SYMPHONY X: Still Making Quality Music After Twenty Years

Australia’s The Rockpit recently conducted an interview with vocalist Russell Allen of New Jersey progressive metal masters SYMPHONY X. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

The Rockpit: So [with SYMPHONY X‘s ninth studio album, titled “Underworld”] there was nothing particularly new as far as the writng and recording process — [it was] pretty much the same as you have always done it?

Russell: Yeah, pretty much. The process hardly changed at all. The only thing that was different was that I’m in a heck of a lot better shape than I used to be in the old days, so I got all my tracks done in eight days — from creating them to singing them to everything. I mean, Mike [Romeo, guitar] had a lot of the stuff written. There’s a ton of stuff to go off of — it’s not like he writes me a guide book and says sing this or whatever; that’s not how we do it. He does go, “I kinda like this there. What do you think?” “Oh, I like that, and it can go here too,” and he goes, “Oh, I like that too.” “Oh, okay. Great. Well, these words fit. I’ll make them fit.” “Okay. Great. What have you got? We need some lyrics? Okay. What are we talking about? Okay. Great. I’ve got this.” That first song, “Run With The Devil”, there’s no verses; it’s the one song that’s lyrics galore! It has the most lyrics on the whole record on that one song. So I sat down for an hour or so and just penned them and they just came right out. “What are we talking about? Where are we in the story? What’s happening?” He told me what, in time, needs to happen, what’s going on, and I just went. But I’ve been writing and recording and doing these projects, so my workflow is just a heck of a lot better these days than it used to be, so I’m definitely in a different place. So my process is definitely different than what it was in the past. It’s kind of like a muscle in your body and your brain is the same thing — you use your brain creatively and you’re creating and creating and you can really channel that inspiration in the moment and get something really good. When you’re fighting it all the time because you are so fustrated, it doesn’t happen, so I’ve kinda learned to just relax and let it flow, let the ideas come out. Just make that channeling vibe happen pretty quickly and stay focused and not lose focus during the sessions. That was the biggest thing for me.

The Rockpit: The last album (“Iconoclast”) was quite successful for you guys; it was received really well by the fans. The fans absolutely lapped it up and it was also quite heavy for you guys. Did you feel any pressure at all to outdo that one?

Russell: No, not really. The pressure is always there on ourselves to create the best record that we can, regardless of the one before it or after; you are always in the moment. But the truth of it is we don’t compare to each other like the fans do, because they are all different. This isn’t a story about technology killing the human spirit, this is a love story. So there’s deeper elements in it, there’s compassion. It’s not about betrayal except for the actual evil itself fooling you into thinking that everything is going to be okay. The last record was very aggressive because the content was aggressive, the lyrical content was aggressive. This album is different, so we didn’t feel we had to measure up to the last one, and the fans, they expect a certain thing, and so we try and just create the best record that we can. Of course, there are some things on the new record that are reminiscent of the last one, but that’s because we are the same band. [Laughs] Same five guys, but there’s a little bit of growth there too — also the same five guys who have grown up a little more in the past five years, so there’s a maturity on the record that was not on the last one. There’s a synergy on this album that wasn’t on the ones before it, because we are 20 years together now and there’s something to be said for that. To be still at the top of your game playing and still getting better and making quality music 20 years in. And that’s a special thing as it is. A lot of bands they just implode early on, and they get so much success, they just can’t handle it. They just shred to pieces before they can really mature, and all you are left with… sometimes it’s brilliant, like GUNS N’ ROSES‘ “Appetite For Destruction”, and then they did the “Use Your Illusion” thing and then they’re gone, that’s it. And you’re left with these brilliant rock albums that are just a flash in the pan, a moment in time, and that’s it. And then there’s other bands like RUSH that go for a lot of years and are able to continue to make good records. And we’re just one of those bands that are able to just stick it out and put out records all these years. I think this latest album definitely shows a maturity level that is reflected on our tenure that we’ve had in the business and together as a band, and the songwriting is just really solid, so I’m happy. There’s something on this record for everybody — fans of “Iconoclast”, fans of “Paradise Lost”, fans of “Divine” and the old stuff — so it’s a pretty well-rounded album.

Read the entire interview at The Rockpit.