Your Opinion: Which music inspired Symphony X?

[JayKeeley]

I'm curious, but which artists influences do you hear when you listen to Symphony X? In particular, which artists from the late 60's or 70's? Obvious comparisons to DT etc have been done to death, but I'm trying to locate the real source of inspiration.

On songs like "The Accolade" and "Communion & the Oracle", for example, I hear a definite strand of Mike Oldfield (Tubular Bells era), but in talking to Mike Romeo, he doesn't cite them as an influence as much as, say, John Williams (obviously apparent on "The Odyssey").

Those plucked strings and piano pieces that SyX play are stunning, and I figure that with the 70's vibe, there must be other bands/artists that did this kind of stuff before.

:Spin:

 

[Strychnos]

as far as I know, I see shades of John Williams vividly in "The Accolade".
I don't know of any styles of artists during the 70s that I'd see in one Symphony X song.

There are the obvious nods to classical music though.

 

[Yngvai X]

I think Pantera is a pretty obvious influence on their heavier stuff...and on Mikes solo album he really rips off Cacophony a lot (not that thats a bad thing hehe).

 

[WhoFooldU]

Those plucked strings and piano pieces that SyX play are stunning, and I figure that with the 70's vibe, there must be other bands/artists that did this kind of stuff before.

:Spin:

Kansas. Definitely Kansas inspired Romeo. Masque would probably be on his all time favorites list.

Glenn

 

[SilentRealm]

I think if u look at their bio's especially Mike Romeo's..he says what bands influenced him, so i would think he based some of his style on that, and just added his own personal tastes to make SyX what it is today.

 

[Polyeidus]

Randy Rhoads, Al DiMeola, Yngwie Malmsteen, Alan Holdsworth, Uli Roth, J.S. Bach, G. Holst, I. Stravinsky, John Williams, Led Zeppelin, CSN, Van Halen, Pink Floyd, AIC, Willie Nelson, Iron Maiden, Rick Wakeman, Keith Emerson, Jon Lord, W.A. Mozart, F. Chopin.

Out of Mike and Russ's influences, I clearly hear Willie Nelson and Al Di Miola coming out most on songs like Damnation Game, A Fools Paradise, and Inferno.

 

[JayKeeley]

Thanks - that's excellent. I hear Kansas mentioned often, so I am intrigued to say the least.

Out of Mike and Russ's influences, I clearly hear Willie Nelson and Al Di Miola coming out most on songs like Damnation Game, A Fools Paradise, and Inferno.

Wow - Willie Nelson?

 

[rockmanxpr]

after listening to Masque and Leftoverature, Kansas has to be a big influence on Mike, and that's a good thing! i would love to hear them do a cover of "the Pinacle" , it's definetly got the Accolade theme to it

 

[Pharaoh]

IMO....Kansas more than any other 70's bands. I hear Queen as an influence on earlier SymX songs as well. Also movie soundtrack music such as "Star Wars" and some Disney movies are obvious in most.

 

[Polyeidus]

Thanks - that's excellent. I hear Kansas mentioned often, so I am intrigued to say the least.



Wow - Willie Nelson?

Heheheh, I think I was joking. I thought it was funny, not that they list Willie as an influence, but that I said I could hear his influence coming out of those tunes.

 

[Dado-x]

IMO....Kansas more than any other 70's bands. I hear Queen as an influence on earlier SymX songs as well.

I agree. Kansas and Queen are most obvious ones. Especially the s/t is packed with Bohemian Rhapsody-isms (see: Raging Season).

 

[The Stormbringer]

In my opinion, the Queen influences are not only obvious in earlier SX songs... just listen to the chorus of "Church of the Machine", it could hardly get more Queen-ish.

 

[OfSinsAndShred]

OMG, Queen is everywhere in Symphony X. Out of the Ashes sounds like a Queen song (the "mother will you help me" part)... The choirs in "The Bird-Serpent War" sound a lot like Queen, too.

Kansas is another big one.

You can definately tell Russel is a Zeppelin fan, and he mentions them in like every interview - he seems like a big classic rocker. If you read the liner notes on the song "Incantations of the Apprentice", Russ says he had wanted a song with silent gaps for the vocals... my guess is that was inspired by "Black Dog" and "War Pigs" and stuff.

And obviously classical. A lot of the early stuff was very Yngwie-esque, too.

Polyeidus basically has the king of Symphony X inspiration lists.