Symphony X guitarist Michael Romeo to release War Of The Worlds solo album

(Image credit: Danny Sanchez)
Michael Romeo - War Of The Worlds Pt. 1

1. Introduction
2. Fear Of The Unknown
3. Black
4. F*cking Robotos
5. Djinn
6. Believe
7. Difference
8. War Machine
9. Oblivion
10. Constellations

Symphony X guitarist Michael Romeo has revealed that he’ll release a solo album this summer.

The record is titled War Of The Worlds Pt. 1 and it’ll launch on July 27 via Music Theories Recordings/Mascot Label Group. 

Romeo recorded the bulk of the record over an 18-month period at his home studio with vocalist Rick Castellano, bassist John “JD” DeServio and drummer John Macaluso.

War Of The Worlds Pt. 1 is said to pay homage to “film score giants Bernard Hermann and John Williams” and will also features EDM/dubstep elements.

Romeo explains: “It’s me putting all the things I love about music in a blender. Somebody might listen to it and say, ‘What is this guy thinking?’ But it's all about being creative and having a good time with it.

“My fans might think I’ve lost my mind on this one!”

Romeo and bassist DeServio went to the same high school, with the guitarist revealing that they had always wanted to record together.

Romeo adds: “This was the perfect opportunity. The planets finally aligned, and we were able to work together. It was great to have him play on it.”

The guitarist says that part two of the album is “already finished” and adds: “It just needs a few vocals, a couple of solos and a few tweaks here and there. 

“I want people to absorb the first one for a while, and then we’ll put out the second record. They’ll complement each other, but they’ll also be a bit different.”

To mark the album announcement, Romeo has launched a lyric video for Black which can be found below.

Scott Munro
Louder e-commerce editor

Scott has spent more than 30 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in the summer of 2014 before moving to the e-commerce team in 2020. Scott maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, scouts out the best deals for music fans and reviews headphones, speakers, books and more. He's written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog and has previous written for publications including IGN, the Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from daily news and weekly features, to video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.