My Top Live Band of 2024: Symphony X

My Top Live Band of 2024: Symphony X – by Justin Smulison.

With trips To ‘Paradise’ and the ‘Underworld,’ Symphony X delivered the standout metal performance of 2024.

Live shows still provide a thrill for me. I’m one of those people who still gets excited for new music and who wants to experience a performer or group live in the hopes of exceeding an expectation or hearing the songs in a new way.

While I didn’t attend too many live shows in 2024, the best performance undoubtedly occurred June 2 at Mulcahy’s in Wantagh, Long Island – a mid-size venue that attracts international acts like Exodus and Accept – when Symphony X took the stage with support from Heathen.

Formed in the 1980s, Heathen is a respected thrash quintet from the San Francisco Bay area with four LPs under their belt. Co-Founding guitarist Lee Altus has been a member of Exodus since 2005 and restarted Heathen at the turn of the century. Their most recent album, Empire of the Blind, was released in 2020 and demonstrated how they can remain true to thrash foundations while branching into the occasional prog and power territory on songs like “The Blight” and “Sun In My Hand.” They play with intensity, but the highlight of their set was the dynamic dual soloing and that level of musicianship served as the proper introduction for the headliner.

Hailing from New Jersey, Symphony X is more than just a metal band. Their albums are frequently concepts comprised of classical, prog, thrash, power and all sorts of musical and vocal nuances that command your attention.

I had not yet seen the band and despite my bias, I had to experience for myself if the quintet could deliver the same impact on the stage as they do in-studio. And they did, on every level.

Opening with the title track from Iconoclast, a nearly 11-minute rocker. The first two-and-a-half minutes allow the musicians – guitarist Michael Romeo, bassist Michael LePond, keyboardist Michael Pinnella and drummer Jason Rullo to demonstrate their technical abilities and showcase that they could be an equally successful instrumental metal group.

But they raise the stakes when singer Russell Allen steps on stage – connecting with the audience and soaking in the eruption before launching into lyrics about a future, technology-driven dystopia and the rebellion rising.

Next, the band immediately launched into “Nevermore,” off Underworld (released 2015, their most recent studio album), which was one of my favorite songs of the catalogue. I rushed to stage left to see Romeo play this tune to believe my own eyes – indeed he does play such a fast and controlled guitar lead (that also served as a harmony to the chorus).

“Inferno” followed in a similar vein – further demonstrating that metal can be more than just chugga-chugging power chords and growled vocals. About mid-set they slowed it down with “Without You,” a heavy tune but as close to a ballad as they’ll get. This gave the audience a chance to collectively catch their breath and enjoy some of the subtleties of the keys during the bridge.

The set continued with more from Underworld, Paradise Lost and Iconoclast, (largely focusing on releases since 2000) with one track, “Sea of Lies,” from 1996’s The Divine Wings of Tragedy. Where other singers might stand there like a plant to ensure they hit their marks and get the lyrics right, Allen was very much interacting with the audience and acting out as much of the songs’ narratives where applicable – and with songs about traversing Hell, maritime voyages and dystopian futures, he had no shortage of inspiration.

It’s also worth mentioning that LePond and Rullo are top-level players, but the music does not allow for lots of improvisation and so they “settle” for establishing themselves as one of the tightest rhythm sections I’ve ever heard.

The band seemed genuinely grateful for the responses from their audience and returned with an encore consisting of a dynamic solo from Pinnella before closing out with three more fan favorites – “Paradise Lost,” “Run with the Devil,” and “Set the World on Fire.”

Symphony X is the first band in a while to provide the “shock and awe” I remember feeling when experiencing live shows as a teenager. I hope they can capture the same energy as they prepare their next album, and premiere new batch of live hits.