It has been nearly a decade since Symphony X released Underworld, and the wait for its follow-up has been anything but short for the band’s loyal audience. In a recent conversation with Rev. Tom Brice of Sportzwire Radio, bassist Mike LePond provided a glimpse into the current state of affairs.
“We are getting closer. And, yeah, the fans they’re clamoring for a new album. I can’t blame ’em. It’s been 10 years. If Judas Priest didn’t come out with an album for 10 years, I’d be pretty mad too. We have been writing it. We have most of the parts kind of together,’ Lepond acknowledged (via Blabbermouth).
“Now it’s just a matter of recording it, really. So, it’s definitely coming. And if things stay on track the way they are, we’re thinking next year [it will be out], so we’re excited. I mean, the stuff sounds really, really cool. And believe me, I want you guys to hear it as soon as possible,” he added.
When asked about the direction of the new material, LePond suggested that the band is thinking broadly about its identity.
“Well, the Underworld record, I felt, encompassed a bunch of Symphony X styles. I think the new record, judging from what I’ve been hearing, it’s gonna be even more kind of be like a summary of Symphony X’s career, as far as our musical directions. ‘Cause we went in a few directions. There was a point in our career where we got noticeably heavier and a little more straighter.”
Part of the reason fans have had to wait so long is the intense standard the band holds itself to.
“With Symphony X, there’s tremendous pressure on us to consistently do great records. Our fans they’re really diehard fans, and they’re so supportive, and they expect only excellence from us. So that’s always in the back of our mind. So, if we’re working on something and maybe it’s good, but we’re not sure, we won’t use it. We’re only gonna put songs on the record that we feel are excellent and worthy of the fans. So absolutely that plays a role. But the other things too — you had COVID, and in and out of touring. Once you start touring, then you forget about the writing, and then you come back to it, and then you forget where you left off, and you start again.”
This mix of perfectionism, pandemic delays, and touring cycles has stretched the gap between albums into a full decade — something the band is eager to resolve.
Even as the new music comes together, Symphony X are preparing to hit the stage again. Next month, they will begin a North American co-headlining tour with Finland’s Sonata Arctica, kicking off September 4 in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, and wrapping up on September 29 in Red Bank, New Jersey.
