Symphony X will release their ninth album titled Underworld on July 24, the band have announced.
It’s the follow-up to 2011’s Iconoclast and will be issued via Nuclear Blast.
Bassist Michael LePond last year said the album would see a return to their classic sound. And guitarist Michael Romeo reports while that remains the case, Underworld has its own character.
He says: “Every song is to-the-point and fine-tuned, with us paying a lot of attention to the hooks, voices, riffs, and keeping the interest and the energy high for the entire record.
“It is heavy and aggressive as fuck when it needs to be, yet soaring and emotional at other times. I think the balance is just right. It had to have all the elements of what we normally would do, just tweaked up a notch.”
While Romeo insists it was important for the New Jersey outfit to concentrate on the individual tracks, the band wanted Underworld to be “a total listening experience from start to finish.”
He continues: “I wanted to defend the reputation of the album, and really try to make Underworld worth listening to as a whole record.
“It’s what I love about great individual songs but still an album experience. I don’t want to sound like I’m preaching, but it was a point we wanted to make. It all makes sense together, it all works together and it all flows together.”
Underworld is available to pre-order via Nuclear Blast’s online store.
Underworld tracklist
- Overture 2. Nevermore 3. Underworld 4. Without You 5. Kiss Of Fire 6. Charon 7. Hell And Back 8. In My Darkest Hour 9. Run With The Devil 10. Swansong 11. Legend
