SYMPHONY X: New Audio Interview With RUSSELL ALLEN

May 15, 2011

On May 11, The Age Of Metal conducted an interview with vocalist Russell Allen of New Jersey progsters SYMPHONY X at the Marquee Theatre in Tempe, Arizona. You can now listen to the chat in several parts below.

"The End Of Innocence" and "Dehumanized", two brand new songs from SYMPHONY X, can be streamed on the band's Facebook page. The tracks come off the group's ninth studio album, "Iconoclast", which will be released in Europe on June 17 and in North America on June 21 via Nuclear Blast Records.

Illustrator and film concept artist Warren Flanagan ("Watchmen", "The Incredible Hulk", "2012") is the talent behind the album artwork. He states, "The idea was to create imagery that was a little darker in tone to previous SYMPHONY X albums and to represent the overall theme of 'Iconoclast' into the artwork. The whole concept came from [SYMPHONY X guitarist] Mike [Romeo], who had a strong idea of what the cover should represent based off the music. I just ran with it. When the album's title was decided on, I focused the image based on the meaning of it. I also wanted to use the band's signature 'masks' but present them in a way that connected to the new album."

SYMPHONY X founder and lead guitarist Michael Romeo has the following to say about Flanagan's art: "We worked with Warren on the last CD, 'Paradise Lost', and have a good relationship with him. When I talk to Warren about artwork ideas, a lot of times we end up making comparisons to films and movies. With the new CD, 'Iconoclast', the music and lyrics have a darker mechanical/technological theme, and I remember us talking about scenes from films like 'The Matrix' and 'Terminator'. From there, we sent him some songtitles and lyrics (songs like 'Dehumanized', 'Bastards Of The Machine', 'Electric Messiah') and just let Warren run with the ball. He has a great imagination and style, and he totally gets what we are trying to convey with the music."

The track listing for the jewel-cased version of "Iconoclast" is:

01. Iconoclast
02. The End Of Innocence
03. Dehumanized
04. Bastards Of The Machine
05. Heretic
06. Children Of A Faceless God
07. Electric Messiah
08. Prometheus (I Am Alive)
09. When All Is Lost

The track listing for the 2-CD special edition digipak version of "Iconoclast" is:

CD 1:

01. Iconoclast
02. The End Of Innocence
03. Dehumanized
04. Bastards Of The Machine
05. Heretic
06. Children Of A Faceless God
07. When All Is Lost

CD 2:

01. Electric Messiah
02. Prometheus (I Am Alive)
03. Light Up The Night
04. The Lords Of Chaos
05. Reign In Madness

SYMPHONY X kicked off a North American headlining tour this past Thursday night (April 21) in Philadelphia with support from Boston's POWERGLOVE and Montreal's BLACKGUARD.

Q: How has the tour been so far?

Q: What can you tell us about the concept of the new SYMPHONY X album, "Iconoclast"?

Q: It has been four years since SYMPHONY X released "Paradise Lost". What have you been doing since then?

Q: How was the experience of working with SYMPHONY X guitarist Michael Romeo in the role of producer on the new album?

Q: I heard that SYMPHONY X is working on a new DVD. How is that coming along?

Q: How does the current progressive metal scene compare to what it was when SYMPHONY X first started out?

Q: How was the experience of working with Arjen Lucassen on STAR ONE?

Q: What is next for SYMPHONY X?

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