SYMPHONY X
POWER QUEST
I had heard the name Power Quest, but had never heard their music or seen them before, so this was a completely fresh experience for me. As their introduction and first song 'Battle Stations' kicked in I immediately found myself comparing them to Dragonforce, which probably isn't a bad comparison considering the founding member of Power Quest, Steve Williams, left Dragonforce to form the band back in 2001 (and is now the only original member of Power Quest as they've had many lineup changes). There are strong power metal themes throughout with plenty of fast tempo and melodic moments as well as guitar and keyboard solos. This isn't a genre I'm a huge fan of, but it's one I'm familiar with and is always good fun when seen and heard live. The two guitarists, Andy Midgley and Gavin Own, would constantly pose together during solos and singer Chitral Somapala had great interaction with the crowd. The band unexpectedly ended on 'Better Days', a very catchy song with some nice 80s style synth.
DATE:
VENUE:
Tuesday 22nd March 2011
Scala in London, UK
Reviews & Photography by Tom O'Donoghue
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POWER QUEST
SYMPHONY X
I last had the pleasure of seeing Symphony X supporting Dream Theater at Wembley Arena in 2007 while they were promoting their 'Paradise Lost' album. Now with a new album, 'Iconoclast', on the way, Symphony X returned to the UK for a headline show. No introduction needed for the band as they entered the stage and kicked straight into old favourite 'Of Sins And Shadows' from 1997's 'The Divine Wings Of Tragedy' before moving on to the more recent 'Domination' and 'Serpent's Kiss' from 2007's 'Paradise Lost'. With the new album yet to be released, fans were anxious to hear some new material during the night and the band certainly delivered with new songs 'End Of Innocence', 'Dehumanised' and, for the first time ever on the tour, 'Prometheus'. These new songs have a new darker, edgier tone to them while still keeping to the band's progressive metal sound – I look forward to hearing the album in full when it's released in June this year. Highlights from the night included 'Paradise Lost' and fan favourite 'Sea Of Lies' which ended their set. Singer Russell Allen has a great stage presence and constantly finds opportunity to interact with the crowd and get them going - before the encore the crowd were shouting for 'The Odyseey', the band's 24 minute epic, and Russell came back on stage to sing the opening lines but, unfortunately, we weren't treated to this rare opportunity. Overall, a very good night, with a great setlist covering some of the best of Symphony X's material. Hopefully the band will return in the near future to showcase more of the upcoming album (which is available from June 17th in Europe).
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