In a new interview with Brazil's 92.5 Kiss FM, SYMPHONY X guitarist Michael Romeo spoke about the progress of songwriting sessions for the band's long-awaited follow-up to 2015's "Underworld" album.

He revealed that the band has been working on a massive amount of material for the next album, saying: 'It's actually overwhelming.' The band is aiming to have the new album recorded by the end of this year or early fall.

SYMPHONY X will embark on an extensive Latin American tour later this month to celebrate their 30th anniversary, which will be followed by a few months of intense studio work.

The new album will feature some of Romeo's favorite material from the band's vast catalog, and the guitarist is optimistic about completing it soon.

However, due to COVID-19 and other setbacks, the band has had to take time off and tour sporadically over the years, but they're now gearing up for a big push to get the new album done.

Romeo has been working tirelessly on songwriting sessions with keyboardist Michael Pinnella, bassist Mike LePond, and drummer Jason Smith since early 2020, and he's excited about what they've accomplished so far.

The guitarist noted that the band's creative process is a bit like being a "mad scientist," but he's confident that their next album will be worth the wait.

The interview with Romeo comes after an update from Russell Allen earlier this month where he explained the band's songwriting and recording process, saying: 'We've got about — I don't know — [Michael] sent me 10 hours of stuff for a 55-minute record.' The band has been touring sporadically over the years, including a U.S.

run of shows with OVERKILL in support of "Underworld." SYMPHONY X's upcoming tour will be their first major live outing since 2016.