Symphony X have for many years been leaders in the progressive music wave in Europe and Japan. Unknown to them, this U.S. based progressive outfit has been quietly taking over the underground progressive scene in the States. Now, after years of waiting these fans have finally been blessed with a full fledged U.S. Tour. It was during this tour that I finally caught up with Symphony X and got to talk with their bassist (and newest member) Mike LePond not only about the tour, but about their in-your-face new progressive gem The Odyssey and how he's fitting into Symphony X. I had a lot to ask, and Mike LePond had a lot to say. Be sure to read both pages.

Jayson [Spudd]: How's the night treating you?
Mike LePond: Tonight we have an off night actually. We were suppose to play in Houston, but the show got canceled unfortunately. So we're just hanging out in the hotel room in Austin and making the best of it.

Jayson: How was the show last night?
Mike: The show last night was really good. We played, uh, what was the name of the place? I think it was called 'The Backroom'. The kids were really enthusiastic and it definitely was a good show. We got a lot of good responses and we had a lot of fun. Other than that we've been here for a couple of days waiting for the next show.ght=>

*laughs*

We were suppose to play in Florida but that show kinda got canceled too. It didn't get actually canceled, we just couldn't play it. The people who are on our end and booking the show, they kind of, financially it wasn't feasible for us to go all the way down there. So we've had a few days off, but the Austin show was great, and tomorrow we're in Dallas and that's going to be great too I'm sure.

Jayson: There should be a big crowd down in Dallas for you.
Mike: Yeah, so far in Texas, I've always heard it was a good metal scene down here, and so far that's been correct.

Jayson: Congratulations on the new album. I've been spinning it for a long time; it's a great album.
Mike: Thanks very much, I'm glad you like it. Have you heard our older stuff too?

Jayson: Yeah, I don't have it all, but I've got "The Divine Wings Of Tragedy", "V", "Live On The Edge Of Forever", and of course "The Odyssey". And to me, this one, "The Odyssey" seems to be the heaviest you guys have released.
Mike: Yeah, it just kinda turned out that way. After we got done touring on the last album we went right to work writing the new album, and it just started to come out, you know? The songs were just really heavy. I don't know if we were pissed off or what.

*laughs*

But the songs just came out really heavy, but we also made a conscious effort to besides having a bunch of heavy tunes but to also have plenty of the classic Symphony X melodies. We tried to balance between the heavy metal and the progressive, so we tried to cross over into both markets. We tried to write some progressive stuff and some heavy stuff, and I think on this album we got a really good balance as it turned out.

Jayson: It's well balanced. As the best example of that is the song, The Odyssey, that's quite a masterpiece.
Mike: That was actually the final song that was written for the album, and we knew what we wanted to write about, we wanted to write an epic classic song. We researched it, and we thought The Odyssey, the whole story had so many different levels it could take you to emotionally that we could really explore that. And that song I think came out really good and I'm really proud of that song, and I think that it has been getting a really good response. Yeah, it just came out really great.

Jayson: How did you about tackling that story? I mean breaking it down into a song and then writing the lyrics? That must have been painstaking.
Mike: The original story, you know Odysseus, he goes through so many adventures that if we wrote about every adventure we'd have enough for a whole album just about The Odyssey. So we just picked some of our favorite ones. The Cyclops, the Sirens, and the witch. We just took our favorite ones and we looked to see which ones could take you to a different emotional level. In one part of the song you have Odysseus expressing how he misses his wife and how he longs to get back to her, so that was the nice romantic part of it. And then you have the battles with the Cyclops that worked really well. Then there's the ending, the big triumphant ending when he comes home. And Michael Romeo came up with all these great symphonic elements to put in there. To me, it's kinda like a little mini-movie.

Jayson: Another favorite of mine on the album is King of Terrors.
Mike: That's also my favorite.

Jayson: There's something about that one that just makes it great. Using an Edgar Allen Poe story (The Pit and the Pendulum) really gives it character.
Mike: Yeah, the story behind that one is that the music was basically written first. We really didn't know what kind of lyrics we were going to put to it. But it sounded like something out of a classic horror flick. So we tried to come up with something that was really classic, so we said, "How much more classic can you get than Edgar Allen Poe?" So we put the lyrics into that it worked really great. That's my favorite song on the album.

Jayson: It's my favorite also. Now the spoken part of that sounds a little like Vincent Price. And that added even more classic horror to it.
Mike: Believe it or not, that is actually [Sir] Russell [Allen]. He has a really low voice when he wants to get down there, and you're right, it does sound a little like Vincent Price. That whole part with the spoken word and into the next part really sounds like something out of a horror flick.

Jayson: When you guys went into Accolade II, was that in your mind from the start, or did it just happen?
Mike: Well, Michael Romeo thought it would be a great idea to do the Accolade II, so we knew we were going to attempt it. What we wanted to do was kinda link the songs by having a lot of melodies from the first Accolade put into the second Accolade but maybe play them a little differently. So we linked the songs together like that, and that was actually the first song that we wrote for the album. I think the chorus came out really good and the verses came out really good and hopefully the fans will like it as much as the first one.

Jayson: Do plan on continuing the Accolade saga?
Mike: You mean like an Accolade III?

Jayson: Yeah.
Mike: We really haven't talked about it. Personally, and this is just my own personal opinion, I probably don't think we are going to take it any farther. But of course I could be wrong. We haven't really talked about doing an Accolade III. Who knows, maybe it will happen in the future, but I kinda doubt it.

Jayson: Now, The Odyssey was all recorded at Michael Romeo's home correct?
Mike: Yeah, we recorded all the instruments at his house in his basement. Which is really convenient cause then you're not under the pressure of being in a studio where you're paying all this money and you want to get done really fast. You don't want to spend a fortune on recording, so we went into Michael Romeo's basement there and he has a great recording set up, and we just put the album together there. And we'll definitely do the same for the next album whenever we decide to start working on that.

Jayson: So it was better to have full control to yourself?
Mike: Totally. The only outside help we had was after we recorded the whole thing was for mixing. And we brought in Steve Evetts who did a very good job with the mix. I think the sound quality on this album is superior to any of our other albums.

Jayson: Yes it does. I was surprised to hear that it was all recorded in a home studio because it sounds so professional and polished.
|span class="name">Mike: It sounds really big and powerful and loud. I think it's going to the album that takes us to the next level. I mean, we're getting a lot of really good press, everyone is giving it great ratings and some people are even saying 'Best Album Of The Year'. And I think next year is really going to be a great year for us.

Jayson: Bigger tours?
Mike: Well yeah. You know right now we are opening for Blind Guardian and it's kinda good in a way actually. Because you know we never really got any exposure in the States.

Jayson: Yeah, what the hell is up with that?
Mike: Well the first album that actually got release in the States was "V", and that was through Metal Blade Records, but to be honest with you, they didn't promote us at all. Very little promotion if any, and they didn't push our record at all. So it just sat there. But now with this album we're on InsideOut and we're just getting a tremendous amount of press and we are opening for a band that is very popular in America. I'm finding that at a lot of our shows fans are coming up to me and saying, "You know, we've never heard of you guys before, and you're so awesome." So for that reason it's good, we are laying the groundwork and I think after this tour we are going to be able to do a headlining U.S. tour next year sometime. Finally it seems like everything is falling into place.

ass="name">Jayson: Good. And this is the perfect album to have it fall into place. It just opens up and doesn't let go.
Mike: Oh yeah. It's pretty heavy. It's back to basics you know? Just a heavy riff with a cool vocal melody over it and nothing crazy, just straight ahead and in your face. But of course it's got the Symphony X elements.

Jayson: It must have felt great while recording this. I mean you guys sound like you were playing perfect together and that you just knew what you wanted to do.
Mike: As the album was starting to progress we knew that this was going to be pretty good, and we we're really excited about it. We did encounter a lot of problems with the recording. You know, because this was basically the first time we were doing it all ourselves. So there were a lot of problems, technical problems, equipment problems, instrument problems, but we persevered and when it was finally said and done and we finally had the final product in front of us it was all worth it man. We were hoping that we would get a good response to the album and so far, thankfully everything is going great.

Jayson: What was your biggest challenge personally during the recording of this album?
Mike: On V,`as far as my bass sound went, I wasn't happy with it. So what I really wanted to do was get a sound that was where the clarity was a lot better. On this album I think I did a lot better and my bass sounds a lot better and more clear, but I'm still not 100% satisfied. For the next album I really want to work with some people who can help me get a really happening sound.

For this album I just brought in my bass and plugged directly into the board. But looking back, what I probably should have done is record it direct, and then on another track record with the amp then blend them together. I think that would get me the sound that I'm looking to get. So with the next album I'm going to go for that I think.

Jayson: How much input did you have with the writing of the music?
Mike: We would get together and write a couple of times a week. I was always giving suggestions, and sometimes the suggestions made it onto the album, and sometimes they didn't. But you know, when we did V I had just joined the band. So I wasn't really in tune with what the band was doing so I didn't really put in too much. With this album I was in on all the writing sessions and putting my two cents in and like I said, sometimes it made it on the album, and sometimes it didn't.

Our writing process I think works really well because we all write together and we all come from totally different styles of music and I think that actually works because then really you're limitless. Everyone is bringing in ideas that the other people wouldn't really come up with. It's a totally democratic thing, and I think the album proves that it was working.

Jayson: Are there any songs that didn't make it onto the album that you wanted on there?
Mike: As far as the album goes, there was one song that didn't quite get recorded in time. But we did finish it and it's going to be on our Japanese release as an extra track.

Jayson: Oh, oh sure. Sure, give it to someone else.
Mike: *Laughs*

And then there was another song that we finished the music but we never put lyrics to. It's still a song that never got done, but everything else got done except for that one.

Jayson: Outside of Symphony X are you doing any side work or solo stuff?
Mike: No, I haven't done any yet. There have been times where I have been approached by people but it didn't pan out or just fell apart for one reason or the other, but I really would like to do some side projects. I'm meeting a lot of cool musicians from a lot of other bands, really nice guys and I wouldn't mind doing a side project at all.

Jayson: That would be a lot of fun. How is Blind Guardian treating you guys out on the road?
Mike: You know, they are really nice guys. The band are nice guys, the manager is a nice guy, and they really want us on this tour. They really like the idea of us on the tour, and they are making it as comfortable for us as possible.

When the tour first began, like the first week, it was kind of a nightmare for us. Cause had this tour bus that was horrible. It was like an airline shuttle that was made into a tour bus, and dude, it was like a mess. And we had no road crew! Somebody screwed something up. So for the first week it was really rough for us and we were saying that for us to do this tour we have to get this taken care of or we wouldn't be able to finish. After about a week in we finally got a decent tour bus and we got techs to help us and a road crew, and now everything is running really smooth. And the Bind Guardian guys were there for us throughout that tough time helping us in any way they could. And I'm glad that we are working with such nice guys. And they're a great band! I was fan even before the tour and I listen to their set almost every night and I still get into it like the fans.

Jayson: How long do you guys get to play each night?
Mike: What we are doing is 45 minutes and then an encore. So basically anywhere from 50-55 minutes.

Jayson: Which songs off The Odyssey are you playing?
Mike: Because the set is shorter we didn't want to play any long tunes so we are doing, "Wicked", "King Of Terrors", and "Incantations of the Apprentice". You know, one night we'll play one song, the next night we'll play another.

Jayson: Are you surprised by how many U.S. fans you have out here?
Mike: I'll be honest with you; yes I am surprised. Like we really thought that when we went out on this tour that we wouldn't really have that many fans, but we do actually have a lot of fans, and they are so loyal. I mean yesterday, we're playing in Texas some kids drove up from Mexico. And at our shows there are plenty of people that know our songs which is good. It's good because we get to play in front of our fans, and in front of Blind Guardian's fans who probably don't know who we are yet and win them over.

Jayson: Do you have any video plans for this album? Or maybe a DVD on the way?
Mike: Right now I'm sure that we really have the budget to do a video right now, but we are always talking about doing a DVD sometime in the near future. But you know, we want to do it right. We want it at a really cool place and just done really right. It's definitely going to happen but not sure when it will happen.

Jayson: How involved with the internet and the Symphony X website are you?
Mike: I always try to keep in touch with the fans as much as I possibly can. I mean, cause they are the reason we've gotten to`this point. Plenty of fans out there actually have my email, and I don't even know how they get it and they email, but you know, I'll always email them back. And any chance I get to deal directly with the fans, like a radio interview or something, I always do it. Anyway to make fans happy, I'm like the first one to want to do it.

Jayson: Do you still feel like the new guy?
Mike:*Pauses*

That's a good question. That's the best question I think I've heard yet through all my interviews.

Let's see… You what? I think no. I think the answer is no. I think I finally feel like I'm respected enough where people consider me an actually member of Symphony X. When we did our first tour, I definitely had that 'new guy' complex. It was kind of tough, cause you know the old bass player for Symphony X Tom Miller was a great bass player. It was really tough to step into something like that because so much is expected of you, but I think that I've gained the respect of the fans, which I really appreciate by the way, but I definitely think I would have to say that feel like a full fledged member now.

Jayson: Where you pretty intimidated at first by Michael Romeo on guitars, and Sir Russell Allen doing vocals? I mean, that has to be pretty intense to be on the same stage as those guys.
Mike: Well I'll tell you, the crazy thing was going to the audition. I mean, the first time I even heard Symphony X was when I was going to audition. I knew a guy who knew Michael Romeo and Michael Romeo called me up got me a copy of The Divine Wings Of Tragedy to listen to. I mean, I was very intimidated when I heard that album. It was mind blowing with the melodies, the musical playing and techniques and all that. I was definitely intimidated, but I just said, "You know what? This is your one shot. You better step up to the challenge or you just might as well not be doing this." So I practiced my ass off, and thankfully I got in!

Jayson: How was the actual audition? Were you sweating bullets?
Mike: You know what made it not actually so bad? I expected these guys to be- you know, when you listen to their music you expect them to be really serious and technical, and maybe even like no personality, just really serious. But when I walked in there, they were just like normal everyday guys, and that made me feel so comfortable. I think that really helped me to calm down and I played very, very well.

*Beep* *beep*

Oh man, I think the phone is dying. If we get cut off I'm sorry, but this was a great interview. Any last questions?

Jayson: Hahaha, no, I guess not. It's been great talking with you.
Mike: *Beep* *beep*