Man, this second half of 2017 has just been one bad ass album after another. And the debut from new supergroup side project Sons of Apollo is no exception. Consisting of: Former GNR and now Art of Anarchy guitarist Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal, veteran rock vocal powerhouse Jeff Scott Soto, Mr. Big, Winery Dogs, Racer X and any other project you can think of bassist Billy Sheehan and former Dream Theater members (surprise!) Mike Portnoy and keyboardist Derek Sherinian. I gotta say, these guys have a natural groove and chemistry that doesn’t happen often in supergroups and side projects. Their new debut album ‘Psychotic Symphony’ demonstrates perfectly.
So what is the Sons of Apollo sound? Well, it’s sort of exactly what you think it is. It’s super progressive yet mainstream sounding metal. Landing somewhere between late 90’s Dream Theater and The Winery Dogs. Which makes perfect sense because three fifths of the band are from those groups. It’s not quite as progressive as Dream Theater. And there’s a lot of moments on the album that could pass as ideas that weren’t used on the first two Winery Dogs. Yet, there is an original sound happening. Bumblefoot’s guitar tone is certainly different than Richie Kotzen or John Petrucci. Much deeper than Kotzen and much looser than Petrucci. There’s a rawness to the album that isn’t found in Dream Theater. Thanks mostly to Bumblfoot and Soto’s presence on the record.
But the MVP on the record is keyboardist Derek Sherinian. Those who are looking for a Bumblefoot showcase will be slightly disappointed. There certainly are many moments for Bumblefoot, but they’re most rooted in bad ass riffage and rhythm guitar. Sure, there are plenty of shred moments such as the solo on ‘Signs of the Time’. But Sherinian takes the load of the game with this one. What’s really awesome is that he is using his keyboard tone from his Dream Theater years. Which were few and far between if you ask me. His tone is solid gold. It’s not some 80’s pop keyboard tone. It’s a metal keyboard sound in the truest sense. It’s so nasty a dirty sounding. Of course, the rest of the band is in fine form as well.
The record starts off with ‘God of the Son’. And in the intro right away you know it’s going to be a bad ass prog metal album. It really sounds like what could have been if Sherinian had stayed in Dream Theater. He just tears it up! And then the metal on metal sandwich starts with a pummeling Bumblefoot riff. Which then goes into a heavy groove. The song is split into four parts essentially and they all seem to top one another. It’s Sherinian at his finest. Then ‘Coming Home’ comes in with a classic hard rock keyboard intro. The song is a fine example of how the album is progressive, yet there is a mainstream metal edge to it. The song could certainly be a hit. It’s not very long (4:22). That’s a good radio song length. And the song is very digestible. It’s catchy, it’s got a bounce to it. A great fist pumping track. Then we go back into more prog territory with ‘Signs of the Time’. Think Meshuggah with a singer and keyboard player. That’s exactly what it sounds like. Which I have no complaints about. Super bad ass breakdown in the middle! Then it’s ‘Labyrinth’ which keeps the same level of prog going and ups the song length. It’s a slower track that ‘Signs of the Time’ and there’s more four/four time signatures in it. It’s also somewhat of a ballad. But a really really heavy one. Great vocal harmonies from Soto too.
‘Alive’ is the ballad on the album. And lame as the title of the song is (how many songs are entitle ‘Alive’ for fucks sake?!), it’s still a good track. The opening riff is really catchy and the chorus is memorable and easy to sing to. Which I think a lot of bands, particularly in the progressive rock and metal world struggle with. Then it’s thrash time with ‘Lost in Oblivion’. Again though, Soto keeps the vocals very melodic. Much more melodic and souldful than most thrash bands. But the pummeling double bass and drop heavy tone of the guitar keeps the ‘Meshuggah’ element alive. And of course, there’s a super bad ass Derek Sherinian keyboard solo.
‘Figaro’s Whore’ is a little Sherinian texture showcase before going into ‘Divine Addiction’. With it’s Deep Purple style organ sound in the intro, this is the most ‘classic’ feeling song on the album. It’s really a classic rock riff that’s present before the two ton heavy verse riff kicks in. The album closes with a progressive doom metal sounding ‘Opus Maximus’. Bringing the progressive metal times a million. Times changes, epic moments and what Mike Portnoy and Derek Sherinian describe as ‘transcending the art of strategic wankery.’ But it never gets too busy. It’s always semi-easy listening.
Overall it’s a great album. And I really hope that this isn’t just some sort of little project that Mike Portnoy is creating before letting it go and moving on to the next thing. But honestly, as good as the album is. And as clear as the chemistry between these five guys is. I give the project 9 months tops. This will probably be the only album from this band before Portnoy breaks it up and moves on to the next thing. Which is a shame. But maybe I’m wrong, I hope I am.
