Iconoclast (Symphony X album)

Iconoclast is the eighth studio album by the progressive metal band Symphony X, released in June 2011.[2]

Iconoclast
Studio album by
Symphony X
ReleasedJune 17, 2011
RecordedSeptember 2010 – January 2011
Studio"The Dungeon"
Genre
Length
  • 63:10
  • 82:43 (Special Edition)
LabelNuclear Blast
ProducerMichael Romeo
Symphony X chronology
Paradise Lost
(2007)		 Iconoclast
(2011)		 Underworld
(2015)

Theme

When interviewed, vocalist Russell Allen said that the lyrical concept of the album is based on "The idea of machines taking over everything, and all this technology we put our society into pretty much being our demise." Allen said on Heavy Metal Thunder that "it isn't a story, but rather a theme, like Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd."[3]

Album art

Illustrator and film concept artist Warren Flanagan (Watchmen, The Incredible Hulk, 2012), who designed the cover of Paradise Lost, returned as art director for Iconoclast. Sharing his creative process on the album's artwork: "The idea was to create imagery that was a little darker in tone to previous Symphony X albums and to represent the overall theme of Iconoclast into the artwork. The whole concept came from Michael Romeo, who had a strong idea of what the cover should represent based on the music. I just ran with it. When the album's title was decided on, I focused the image based on the meaning of it. I also wanted to use the band's signature 'masks' but present them in a way that connected to the new album."[4]

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Jukebox:Metal[5]
Metal Assault[6]
Metal Storm[7]
Metal Temple[8]
Metalholic[9]
Prog Sphere[10]
Thrash Hits[11]

Iconoclast debuted at number 76 on the Billboard 200 album chart in the United States, selling more than 7,300 copies in its first week. The record also debuted at number 7 on the Top Hard Rock Chart, number 19 on the Top Rock Chart and number 13 on the Top Independent Chart.[12][13] The album showcases the highest chart position and the most first-week sales in the band's history.

Track listing

Iconoclast was released in two editions: a single disc version, and a double-CD special edition hardcover Digipak. Guitarist Michael Romeo has stated that the special edition contains the track order that the band originally intended to release, but their label (Nuclear Blast) wanted a single-disc version as well. According to Romeo, the track "Reign in Madness" is the proper closing to the album.

Regular edition

All lyrics are written by Russell Allen and Michael Romeo, except where noted; all music is composed by Romeo.

No.TitleLength
1."Iconoclast"10:53
2."The End of Innocence"5:29
3."Dehumanized"6:49
4."Bastards of the Machine"4:58
5."Heretic"6:26
6."Children of a Faceless God"6:22
7."Electric Messiah" (lyrics: Allen)6:15
8."Prometheus (I Am Alive)"6:48
9."When All Is Lost"9:10
Total length:63:10

Special edition

Disc one

All lyrics are written by Russell Allen and Michael Romeo; all music is composed by Romeo.

No.TitleLength
1."Iconoclast"10:51
2."The End of Innocence"5:27
3."Dehumanized"6:47
4."Bastards of the Machine"4:56
5."Heretic"6:24
6."Children of a Faceless God"6:20
7."When All Is Lost"9:10
Total length:49:55

Disc two

All music is composed by Romeo.

No.TitleLyricsLength
1."Electric Messiah"Allen6:13
2."Prometheus (I Am Alive)"Allen, Romeo6:46
3."Light Up the Night"Allen5:03
4."The Lords of Chaos"Allen6:09
5."Reign in Madness"Allen, Romeo8:37
Total length:32:48

Personnel

Notes
  1. Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Iconoclast - Symphony X". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
  2. "SYMPHONY X: Artwork & Track Listings Revealed". Nuclearblast.de. Retrieved 2011-03-25.
  3. "SYMPHONY X Guitarist Interviewed On 'Heavy Metal Thunder'". Heavy Metal Thunder. May 26, 2011. Archived from the original on September 9, 2012. Retrieved July 2, 2011.
  4. "SYMPHONY X: New Audio Interview With RUSSELL ALLEN'". Blabbermouth. May 15, 2011. Archived from the original on September 14, 2012. Retrieved July 2, 2011.
  5. Jukebox:Metal review
  6. Bansal, Aniruddh. "Symphony X: Iconoclast (Album Review)". Metal Assault. Retrieved 21 June 2011.
  7. Anderson, Baz. "Symphony X - Iconoclast review". Metal Storm. Retrieved 21 June 2011.
  8. Taich, Fede. "Symphony X - Iconoclast". Metal Temple. Retrieved 21 June 2011.
  9. Rose, Rustyn. "Review: Iconoclast". Metalholic. Retrieved 10 June 2011.
  10. Fynes, Conor (August 13, 2011). "Album: Symphony X - Iconoclast". Prog Sphere. Retrieved August 13, 2011.
  11. Dare, Tom (June 30, 2011). "Album: Symphony X - Iconoclast". Thrash Hits. Retrieved July 6, 2011.
  12. "Iconoclast chart position". billboard.com. June 2011. Retrieved 2011-06-30.
  13. "Iconoclast cracks US Top 100 Sales". blabbermouth.net. June 30, 2011. Retrieved 2011-06-30.
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