#19 — Sons of Apollo — Psychotic Symphony

2017 might be considered the year of the Super Group, or at least the year of guys from different bands coming together to make a new band. I like the idea behind this — it gives musicians a chance to work with different people and it keeps them active. It also gives the listener more music to listen to.

The only down side is you never know what you are going to get. When I heard about Sons of Apollo, I was excited but reserved. Vocalist Jeff Scott Soto has been in quite a few bands that I like. Bill Sheehan and Mike Portnoy are both in Winery Dogs, another Super Group that has released two fantastic records. The only concern I had was Derek Sherinian is also a part of the band and was in Dream Theater with Portnoy. The more I heard that Portnoy and Sherinian were the main creative forces in the project, the less convinced I was that I would like it. Dream Theater is not my cup of tea.

The album is much more Dream Theater than Winery Dogs, that’s for sure. The first song is an 11 minute plus progressive rock epic that’s a little scattered. There are some really good moments on the record. When the band confines itself to 6 minutes or less the songs are good. But for me, there’s too much excessive playing and far too much keyboard noodling for my liking.

I really like “Coming Home” and “Alive” and there are some good parts to “God of the Sun” and “Signs of the Time”. But for me, this doesn’t come close to the Winery Dogs records or many of the other projects that some of these guys are involved in. If you are into Dream Theater and their progressive rock brethren, this record is for you.