It’s been a huge week for prog spectacles in London. With Dream Theater playing on the other side of town, Symphony X roll into the east bring their hyper-technical metal to the table, and they have set their lasers to stun.
[date]19th February 2016[/date]
[venue]Islington Assembly Hall[/venue]
[city]London, UK[/city]
[support_bands]Myrath, Melted Space[/support_bands]
One would think with Dream Theater playing on the same evening that the venue might struggle to find a full capacity. Nope. The entire venue is sold out tonight, packed to the breeches of progressive faithful, to pay homage to the band that has inspired so many instrumentalists that you could probably populate a small country. Symphony X are back in town after a good while away, and they bring with them an array of rising talent, including Tunisian head-turners Myrath, and theatrical French metallers Melted Space.
Melted Space
I discovered just before the show that French outfit Melted Space is a one man project whose aim is to bring out and enhance dramatic factor’s in metal. And from the moment the music hit go, the flurry of talent that stormed the stage was very interesting indeed. A range of vocalists covered the front line with dedicated sounds including death vocals, soaring vocals and tense operatic vocals.
As the show progressed the diversity in music and vocals was stapled together by what was a tempo that was generally consistent, and it suddenly struck me that it was quite reminiscent of early Theatre of Tragedy. Not that Melted Space were a carbon copy, but the performance definitely painted along the veins in terms of style and visual display. It was an entertaining performance, though you got the vibes that the live show is the key factor of success building in this band as opposed to the music. I look forward to see how the career of the band progresses!
Myrath
Myrath are one of those bands that have been gaining a lot of traction lately. Arguably in the last couple of weeks releasing their stunning ‘Believer‘ video that took a live take on Prince of Persia with a simply epic track backing it. The band have been dormant for quite sometime, but I have been a fan ever since catching a one-off show in the USA some years ago.
Being from Tunisia, their cultural and music influences have added something truly unique to the metal scene, and there is a clear love and passion for what they do both live and on record. Having just listened to the stunning new ‘Legacy‘ album, Myrath were a band I was particularly looking forward tonight.
Rather than instantly promote their new album, Myrath look to their back catalogue tonight starting with their progressive monster ‘Storm of Lies‘, and I was very surprised at just how fans knew who this band were. While most take the opportunity to grab a beer during a support band, most of the front floor was occupied, and a good few were singing along to a lot of the lyrics.
It’s the Arabian-infused ‘Believer‘ that got that reminder of the crowd’s attention, the pinnacle of the unique flavours Myrath have to offer with their metal. It’s something you wouldn’t see played by a progressive band, and not from a country you’d expect to see a prog band from. It’s simply fantastic.
With the closing of ‘Duat‘, it’s clear Myrath are on their way to being something special in the metal scene, and we do hope the ride the storm on their brand new release to get there!
Symphony X
In all the years I have been a Symphony X fan, I have never had the opportunity to see them live, and finally in 2016, they roll into town! The complexity of their music has always been something I have been in great awe of, and so much if it is in high tempo that I’ve often wondered if it really comes off live that well. I am about to find out…
As the musicians casually stroll on stage and start ripping into their new opener ‘Nevermore‘, and answers every question I’ve ever had about a live Symphony X performance. The sound was perfect, everything was in sync and everyone was clearly enjoying their time on stage.
What was a surprise to me is how much frontman Russell Allen knows how to work the stage. Running around taking every square inch of the platform, he absorbs the audience into what’s going on, and with technical music that is something quite remarkable, especially since most were expecting the Michael Romeo show.
But saying that, the musicians are simply phenomenal, with particular light being shed on said Michael Romeo. His guitar work is so effortless you could almost hear jaws dropping over the crushing sounds of ‘Kiss of Fire‘ and the superhuman shredding that was included in the interlude. The sound was just perfect, crisp clear leads with soaring keys and striking vocals. That is definitely what you want to hear from a progressive-power band.
The band continue to play the entire ‘Underworld‘ album as a theatre piece, while Dream Theater played the entire ‘The Astonishing‘ on the other side of town. The fan that stood in the middle of these two magnificent albums must be weeping with indifference somewhere in Holborn. But tracks like ‘To Hell and Back‘ and ‘Charon‘ come off massive live, even with Russell Allen using a few Venetian style props to add an extra effect. A bra was even thrown on stage at one point. A rarity in progressive metal, but that’s how good it was.
As the show neared it’s end the band served up the classics of ‘Out of the Ashes‘ and of course ‘Sea of Lies‘, with that solo that metaphorically castrates any aspiring guitarist, but it is such a pleasure to watch.
Having been together with the same line-up for 20 years this band know what they are doing. They know each other and they know exactly what to do to put on a riveting live show. In that hour and a half they have completely justified why they have been so influential in metal, and inspired so many of the huge performers you see today. I am ashamed of myself for not having seen this band before, and believe me, I will be the first person in line to get tickets for the next one.
