SYMPHONY X 'Almost Done' Recording New Album

In true "no update until there's something to say" form, New Jersey's progressive metal masters SYMPHONY X have been quiet as of late. Don't let the silence fool you, though; they've been busy. So busy, in fact, that the new CD is almost done!

Recording of the drums, lead vocals, rhythm guitar, and bass — a.k.a. the bulk of the as-yet-untitled new album — is complete. In the next few weeks, the keyboards, guitar solos, background vocals, and some miscellaneous odds and ends will be done, with the goal to have everything recorded by the end of the month.

Comments SYMPHONY X guitarist and songwriter Michael Romeo: "The plan was to have everything tracked by Christmas, and we're pretty much on schedule. Things are moving at a good pace, and the songs are starting to come to life. More on that down the road a bit."

Regarding the musical direction of the new SYMPHONY X material, SYMPHONY X bassist Michael LePond told the "Talking Metal" podcast: "I think this album is not gonna be as heavy as our last one, 'Iconoclast'. If I had to compare this one, I would say it's a combination of [2002's] 'The Odyssey' meets [2007's] 'Paradise Lost'. It has a lot of classic SYMPHONY X elements in it, and I think our old fans are really gonna appreciate this one. So we're really excited about it. And hopefully we can get it all recorded by the end of the year and then hopefully get it released early spring."

According to LePond, "It wasn't a conscious decision to go back to the older sound; it just kind of happened. That's the way we write songs. We just start writing songs, and wherever it takes us, it takes us. But there's a lot of really cool, classic SYMPHONY X things in there. It's very, very musical. It concentrates just more on solid songs and great melodies."

The bassist also spoke about SYMPHONY X's continued success and seeming ability to gain new fans without compromising the musical ideals that form its core identity.

"One thing that's really amazing about SYMPHONY X and about our fans is, it seems like every record, we move up a little bit more, we get just a little bit more popular," he said. "We don't jump up into stardom; it's a slow climb. I mean, the band's been together just about 20 years now, and it just seems like with every album, our fan base grows just a little bit more, and we've been able to hold the old fans too. So, thankfully, we're still growing."

He continued: "It's always an amazing thing to see someone really young discovering SYMPHONY X. It just gives you the gas to keep going and just keep working hard."

SYMPHONY X's ninth studio album, "Iconoclast", sold more than 7,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 76 on The Billboard 200 chart.

The band's previous CD, "Paradise Lost", opened with around 6,500 copies back in July 2007.

"Iconoclast" was released in June 2011 via Nuclear Blast Records.