Symphony X is often compared to other progressive metal bands such as Dream Theater, Fates Warning, and Shadow Gallery. Their music includes complex timings and odd meters while incorporating elements of heavy metal and progressive rock. Their early albums in particular contain strong neo-classical elements reminiscent of Yngwie Malmsteen, Randy Rhoads, and others. The band have been categorized as progressive metal, power metal, and neoclassical metal, though the band themselves dislike genre labels with Romeo stating they can be "misleading sometimes ... at the core of it all we're a metal band".
Romeo explained the band's name in a 2008 interview; "So, you know, the music we were coming up with had the keyboard thing and the guitar, and some classical elements, so the word 'Symphony' came up and, so the dramatic thing, you know? So then, somebody said 'Symphony X' and we were like, 'yeah, that's cool' it is that kinda thing, and the 'X' is the unknown and all the other stuff we do."
The albums The Divine Wings of Tragedy and V: The New Mythology Suite were partially recorded in The Dungeon, Romeo's home studio. The Odyssey, Paradise Lost, Iconoclast and Underworld were fully recorded there and produced by Romeo himself.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_X
Studio albums
Symphony X (1994)
The Damnation Game (1995)
The Divine Wings of Tragedy (1996)
Twilight in Olympus (1998)
V: The New Mythology Suite (2000)
The Odyssey (2002)
Paradise Lost (2007)
Iconoclast (2011)
Underworld (2015)
A Fool's Paradise
Symphony X Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
unfurl revealing a blackened haze
Conditioned to fear the voice that we
hear - calling an end of days
Millions of souls under control
like pawns to a king, led by a string, to
the final hour
technology that fell into the void
Oh shall it be as it was before - a
tragedy on every shore?
Is this the end of all we know -
Innocence lost so long ago
Woven in dreams - the darkest of
schemes now takes hold of our destiny
Decades of greed, plague, famine and
war - we can't go on like this anymore
living like fools - chaos will rule this
eternal paradise
Death by design, altering birth - trends
of the modern age
the wisdom of life erased from the
Earth - in a reckless rampage
Oh - Empire of the Sea, Lords of
technology that fell into the void
Oh shall it be as it was before - a
tragedy on every shore?
Is this the end of all we know -
Innocence lost so long ago
Woven in dreams - the darkest of
schemes now takes hold of our destiny
Decades of greed, plague, famine and
war - we can't go on like this anymore
living like fools - chaos will rule this
eternal paradise
Dies Irae, Dies Illa, Solvet Saeclum in
favilla
Decades of greed, plague, famine and
war - we can't go on like this anymore
living like fools - chaos will rule this
eternal paradise
Is this the end of all we know -
Innocence lost so long ago
Woven in dreams - the darkest of
schemes now takes hold of our destiny
Decades of greed, plague, famine and
war - we can't go on like this anymore
Lost in the Night - fading from sight - is
this the final setting sun?
Symphony X's song "A Fool's Paradise" is a commentary on the current state of the world and an ominous foreshadowing of its end. The opening verse describes how the world has become shrouded in darkness and fear, and how humanity is being controlled and led to their final hour like pawns to a king. The chorus asks if the world will continue on its course of destruction and tragedy, or if there is a chance for redemption. The second verse describes how technology and modern trends have erased the wisdom of life from the earth and set humanity on a path of reckless rampage, leading to death, greed, famine, and war. The chorus repeats, emphasizing the urgent need for change and the consequences of inaction. The song ends with a Latin phrase "Dies Irae, Dies Illa, Solvet Saeclum in favilla" (Day of Wrath, that Day, will dissolve the world in ashes) and the final plea for humanity to change course before it's too late.
Line by Line Meaning
What's become of the world - the colors
The world has changed, and everything is no longer as bright and vivid as it used to be.
unfurl revealing a blackened haze
In the process of changing, the world has become darker and more obscured.
Conditioned to fear the voice that we
As humans, we have been taught to be afraid of a voice that is warning us of the end of days.
hear - calling an end of days
This voice is telling us that the world is coming to an end.
Millions of souls under control
The majority of humanity is under someone else's control.
like pawns to a king, led by a string, to
People are being manipulated and used like pawns for someone else's benefit.
the final hour
This manipulation is leading to the end of the world.
Oh - Empire of the Sea, Lords of
There once was an empire that was powerful and strong, ruling over the sea.
technology that fell into the void
But technology, which was instrumental to their strength, eventually disappeared.
Oh shall it be as it was before - a
Will things go back to how they were before?
tragedy on every shore?
Or will every shore be filled with tragedy and darkness?
Is this the end of all we know -
Has everything we know and love come to an end?
Innocence lost so long ago
We have lost our innocence and naivety a long time ago.
Woven in dreams - the darkest of
The most sinister plot to control destiny has been created in someone's dreams.
schemes now takes hold of our destiny
And now, this plot is controlling our fate.
Decades of greed, plague, famine and
Decades of selfishness, disease, hunger, and war have left us unable to continue living the way we have been.
war - we can't go on like this anymore
We cannot continue to live in a world plagued with war and destruction.
living like fools - chaos will rule this
If we continue to live foolishly, chaos will reign eternally in this paradise that we created for ourselves.
eternal paradise
The paradise that was once here will be lost forever.
Death by design, altering birth - trends
By altering the process of birth and artificially designing life, we are causing death and destruction.
of the modern age
These alterations are a result of modern technology and advancements.
the wisdom of life erased from the
Unfortunately, these advancements have erased the wisdom that comes with living a natural life.
Earth - in a reckless rampage
This recklessness has caused chaos and destruction on the planet.
Dies Irae, Dies Illa, Solvet Saeclum in
The end is near, and everything we know will turn to ash.
favilla
Lost in the Night - fading from sight - is
As the night falls upon us, everything we know is slowly disappearing.
this the final setting sun?
Is this it? Is the sun setting on our world forever?
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DEBORAH ALLEN, RAFE VAN HOY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Charles Viante
Symphony X- A fool's Paradise 🤘🏻❤🎵🎶🎵🎶🍀
What's become of the world - the colors
unfurl revealing a blackened haze
Conditioned to fear the voice that we
hear - calling an end of days
Millions of souls under control
like pawns to a king, led by a string, to
the final hour
Oh - Empire of the Sea, Lords of
technology that fell into the void
Oh shall it be as it was before - a
tragedy on every shore?
Is this the end of all we know -
Innocence lost so long ago
Woven in dreams - the darkest of
schemes now takes hold of our destiny
Decades of greed, plague, famine and
war - we can't go on like this anymore
living like fools - chaos will rule this
eternal paradise
Death by design, altering birth - trends
of the modern age
the wisdom of life erased from the
Earth - in a reckless rampage
Oh - Empire of the Sea…
J Gimps
One of the best SX songs...they NEED to go back to this type of sound on their next album, the real fans will rejoice!! This sound is superior to the last couple of albums darker and more power metal macho tone. Bring back the neo-classical fire!! 3:34 - 4:26 is sublime artistry
K. Coleman
That part is a note-for-note lift of one of Bach's great keyboard concertos (No. 1 in d minor, BWV 1052). It's an amazing work, and the lift of it to be in this tune is fantastic.
Vincent Weber
Easily one of the most incredible vocal performances I've ever heard. This song is beyond awesome.
Esoteric Schizochad
@Mr. Pocket Freddy Mercury would be impressed by Russell Allen, he has one of the best voices in the world currently.
Mr. Pocket
+Vincent Weber I agree. Easily some impressive shit! That being said, I still don't think he's got anything great and late Freddy Mercury
cs d
Can hardly understand why this band has been so underrated.
Nicolás Bascuñán
This band aged like the best wine.
Sebastiaan van Heck
Could be that the truth is too painfull for most to see.
PSIONIC REVOLUTION
Because popularity is highly overrated? Legends catch on generations later unfortunately.
Stefan Filipov
This song is so deep and so truth to some degree.Its text is related to ancient Atlantis and concerns our sad modern day reality.Kinda crazy stuff