Symphony X promise classic 9th album

Symphony X bassist Michael LePond has vowed the band’s ninth album will feature a return to their classic sound.

But he says the change of tone from 2011’s Iconoclast wasn’t a deliberate move.

LePond tells Talking Metal: “This album is not going to be as heavy as Iconoclast. If I had to compare this one, I would say it’s The Odyssey meets Paradise Lost. It has a lot of classic Symphony X elements in it, and I think our old fans are really going to appreciate this one. It’s very, very musical – it concentrates on solid songs and great melodies.”

Work continues on the recordings, with hopes of a release in the spring of 2015. “It wasn’t a conscious decision to go back to the older sound – it just happened,” says LePond. “That’s the way we write songs. We just start writing, and wherever it takes us, it takes us. But there’s a lot of really cool, classic Symphony X things in there. “

The band are currently compiling a second rarities album for release only to their fan club, and hope to release it before the end of the year.