Iconoclast

Iconoclast is the eighth studio album by the progressive metal band Symphony X, released in June 2011. Theme When interviewed, vocalist Russell Allen said that the lyrical concept of the album is based on "The idea of machines taking over everything, and all this technology we put our society into pretty much being our demise." Allen said on Heavy Metal Thunder that "it isn't a story, but rather a theme, like Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd." Album art Illustrator and film concept artist Warren Flanagan (Watchmen, The Incredible Hulk, 2012), who designed the cover of Paradise Lost, returned as art director for Iconoclast. Sharing his creative process on the album's artwork: "The idea was to create imagery that was a little darker in tone to previous Symphony X albums and to represent the overall theme of Iconoclast into the artwork. The whole concept came from Michael Romeo, who had a strong idea of what the cover should represent based on the music. I just ran with it. When the album's title was decided on, I focused the image based on the meaning of it. I also wanted to use the band's signature 'masks' but present them in a way that connected to the new album." Reception