because the music just isn't as good. The magic (trying not to sound too cheesy) is gone; it's just mostly generic "tuf guy" metal now. Any metal band can write generic metal, but I prefer Symphony X to write the powerful, progressive stuff. I want a song to take me on a journey, not feature just "cool riffs, bro."

My thoughts as well. I also like the journey SX's older material takes me on. While I like PL and Iconoclast, those two just don't move me like Divine Wings, V or The Odyssey.

 

[Sauna]

Your hypothesis doesn't seem to account for the fact that the same people who supposedly dislike Iconoclast because it is newer and more well-known also do not generally favor the debut album, which is the oldest and least well-known of SX's albums, over Divine Wings, V, etc., which are newer and more famous.

So there goes that theory.

That only addresses one third of my so called "theory", and doesn't even effectively debunk it. Of course people would rather be a part of a cool minority than be the only one that prefers something. It's not ultimately about how old or unknown the stuff is (although those are two big factors), but about how much prog-cred or whatever one perceives he can gain.

Surely anyone interested in seeing my actual point about this has done so already (and if you haven't, read the last two sentences of my last post again), so let's not start going over the minor details. I'd rather have this thread get back to V appreciation.

 

[Marwen]

Relax, Sauna. Knowing the guys here, I don't think anybody here is trying to look cool or anything like that. They just really love the old SymX. As for the stuff about Romeo/Allen's preference etc, I thought it was clear that they're mere speculations. You know how wrong those can get.

What's lame is when we people get all worked up and start arguing over MUSIC.

 

[Postulate]

That only addresses one third of my so called "theory", and doesn't even effectively debunk it. Of course people would rather be a part of a cool minority than be the only one that prefers something. It's not ultimately about how old or unknown the stuff is (although those are two big factors), but about how much prog-cred or whatever one perceives he can gain.

Surely anyone interested in seeing my actual point about this has done so already (and if you haven't, read the last two sentences of my last post again), so let's not start going over the minor details. I'd rather have this thread get back to V appreciation.

I don't think I was arguing over a detail - your main point was that people dislike Iconoclast because it's newer and more popular, and that claim is false. Seems like everyone here discusses at length which albums they like based on musical qualities alone (with exception granted to that one time someone accused Russell Allen of trying to sound black).

I'm not sure what "cool group" anyone is supposed to be a part of - if you're really trve metal you don't stop listening to Gorguts and Burzum long enough to give any of SX's material any attention anyway. And if you're tr00 pr0g, you're probably off to hear something with more bassoon noodling.

 

[Sauna]

I don't think I was arguing over a detail - your main point was that people dislike Iconoclast because it's newer and more popular, and that claim is false.

I was afraid this might happen. My claim was at no point that that's the reason people dislike IC, but that it might be a factor for some, even though it obviously shouldn't.

Seems like everyone here discusses at length which albums they like based on musical qualities alone

Yeah, this is how it usually goes, and that's cool. Every now and then, however, there are posts that are written with the presupposition that all intelligent beings will prefer the older stuff, and only some lesser life-forms might prefer the new stuff. It's difficult not to be aggravated by that.

I feel like I'm repeating myself for the about the millionth time already. Am I really being that unclear with what I'm trying to say?

What's lame is when we people get all worked up and start arguing over MUSIC.

You write blasphemy! This is serious business!

 

[Detective Clarence Beauregard]

Seems like everyone here discusses at length which albums they like based on musical qualities alone (with exception granted to that one time someone accused Russell Allen of trying to sound black).

Hahaha, please refresh my memory of said incident. I don't recall it but it sounds absolutely hilarious.

 

[Postulate]

Hahaha, please refresh my memory of said incident. I don't recall it but it sounds absolutely hilarious.

I forgot who it was, but someone said he was trying to pull a "gangsta" accent in Walls of Babylon when he says "RIIIDAAAZZ"

It turned into a really loud, dumb debate.

 

[Detective Clarence Beauregard]

I forgot who it was, but someone said he was trying to pull a "gangsta" accent in Walls of Babylon when he says "RIIIDAAAZZ"

It turned into a really loud, dumb debate.

Haha, I remember that now! Almost as funny as "beating down the ma'am!"

 

[ItsOjMang]

On Someone calling it Communication and the Oracle..

I searched V front and back but I couldn't find such a song!

An old post but lmaonaise

 

[Marwen]

or the "too many blood. wrong way for symx". Best critique of IC to date.

 

[Sauna]

From creative point of view "Iconoclast" looks great ,but cd booklet is not so good ...so many blood ...wrong way for SX

Martin Popoff could learn a thing or two from this guy.

 

[Detective Clarence Beauregard]

or the "too many blood. wrong way for symx". Best critique of IC to date.

Best review ever.

 

[Harris The Epic]

I appreciate this album. More than you can possibly imagine.
For me to go into exactly how much I appreciate and admire this album would either make you all crack up, or it would bring the thread to a screeching halt.
Everybody is/was talking about the music, and while the music is awesome and the entire reason it's my favorite Symphony X album, what's peoples' opinions on the lyrics and the concept/subject of the album?

 

[donKyle]

I appreciate this album. More than you can possibly imagine.
For me to go into exactly how much I appreciate and admire this album would either make you all crack up, or it would bring the thread to a screeching halt.
Everybody is/was talking about the music, and while the music is awesome and the entire reason it's my favorite Symphony X album, what's peoples' opinions on the lyrics and the concept/subject of the album?

....You don't bathe with it, do you?

 

[Lagtastic]

I really have to say that the V album is my favorite album of all time of any genre. It's just a special piece of art, start to finish. As I'm sure you guys know, they used to have the story of the album posted on the old website, but I can't find it on the new one for some reason.


There are just so many reasons. Romeo and Pinella's usage of the Harmonic Minor scale really came into perfection here inside the riffs and melodies. The guitar solos have a unique feel. There are less of the octave based licks, root position 3/5 string sweeps, and Minor7 tapped arpeggios that were extremely prevalent in the previous 3 albums(not saying I don't love that stuff as well, it's just nice to see a little progression in his soloing). He used many more unique legato lines(and we saw even more of this progression in his solos on Odyssey). The epic opening into Evolution, the insane polyrhythm sections in Communion, Rullo's work in Absence of Light and Death of Balance, the riffs and Bach solo section in Fools Paradise, etc. The story, the dynamics, the tone, the riffs.

 

[Harris The Epic]

....You don't bathe with it, do you?

I would if it wasn't weird... Is that weird?