Michael James Romeo (born March 6, 1968) is the guitarist and a founding me… Read Full Bio ↴Michael James Romeo (born March 6, 1968) is the guitarist and a founding member of the progressive metal group Symphony X.
Michael began playing guitar at age 14 and takes his influences from a wide of range sources including Randy Rhoads, Steve Vai, Marty Friedman, Al DiMeola, J.S. Bach, John Williams and Frank Zappa, although he draws most heavily from a neo-classical style reminiscent of Yngwie Malmsteen. Despite this, Michael manages to maintain an identifiable signature that sets him apart from other players in this genre by fusing exotic scales and arpeggios (such as the half-diminished, whole tone and Egyptian scale), non-standard rhythms, time signatures and a raw neo-classical edge. An element of jazz is also present in his music.
Although Michael has received coverage in many guitar magazines around the world, he is best known for his role as lead guitarist in the progressive metal band Symphony X which he founded in 1994 after a request by a Japanese record label who were impressed by Michael's demo tape, The Dark Chapter.
An incredibly technical player, Michael is most famous for lightning-fast sweep picking and tapping though he also has great alternate picking technique, despite the fact that his style relies more on a softer legato attack and his trademark sweep-tapping licks. Michael is regarded as not only an exceptional soloist but also for his complex rhythm guitar parts that make heavy use of artificial harmonics for impact. These playing effects are greatly demonstrated on his demonstartional guitar video, called, The Guitar Chapter. Michael is often compared with the lead guitarist of Dream Theater, John Petrucci.
Michael usually uses a custom ESP guitar and Line6 amplification for live performances and Mesa Boogie amplification for studio recording, although he recently played Caparison guitars on the recent Gigantour tour.
Michael also loves Star Wars as shown by his performance of the Star Wars Suite on the Symphony X Rarities and Demos fanclub CD. He has also stated that his favorite Star Wars character is Darth Vader.
Michael began playing guitar at age 14 and takes his influences from a wide of range sources including Randy Rhoads, Steve Vai, Marty Friedman, Al DiMeola, J.S. Bach, John Williams and Frank Zappa, although he draws most heavily from a neo-classical style reminiscent of Yngwie Malmsteen. Despite this, Michael manages to maintain an identifiable signature that sets him apart from other players in this genre by fusing exotic scales and arpeggios (such as the half-diminished, whole tone and Egyptian scale), non-standard rhythms, time signatures and a raw neo-classical edge. An element of jazz is also present in his music.
Although Michael has received coverage in many guitar magazines around the world, he is best known for his role as lead guitarist in the progressive metal band Symphony X which he founded in 1994 after a request by a Japanese record label who were impressed by Michael's demo tape, The Dark Chapter.
An incredibly technical player, Michael is most famous for lightning-fast sweep picking and tapping though he also has great alternate picking technique, despite the fact that his style relies more on a softer legato attack and his trademark sweep-tapping licks. Michael is regarded as not only an exceptional soloist but also for his complex rhythm guitar parts that make heavy use of artificial harmonics for impact. These playing effects are greatly demonstrated on his demonstartional guitar video, called, The Guitar Chapter. Michael is often compared with the lead guitarist of Dream Theater, John Petrucci.
Michael usually uses a custom ESP guitar and Line6 amplification for live performances and Mesa Boogie amplification for studio recording, although he recently played Caparison guitars on the recent Gigantour tour.
Michael also loves Star Wars as shown by his performance of the Star Wars Suite on the Symphony X Rarities and Demos fanclub CD. He has also stated that his favorite Star Wars character is Darth Vader.
MJR #13
Michael Romeo Lyrics
We have lyrics for these tracks by Michael Romeo:
Believe I stand alone Looking down into the boundless Deep abyss…
Black This is the dawning of a new inception The generating…
Constellations Close my eyes A distant plea escapes into the night…
Differences Decimate the iron gates That separate mankind Curse the ot…
Djinn Can you see the light from Heaven or Hell? The…
F*cking Robots Dark, cold skies Voices calling "don't be afraid" Here we…
Fear the Unknown Maelstrom of fury Riding on the wind Make your move…
Oblivion We listen in one late October eye The locket swings…
Paganini - Concerto in B Minor [INSTRUMENTAL]…
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
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ReticleFN
Wow, I just found my copy of the original Michael Romeo self titled demo cassette given to me by the Maestro himself in 1993 when I worked at Polygram records and he was shopping it around. There is a track called 'Heretic' which I do not see on 'The Dark Chapter' song listing. I also visited him at his home/recording studio back in the day when he was recording this album. Damn, I should have gotten him to sign it back then.....
SyX
Yo! I think we all would love to hear it, can u upload? the Heretic song, i mean
Michael Romeo
Hey..!
Damon Stewart
@Michael Romeo is this the real Michael Romeo???
Rádio Total
@Damon Stewart https://www.metal-archives.com/albums/Michael_Romeo/The_Dark_Chapter/15087
HOBO STRANGLER
dude please upload Heretic
thats fking awesome!
never heard that track
Mix Your Way
Holy crap man, we need this album remixed/remastered!!!!!!!!
HOBO STRANGLER
naw
i kinda like this old school production
its so dark and 90s
thats the charm
today everything is OVERPRODUCED...reason why new symphony x is kinda lame
compared to Damnation Game and Wings
Sergio Grez Estudio Creativo
@HOBO STRANGLER Couldn't have said it better myself. Why do all teens want albums to be re-recorded, re-mixed and re-mastered WTF. Just enjoy it as it is and as it was meant to be. Everything nowadays is overproduced and overcompressed. SX sounds lame now and their compositions and arrangements lack of the magic, elegance and obscure essence they had back in the day.
Silverstone
Magical album, no comparison to the newer stuff
They get boring quickly but this one is timeless
Very macabrish