Helsinki’s progressive metal week continued with SYMPHONY X playing a show at Kulttuuritalo on September 24th, 2024. It had been quite a while since we last saw the American progressive metal masters, and even though they haven’t released any new material, we thought it was well worth our time to catch them live again! The band brought along Californian EDGE OF PARADISE as a support.
Opening up for them was the Californian rock outfit EDGE OF PARADISE, who recently got signed to Napalm Records. The band actually started five minutes early, which, let’s be honest, is a minor miracle in the live music world—definitely better than a delay! Their sound is a blend of hard rock, alternative metal, and some industrial elements. We were a bit surprised to see them paired with SYMPHONY X, though, because their music leaned more towards rock, which felt a little out of place alongside the intricate prog metal that SYMPHONY X is known for. Nevertheless, EDGE OF PARADISE managed to pull quite the crowd, which was impressive considering it was a Wednesday night.
Now, I’ve gotta admit, while the band put on a solid show, their music wasn’t exactly my cup of tea, maybe because I didn’t know any of their songs. To make matters worse, the sound was pretty mushy—something that plagued the whole night. Kulttuuritalo wasn’t exactly built for metal shows, so getting the sound right there is no easy feat. The bass was too loud, and singer Margarita Monet’s unique voice came across as mostly just the high notes, which didn’t do justice to her powerful vocals. On the upside, the band definitely put thought into their stage aesthetics—Margarita’s outfit even had flickering lights on the shoulder pads, which was absolutely cool, and on top of that, the band are excellent performers, leaving no corner of the stage unturned.
SYMPHONY X took the stage a few minutes later than planned but kicked things off with a bang, opening with “Iconoclast.” It’s always amazing to watch Russell Allen wrap the audience around his finger. With suave moves and endless charisma, he kept hyping up the crowd while the rest of the band stayed focused on playing their ridiculously complex music. They sounded incredibly tight, as expected. An early highlight was “Nevermore,” though I’ll admit it felt a bit too early in the set—maybe save the gems for later, guys?
After about four songs, Russell finally addressed the audience. This was around the time I started wondering why they’re even touring right now. No new album and the setlist hadn’t changed much since the last time we saw them. But, as if reading my mind, Russell explained they have a new album coming out next year! He mentioned that this tour was a test to see if they could still do it. Spoiler: they absolutely can! They slowed things down a bit with “Without You,” giving the crowd a breather.
The setlist included many of the band’s greatest hits. Was it a bit of a shame that they skipped “The Odyssey” this time, unlike their 2019 tour? Sure, maybe a little. But we still got plenty of great tracks with about 90 minutes of playing time. At one point, Russell got the audience involved by dividing us into two groups—one half cheering for bass and keys, the other for guitars and drums. Naturally, the guitar-and-drums side was louder, but that just made the whole experience even more fun.
After a killer rendition of “Set the World on Fire (The Lie of Lies),” the band disappeared from the stage… but not for long. Although, a bit longer than usual. They were gone for a solid five minutes before returning for the encore, but they made it worth our while with over 15 minutes of music, playing “Paradise Lost,” “Out of the Ashes,” and “Sea of Lies.” The explosive finale had the crowd singing along and left everyone on a high note. Here’s hoping they’ll have some fresh tunes the next time they hit Europe, but honestly, with a setlist like this, we wouldn’t complain if they didn’t!
Text and photos by Laureline Tilkin
Setlist
- Iconoclast
- Nevermore
- Inferno (Unleash the Fire)
- Serpent’s Kiss
- Without You
- To Hell and Back
- Evolution (The Grand Design)
- Run With the Devil
- Set the World on Fire (The Lie of Lies)
- Paradise Lost
- Out of the Ashes
- Sea of Lies
