Symphony X, Iced Earth + Warbringer Bring Trifecta of Metal to New York City
The metal as hell trio of Symphony X, Iced Earth and Warbringer recently powered their way into New York City on March 10 for one of the final dates of their extensive North American tour – and believe us when we say they did not disappoint.
The sonic connection between the three bands is subtle, but the flow of the show and the reaction of the audience proved that the acts worked perfectly together. Warbringer came on first to an already welcoming crowd, successfully warming them up even further for the music of Iced Earth and Symphony X. The duel guitar attack by Warbringer quitarists John Laux and Andrew Bennett was brain-meltingly impressive, as was the stage presence of the band, inspiring the crowd to beat the hell out of each other in the pit.
All three bands commented on how touring together felt like more than just sharing the same stage. The frontmen of each band shared how a brotherhood was formed on the road and how rewarding of an experience the tour had been. Perhaps the most powerful brotherhood speech was given by Iced Earth vocalist Stu Block, while capturing the attention of the crowd as only true pros can do. After somewhat of a shaky start, Block belted out powerful falsettos while Iced Earth tore through their set for the rabid crowd. It’s difficult to choose exactly which band stole the show, but with the assault of ‘Damien,’ ‘Dante’s Inferno’ and five tracks from their newest record ‘Dystopia,’ Iced Earth felt like the favorite of the New York City audience.
As Symphony X took the stage, the band immediately wowed the audience with their superb and highly technical musicianship. The power metal icons filled their setlist heavily with new songs from ‘Iconoclast,’ receiving an impressive and red-hot response from the crowd. Of course the band also stuck to their roots with ‘Of Sins and Shadows’ from their ‘Divine Wings of Destiny’ album and closed with the epic fan favorite, ‘Set the World on Fire (The Lie of Lies).’
This was a damn good show. Each band lived up to or exceeded audience expectations and there was no weak point in the lineup. Just three bands, 2000 people and heavy effing metal.