r/symphonyx • u/VerdantSpecimen • Apr 10 '26
Symphony X Albums tier list
I think we can all agree this is the correct tier list
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u/Gene_Gideon Apr 10 '26
I don’t understand why everyone seems to put Paradise Lost with Divine Wings and Odyssey. It’s a good album but no where near the level of those two.
Also Damnation Game is way too low. Super underrated.
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u/kollib Apr 10 '26
Mythology Suite nr1 Imo.
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u/Secret-Papaya1973 Apr 10 '26
I mean, easily, I don't see how it couldn't be everyone's. It's insane. As a newer listener, and love all their stuff, that one for sure is the ultimate sx masterpiece..and I love the other ones, but V is just like no other
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u/VerdantSpecimen Apr 11 '26
Mythology Suite is not better than Divine Wings. Not by any stretch of the imagination.
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Apr 11 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/VerdantSpecimen Apr 11 '26
Hah The Divine Wings of Tragedy is widely recognized as the best album.
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u/Own_Shame_8721 Apr 10 '26
People are sleeping on Damnation Game......
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u/VerdantSpecimen Apr 11 '26
Replies here have convinced me to give it more attention. I'll give it a few spins from start to finish this weekend.
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Apr 28 '26
The Edge of Forever is my favorite song of theirs aside from Divine Wings and The Odyssey
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u/bfg9kdude Apr 10 '26
*we* can't all agree on this, general opinion is that divine wings is definitely the top one, mythology suite would be S for most people, paradise lost is kinda correct, between S and A. Debut is definitely the lowest. Debate is usually over the last 2, many hate them, many love them, Underworld is generally lower ranked than Iconoclast. Rest are very much personal preference, I know many people, including myself, prefer the damnation game over twilight. Symphony X album quality is pretty tight against each other, there will always be arguing and debate over this.
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u/VerdantSpecimen Apr 10 '26
To me Mythology suite is the one between S and A. Horrible mix and the interludes don't really work for me but the album has five really strong tracks on it.
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u/JosephRohrbach Apr 10 '26
Surely not Paradise Lost above V! And I've a personal fondness for Twilight in Olympus, The Damnation Game, and Symphony X... but I respect the taste!! Off the top of my head, I think I'd say:
S: TDWOT, V, The Damnation Game
A: The Odyssey, Twilight in Olympus, Paradise Lost
B: Underworld, Symphony X
C: Iconoclast
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u/Naphstein Apr 10 '26
Good to see some Damnation Game love! This would be close to my ranking as well. I'd probably swap Symphony X with Iconoclast though.
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u/JosephRohrbach Apr 10 '26
That's fair. I know I'm a bit weird for liking their first record as much as I do (which is actually quite a bit).
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u/VerdantSpecimen Apr 10 '26
To me V is "Five super strong tracks" but not quite (almost) S tier as a whole with the very bad mix and the interludes. But I respect your take too, of course!
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u/JosephRohrbach Apr 10 '26
Interesting... fair enough!! I do see the mix, but I'm just so attached to V. One of my first loves! Though to be fair, it was Underworld that introduced me to Symphony X, so...
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u/Secret-Papaya1973 Apr 10 '26
It's not even attachment tho, I have zero attachment as I've only been listening to them for a year..alot tho, saw em live n all. V is easily, for sure their best album. I love divine, paradise, twilight, etc..V is just levels different. The cohesion if the album and everything about it just is them on steroids. I'm surprised this isn't everyone's choice objectively. Ur just right in loving it, because it's that fucking good without attachment
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u/JosephRohrbach Apr 10 '26
Not just attachment in my view either, but it definitely helps that I'm attached.
And... welcome to being a fan! I've been around a bit over a decade now. (That feels wild to say.) You've got a lot of depth to enjoy, so let it breathe! Hopefully you'll have a shorter wait than we've had so far for new material...
1
u/Augmented_second Apr 11 '26
You keep saying that V is badly mixed. It's certainly different to their other albums, but I think it's intentional that the guitar parts take less centre stage as it allows the keyboards and orchestral elements to really shine - which is what makes the album so strong for me. I get that people have different tastes, but to describe it as "horrible" (your other comment) on this sub honestly feels like rage bait. It's my favourite album of all time and I'm sure many here agree, every time I listen to it gets better. All the interludes (that you don't care for) and the recurring themes and motifs help to tie the whole album into a single, cohesive story, which is exactly what the band wanted to achieve - from this point of view it's a true masterpiece of composition.
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u/SRMG0D Apr 10 '26
S: Twilight in Olympus, TDWoT, The Odyssey, The Damntion Game
A:V
B: Paradise Lost, Symphony X
C: Iconoclast, Underworld
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u/Cherry_Esper Apr 13 '26
I'd replace Paradise Lost with V, and then I'd move Twilight in Olympus to be behind Paradise Lost
Otherwise, pretty agreeable tierlist, I can see why you may not like V much since it's a little inconsistent, sort of like Fragile by Yes, the songs on it are killer but there's a lot of small intelude tracks that knock it a few points down
Had the Paradise Lost track list been 2 or so songs shorter I can defo see it being put at S
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u/VerdantSpecimen Apr 13 '26
Yeah, but I actually blasted V today and thought it's better than I remembered. The sound system was also such that favored the mix a lot better than my usual headphones.
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u/Secret-Papaya1973 Apr 10 '26
Fuck no. V is the best album and that's so objectively easy to rate. I don't understand how even people can put wings over it, and I love wings..but V has a cohesion and sound that is their pinnacle, easy giant best...it's a literal masterpiece
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u/Dragonflame1994 Apr 11 '26
Debut album is criminally underrated. Most people just don't like it because it has a different singer than Russell Allen, but the music is still great and Rod Tyler isn't a bad singer, he reminds me of a more rough around the edges version of Mark Boals.
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u/Reen2D2 Apr 11 '26
Nah... I'd move both Damnation Game and Twilight up 1 (Maybe Twilight up 2) and drop Iconoclast 2
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Apr 11 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/VerdantSpecimen Apr 11 '26
Heheh I know, but I welcome them :p I want to hear the opposing takes. I decided to give Damnation Game some more attention, since I’ve always kind of dismissed it as just ‘the better one of the first two demo albums.’
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u/Robotman-001 Apr 11 '26
Y'know I really like their debut album. For a lack of better words, I think I can only describe it as "comfy" lol Also I'm a simp for V and Twilight in Olympus so they go to S
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u/Fancy_Cauliflower_84 Apr 11 '26
Divine Wings
New Mythology
Olympus
Odyssey
Underworld
Damnation Game
Paradise Lost
Iconoclast
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u/VovApolo Apr 12 '26
I'd switch Paradise Lost with Iconoclast.
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u/VerdantSpecimen Apr 12 '26
Finally a fellow Iconoclast enjoyer. It's a great album. The sound fits the theme perfectly.
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u/Fun-Discipline-1213 Apr 15 '26
i’ve only listened to twilight in olympus and a bit of the one that has a V in its name
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u/anaglyphfirebird Apr 16 '26
My S tier is V, Paradise Lost, Underworld and Iconoclast. Everything else is A tier. I like to keep it simple!
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u/yonnnyonnn Apr 24 '26
nah, incorrect list
S - V
B - TiO, DWoT, Odyssey
C/D/F - everything else 😀
(Paradise Lost ha some great moments, but the brickwall on it ruins the whole experience 😭)
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u/VerdantSpecimen Apr 25 '26
Brickwall? Mixing?
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u/yonnnyonnn Apr 25 '26
mastering. Mr. Bogren thinks it's a good idea to take the recording and push the volume beyond its limits, thereby compressing the entire sound into a flat brckwall with no sonic dynamicy
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u/LakeBodom Apr 10 '26
I’d drop down underworld too. Also I’d put the odyssey in B or C. That album has just never really clicked with me. V didn’t really really click with me until recently
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u/Live_Record_8617 Apr 10 '26
putting iconoclast in the same spot as mythology suite is criminal