Symphony X, Powerglove & Blackguard: A Life-Changing Experience

By Aniruddh "Andrew" Bansal

My rating:

May 10th 2011, House Of Blues, Hollywood CA: The package for this tour turned out to be very different from what it was supposed to be, with two major support acts Soilwork and Nevermore having to drop out of it. But nonetheless, Symphony X ensured that the tour went on as scheduled, with the help of two of the hardest working bands in the industry today, Powerglove and Blackguard. The reduced number of bands also meant longer sets for each of the survivors, which ended up being the best part about tonight's show at the House of Blues, a highly enjoyable and memorable event.

Blackguard started things off with their relentlessly high octane performance. I was incredibly happy for these guys because they got to play for 40 minutes, much longer than their usual allotment of 25. They made excellent use of the set by including as many as five tunes from their latest release "Firefight", which in my opinion is the best release of 2011 so far. So needless to say, I enjoyed every minute of the new material. But they didn't alienate their older fans either, as they began the set with "The Sword" and "The Fallen", tunes from their Profugus Mortis days. The crowd got more and more involved with each passing song, and I could tell that the majority here were liking the band's performance. Mosh pits broke out at regular intervals, and frontman Paul Zinay had good control over them. Crowd surfers started popping up as well, making it an overall entertaining atmosphere for everyone present. It was clear that the band was putting their entire energy and effort into it, as they always do, and I must say they pulled off the new songs perfectly. "Wastelands" was the highlight of the night for me. This is a band you will see a lot more of this year, as they will be on three more tours coming up, with Otep, Kamelot and Evergrey. Show these tremendous musicians the support they deserve, and don't be an elitist prick who shows up late only to watch the headline act.

After that greatly auspicious beginning to the show, video game metallers Powerglove hit the stage next. After hearing about what they've gone through on this tour, it was simply unbelievable that they even made it out here. Their regular van broke down in Oregon and they've been continuing the tour cramming themselves into mini-vans and cabs, while taking assistance from the other two bands for gear. Here they were, playing the show using all of Blackguard's gear, and also worth mentioning, using two cabinets given to them by Nick Baranov from local thrash band Rattlehead. Coming to their music, just like Blackguard they also got to play a set that was longer than usual. They did nine songs in total, appropriately replacing the "Fuck that bird" chant in "Storm Eagle" with "Fuck that van" instead. They did a lot of the newer material which was great to see, and the old songs "Tetris" and "Mario Minor" were as entertaining as ever. Their hugely loyal fans were very vocal in their support, and they also put on a great Russian dancing performance during Tetris. Powerglove has got to be one of the most fun live bands out there today, and if you can't appreciate at least their live show if not their music, then you don't quite know what 'fun' really means. But I do hope, and I'm sure, that they made some new fans at this show. Look out for them as they come back with Evergrey, Blackguard, The Absence and Sabaton this fall. Hail Powerglove!

The stage was set for the mighty Symphony X to blow us away. They did just that, quite literally. From the moment the first note was played, I knew that I was watching something special. The five musicians on stage performed their respective roles with effortless precision, but with a degree of exuberance that made it a great viewing experience. Frontman Russell Allen certainly led in this aspect, as he moved around fluidly on stage, while also jovially addressing the crowd between songs on various occasions. Ever since the passing of the late great Ronnie James Dio, I have been looking for that omnipotent live performance from a vocalist, and tonight was it. Russell's brilliance on the vocals reminded me of the great man, such was the power and impact he had on his audience tonight.

But of course, in addition to the amazing vocals, Symphony X is known for the guitar genius Michael Romeo, and it was an absolute delight to watch him perform. This was the most awe-inspiring performance I have seen from any guitarist in a long, long time. If the pristine and magical sound of his guitar was not enough by itself to make your head explode, he combined for some harmonies with keyboardist Michael Pinnella which were very pleasing on the ear. The sheer class and level of musicianship was there to be seen throughout their set, specially the encore which was mainly made up of the 24-minute epic "The Odyssey". To be able to pull off a song of such length is an achievement in itself, but to do it with such aplomb, it was just out of this world. Besides that they also played two new songs, "End Of Innocence" and "Dehumanized". I was really impressed by how heavy it sounded, while keeping the technical aspect intact. I think the majority of the crowd felt the same as well. The whole set itself was a gem from start to finish, as it also included delightful tunes like "Paradise Lost", "Smoke And Mirrors", "Serpent's Kiss" and others.

On the whole, this performance left me completely speechless and stunned. Seeing Russell Allen and Michael Romeo display their prowess together might have changed my life forever. I have never felt so close to having an explosion within my head, that's how literally mind-blowing this performance was. I eagerly look forward to their return this fall, as they promised before leaving the stage.

I would also like to conclude that I liked the 3-band show much more than I would have ever liked the 5-band bill, no matter how good the other two bands were. 5 bands is way too much for a single show, and it cuts into every band's set time. Tonight on the other hand, everyone got the full chance to play their set, making it more enjoyable for themselves and their fans. It also meant less competition in terms of the merch sales, which must have been great for them. Tour promoters and organizers should perhaps take note and stop packing touring line-ups with 53 bands.

A truly life-changing night.

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