|
Not quite as powerful as previous releases, but still a fine effort.-
|
| Symphony X: Iconoclast |
Power Metal, Progressive Metal
Nuclear Blast Records
June 21st, 2011
- Iconoclast - 10:53
- The End of Innocence - 5:29
- Dehumanized - 6:49
- Bastards of the Machine - 4:58
- Heretic - 6:26
- Children of a Faceless God - 6:22
- Electric Messiah - 6:15
- Prometheus (I Am Alive) - 6:48
- When All is Lost - 9:10
|
| Links |
| Review Information |
Release length: 1:03:10
Review posted on June 22nd, 2011
- |
|
| | Overall Score: 8/10 |
 |
|
|
| Discography |
Discography covers all information available up to day of review and is updated if future albums are reviewed. |
| Full-Length(s): |
Symphony X (1994) • The Damnation Game (1995) • The Divine Wings of Tragedy (1997) • Twilight in Olympus (1998)
V: The New Mythology Suite (2000) • The Odyssey (2002) • Paradise Lost (2007) • Iconoclast (2011)
|
| Split(s): |
Forsaken/Set the World on Fire (2007)
|
| Single(s): |
The End of Innocence (2011)
|
| Demo(s): |
Dance Macabre (1994)
|
| Compilation(s): |
Behind the Mask (1998) • Prelude to the Millennium (1998) • Rarities and Demos (2005)
|
| Live CD(s): |
Live on the Edge of Forever (2001)
|
|
| - |
| Review |
For years, Symphony X have delivered one quality release after another. Of the group's discography, their sixth studio full-length The Odyssey had really set the band apart from the rest, as well as set the expectations of every album to follow. With their previous album Paradise Lost, the group had delivered once more with a stunning epic Progressive Power Metal opus that took five years to finally see light on store shelves worldwide. Four years later, they muster all the strength they can offer for their latest powerhouse album, Iconoclast, but given the standards that the group have set for themselves, can this epic act meet the listener's expectations once again, or is Iconoclast just not able to meet the levels of quality that have been laid out in their more recent efforts?
It's practically impossible to walk into a Symphony X album and not expect a grand experience given their discography, as well as members and lineage each one has. Luckily, this band is always a group that manages to rise up to the expectations of their fans and never really disapoint, which happens to be the case here. Iconoclast is another strong Power Metal effort with plenty of Progressive elements. However, you may not pick up on this right away. Iconoclast actually starts off more as a traditional Power Metal effort that feels a little lacking in overall kick with the title track, "Iconoclast". The overall sound of the song leaves the beginning to sound a bit hollow, which is something that can be picked up on at times throughout the release as the bass seems to not really make much of a dominant presence on all tracks. This becomes disappointing in the long run when it does appear, like during the song "Electric Messiah" and it's more traditional Power Metal sound. However, when the music does pick up into the more epic approach the band is known for, thanks to choir vocals, stunning guitar and piano solos that display the best of the Progressive Metal mentality, as well as generally rich and tight music fueled by a fantastic amount of energy from the band, as well as the powerful vocals that share that same source of energetic and power and strength.
Luckily, not all songs have that slightly hollow feel to them. "The End of Innocence" was released as the album's lead single, and it really takes advantage of the bass nicely. The song itself isn't too Progressively technical, coming off more as a stronger Power Metal track with a little more technical input outside the obvious Progressive fused guitar solo, but that's where the bass shines through the most here as the band really gives the Power Metal music of this track a strong backbone, and it doesn't feel quite as simple and open as the start of "Iconoclast" and some other portions of that song. But, with that worry aside, the passionate vocal performance will have listeners belting along with chugging and more aggressive atmosphere of the song, but especially in the catchier chorus, especially after the surge of energy he or she receives from "Iconoclast" really kicks in. These two starting tracks really set up Iconoclast nicely, but there the title track actually feels a little misleading thanks to it's longer nature and the more epic music and atmospheres since this album really lacks them to that point. Of course, not all tracks have to really be over the top to feel epic, as the closing track "When All is Lost" shows us. The song is emotionally driven and really comes off stunning and beautiful, having some really passionate vocal work and music that builds throughout the song, then slowly dies back down to it's empty-in-a-good way piano driven ballad that it opened with.
Most of the material on here sounds more like "The End of Innocence", which is still a great thing. Songs like "Dehumanized" and "Bastards of the Machine" are fantastic tracks that really show a grittier, and often darker side of the band without any punches being pulled. But at the same time, some additional technical influences and Progressive measures would be nice outside of the solos like with "Heretic" and a couple other tracks on here. The only reason that this seems to become a bit of a dilemma is that as you progress through the release, it starts to actually build up a bit of a pattern to it, as this happens on pretty much every track, though some a little more grand compared to others. While it doesn't occur in every song, such as with "Children of a Faceless God", it's still enough to throw the listener off a bit considering the fact that the band doesn't necessarily do anything more with it outside those solos, and it ends up just feeling like the band showing off their skills and tease the listener a little bit.
Iconoclast also has it's mixes of ups and downs as far as songs go. There's a nice variety of tracks on here, and none really seem to lack any real kick to them aside the tracks that could have benefited from a stronger bass presence. However, there's no denying some of the tracks here, while not being bad in any sense, don't quite have that same energy the album starts with, or even the same passion that "The End of Innocence" and When All is Lost" give off. Basically there are some songs here that, while tradition Symphony X fashion, feel a little drawn out and can become a little boring or just come off bland during the first listen. "Heretic" for example isn't that bad a song and does incorporate that darker vibe to it through the keyboards, but then comes "Children of a Faceless God" which, though having a strong vocal performance, kind of feels like you're still listening to "Heretic". However, when listening to them back to back, it could be argued that they are somewhat conceptual thanks to some of the similarities between them and how they flow into one another so well. "Prometheus (I Am Alive)" is another track that has promise, but just doesn't really seem to deliver completely. The darker atmosphere feels fitting, but the music itself just feels like it drags on after a while, not because of it's more Progressive Metal foundation, but just due to the lack of a real energy to it, and that it just feels like the band is forcing the song the song along.
Iconoclast does not fail to deliver, but it does feel a little rough for Symphony X. The CD has it's pitfalls, such as more epic solos then anything that really matches in the song itself, and only a few songs managing to match that sort of over-the-top output that periodically hits songs. Aside that, a few songs simply are not as strong as they could be, and the bass does not feel as strong in the mix as it could have been, leaving some songs and parts of others to feel a little naked or hollow at times. Sadly, it's not the strongest Symphony X album recorded, but it's still a fine release from the band that fans will find plenty of reasons to come back to over time. But, there's no denying that Iconoclast starts off strong and energetic, ends as strong but with more passion then energy, and the reast of the album just doesn't always seem to grasp onto either end of the spectrum, leaving listeners skipping a song here or there after a couple of spins.
|
| - |
|
|
Digital review copy of this release provided by:
Nuclear Blast Records.
| Submit to Social Networks |
|
|
|
