Michael Romeo formed Symphony X in New Jersey in 1994. The original lineup of the group included Thomas Miller (bass guitar), Rod Tyler (vocals), Jason Rullo (drums), and (keyboards). They released their self-titled debut later that same year. The next year they put out the follow-up The Damnation Game. 1995 also saw Tyler leave the group, his replacement coming in the personage of . Their next release came out in 1997. It was the critically acclaimed The
Divine Wings of Tragedy. In addition to the critical praise, this disc became the group's biggest commercial success to date. Before recording their next album, Rullo left the band. He was replaced by Thomas Walling. With this lineup, the group released Twilight in Olympus, which garnered both greater critical kudos and greater sales. In a unique turn of events, however, the band faced a new lineup change. Newcomer Walling and bassman Thomas Miller both decided
that they were not up to touring for the album. The recently departed Rullo rethought his exodus and came back into the Symphony X fold. was brought in on bass for the duration of the tour. After the tour was over, the group found a permanent replacement in Mike LePond. This formation of the group released their fifth album in 2000 -- V: The New Mythology Suite. The following year, Symphony X released their first live album, Live on the Edge of Forever, which captured performances from their 2000 European tour. In 2002, the band continued to mine mythology with their sixth studio album, The Odyssey, which was based on Homer's epic of the same name. They band a bit of a break while its members released solo albums, but came together again in 2007 with the released of Paradise Lost, a concept album based on Milton's tale. Taking a break from mining the past, the band looked to the future for the theme of their
next album. The result was 2011's Iconoclast, which featured a darker tone and a cautionary story about machines taking over the world. After a global tour, the band took an extended break. They began working on new material in 2014. Their ninth studio offering, Underworld, was announced in May of 2015. Though not conceptual, it was loosely inspired by Dante's Divine Comedy, particularly its first section, The Inferno. The album was released at the end of July. ~ Gary Hill, Rovi

Born in 1996, the band, which included vocalist Tony Kakko, guitarist Jani Liimatainen, drummer Tommy Portimo, keyboardist Mikko Harkin, and bassist Janne Kivilahti, recorded a handful of demos before releasing their first single, "UnOpened," on Spinefarm Records in July of 1999. Sonata Arctica's full-length debut, Ecliptica, was released in 2000 by Spinefarm and Century Media Records. Following a successful tour with Rhapsody and Stratovarius, the group put out a six-song EP, Successor, which featured live tracks, a pair of covers, and other previously unreleased material. Sonata Arctica were rewarded with various awards and honors around this time: Hard N' Heavy magazine voted them Newcomer of the Year, as did Emma, the Finnish Music Awards. Kivilahti quit the band in late 2000 and was replaced by Marko Paasikoski before work began on the band's second full-length album. With producer Ahti Kortelainen behind the boards, Sonata Arctica recorded Silence at Tico-Tico studios in time for a 2001 release.