Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Sons of Apollo
Label: Inside Out Records
Release: 2017
Rating: 4/5
Sons of Apollo is a brand-new supergroup. Mike Portnoy, Billy Sheehan, Derek Sherinian, Ron »Bumblefoot« Thal and on vocals? Jeff Scott Soto. A dream combination, then. And of course everyone who knows the bands these names come from will think: »Ahh, another album where it’s a contest over who can fire off more notes and tones per second!«
That’s only partly true. Despite its title “Psychotic Symphony”, which could make you assume deliberate acts of »chaos« from an overload of notes fired off per second, this studio debut is actually a hugely successful haul of everything. Compositional and performance complexity that inevitably plants one foot in progressive metal territory, which is no surprise given Sherinian and Portnoy’s past time together in Dream Theater, and Portnoy and Sheehan’s in The Winery Dogs. On the other hand, it’s precisely Jeff Scott Soto, with his vocal poise and presence, who is the crucial element that somehow »puts the brakes« on the individual ego trips, so the lust for firing off endless solos doesn’t take over, and »Psychotic Symphony« keeps a noticeable measure of compactness and compositional »focus« from start to finish.
There are really just two tracks where the crew of technically sky-high Hercules types lets loose beyond all limits. One is the opener God of the Sun, which basically rounds out the whole stylistic point of the band best, and the other is the closer Opus Maximus, which is also the most »Dream Theater-ish«, with Thal very fond of retreating to a lower-tuned, roughly crunchy tone that »chomps« in a thoroughly modern way, while skillfully filling the expressive space in the band’s overall sonic picture and giving it an everlasting “groove”.
The idea for Sons of Apollo is relatively old. It came to Portnoy and Sherinian soon after Portnoy got the »boot« from Dream Theater. First came a project called »PSMS«, meaning Portnoy, Sherinian, MacAlpine, Sheehan, which even did concert tours in 2012 and 2013.
Spin-offs at every turn, then. And the basic motive? Fun. That’s the essence. An album that’s an absolute must for everyone who knows the music of the bands this crew of Apollo’s sons comes from. Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal is of course known for playing in Guns N ‘Roses, but on this record what comes to the surface is what he put out on his solo studio releases. He’s an incredible guitar virtuoso, packing the songs with loads of neoclassical ornamentation, stunning with ultrasonic speed, incredible control and hellish precision, so at times listening to this album you get the deceptive feeling of being very close to Petrucci. At the same time, thanks to compact riffs, often weighed down even with Hammond sonics, the album catches an incredibly infectious hard rock groove that, alongside the technical virtuosity, brings a closeness to the classic elements of hard rock (Deep Purple, Mr. Big, Van Halen) and even touches of AOR and melodic rock. Sherinian brings keyboard elements typical of his solo albums, excellently »covers« Ron Thal’s guitar phrases, and with his patience proves why Dream Theater managed to record one of the most listenable albums of their discography (»Falling Into Infinity«) with him in the lineup. Portnoy is Portnoy. One of a kind in what he does. Sheehan’s droning, rattling groove is not to be missed either. What we get in the final tally is a complete one-off, a truly unique album.
Not to drag this out. An outstanding album. A combination of incredible looseness and fun moments in the studio, virtuoso brilliance and a subtle implant of tangible hard rock groove. So just progressive enough and just compact and musical enough, which guarantees a record that wins everyone over. At the same time it’s played with fierce passion and charge! Soto’s »fat« and »thick« vocals work brilliantly on top of it all. Nothing more to add. If you’re a music gourmet and a die-hard “progger” who spoils your ears with only the best, get your own copy of this album right away and enrich your personal collection.
Sons Of Apollo – Coming Home (official video):
Line-up
Jeff Scott Soto – vocals
Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal – guitar
Derek Sherinian – keyboards
Billy Sheehan – bass
Mike Portnoy – drums
Production
Mike Portnoy & Derek Sherinian
Tracklist
01. God Of The Sun
02. Coming Home
03. Signs Of The Time
04. Labyrinth
05. Alive
06. Lost In Oblivion
07. Figaro/S Whore
08. Divine Addiction
09. Opus Maximus
