Symphony X sprang to life in April 1994, following the release of Michael Romeo's demo tape, The Dark Chapter. In addition to the former Gemini guitarist, the initial line-up included keyboardist Michael Pinnella and drummer Jason Rullo. That same year, the band recorded an eponymous debut. The chemistry between Romeo and Pinnella and their common influence of classical music was evident on songs such as "Masquerade", "Shades Of Grey" and "Raging Season". Bassist Thomas Miller and Romeo also shared a lot of metal and progressive influences along with Rullo, who was also into fusion. The band's goal at the time was to fuse all these musical ideas into their sound. The group was never afraid to try out different things and ideas as long as there was a good song in it - they strived to have good songs with strong melodies and musical structure. Progressive/Heavy Metal, total running time, 53:30 - Symphony X @ iTunes!