Sons of Apollo

I wonder if they will play any DT songs. I think its possible they could play something from FII, when both Portnoy and Sherinian were in the band. Maybe even ACOS! :D

On the other hand, they might want nothing to do with DT in order to build their own identity as a band. I'm very curious to see how it plays out.
 
https://blogofapollo.wordpress.com/2017/12/12/premier-article-de-blog/
I particurlarly like this sentence from Derek:
Why did you choose Jeff as a singer? Did you have other choices?

It was very important to us to have strong and powerful rock vocals. Jeff did a great job on Psychotic Symphony. We spent a lot of time with the lyrics and melody lines. He will be able to reproduce his vocal performance live at ease because we wrote within his vocal range. There is nothing worse than going to see a band that you like, and the singer sounds like he is dying up there struggling to hit the notes.
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:devil2:
 
Black Bart said:
https://blogofapollo.wordpress.com/2017/12/12/premier-article-de-blog/
I particurlarly like this sentence from Derek:

Why did you choose Jeff as a singer? Did you have other choices?

It was very important to us to have strong and powerful rock vocals. Jeff did a great job on Psychotic Symphony. We spent a lot of time with the lyrics and melody lines. He will be able to reproduce his vocal performance live at ease because we wrote within his vocal range. There is nothing worse than going to see a band that you like, and the singer sounds like he is dying up there struggling to hit the notes.
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:devil2:
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Do you think this was a dig at James LaBrie? If Mike Portnoy had said it then it certainly would have been.
 
Mosh said:
It’s hard to say, Portnoy says he’s all in on this project but he’s also said that about Adrenaline Mob and Winery Dogs. I suppose it depends partially on sales/fan response, which probably doesn’t bode well for this groups longevity.
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If this project flops like those bands, I bet MP will reconnect with JP and JR to make a new LTE album and short tour, before rejoining DT doing a SFAM anniversary tour next year
 
Sth2112 said:
If this project flops like those bands, I bet MP will reconnect with JP and JR to make a new LTE album and short tour, before rejoining DT doing a SFAM anniversary tour next year
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If this can put a stop to DT’s descent (I can’t count more than 5 good songs since 2003... and I have a really sweet heart)...
 
Black Bart said:
If this can put a stop to DT’s descent (I can’t count more than 5 good songs since 2003... and I have a really sweet heart)...
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Not counting The Astonishing, most of those bad songs appeared on the last 3 Portnoy albums (arguably when he was at the height of his controlling the band). I don't know why people think Mike Portnoy returning to DT will make them "better." Every album he has released with new projects has been average at best, including Sons of Apollo (which has 2-3 great songs and a bunch of aggressively mediocre tracks with a grand lack of musical cohesion).
 
I m not saying Portnoy hasn’t had any responsibility in what is in my opinion the artistic downfall of DT (e.g the dreadful inspiration corner concept). Still he is the one who realized they needed to make less but better...and was met with disapproval from the others.
IMO, ADTOE is so reminiscent of IW in terms of song atmospheres (the album starts with ´the new PMU’ and finishes with ‘the new LTL) that it si risible. Plus, having one of the greatest drummers play over a drum machine....
And the less said about the last two albums the better.
AFAIC, they should have stopped in 2004 (WDADU live and Budokan).
 
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The quality of DT's output since 2003 is pretty consistent IMO. Nothing has really reached the heights of their best work but the only bad album for me is Systematic Chaos.

I don't really blame Portnoy for the lower quality work that came toward the end of his time with the band. Take Systematic Chaos for example. A lot of the lyrics that get criticized for being cringeworthy come from JP and the heavier direction was inspired by Petrucci wanting to experiment with downtuned/7 string guitars just as much as anything else. Plus, several of those songs still appear in the setlist frequently (including the debut of The Shattered Fortress and using Dark Eternal Night as an opener), meaning they still stand by that material. So while Portnoy obviously had a lot to do with those albums, I don't think he was the main driving force for that direction the way many think. Also, for what it's worth, I rate ADTOE about the same as BC&SL.

As for Portnoy's projects since DT, I don't agree that they have been average at best. He's had some really strong albums, such as the first Flying Colors. Winery Dogs wasn't really my thing but it seemed to be really well received. But again, Portnoy doesn't write any of the music so it's questionable how much he really contributes to the quality of whatever he's on.

I can't see Portnoy coming back to DT full time solely because there's no way he's allowed to run the band the way he did before. Petrucci would never let that happen. I also get the feeling that JLB would not be on board with it and could easily see JP siding with his frontman. At some point I can imagine him returning for a one off, but not in the near future. An LTE reunion seems more likely though. The only way I can really see MP coming back full time is after DT has been inactive for awhile and JLB is no longer involved. It will be interested to see what happens if Mangini leaves though (which I'd say is an above 50% chance at this point).
 
Last night's tour-ending show in Joliet was absolutely phenomenal. Honestly, it ludicrously exceeded my expectations. The more I listened to Psychotic Symphony the more I liked it, but having watched them last night I'd honestly be quite happy if this band kept playing together.

Portnoy and Sherinian were on fire, as was to be expected, but it was the front line that blew me away. Jeff Scott Soto was on point vocally and his stage antics were fun. He reminded me a ton of Russell Allen, from his vocals to his performance. It was a massive step up from the terrible performance I saw him give a couple years back for Trans-Siberian. Billy Sheehan is a goddamn animal. Watching him play is pure joy. And Bumblefoot...holy crap: this guy is astounding. I had no idea he was as good as he is. I would legitimately put him in the same bracket as Romeo, Petrucci, etc.

Portnoy "let slip" that they'll be back in Illinois in May, which means a more full-scale tour is likely coming to the U.S.

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I was thinking about seeing that show, but then I pretty much forget about it. It looks like I'll have to check them out next time they're in town!
 
Lampwick 43 said:
I was thinking about seeing that show, but then I pretty much forget about it. It looks like I'll have to check them out next time they're in town!
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I highly recommend it. Portnoy said they'd be at the Arcada in St. Charles in May. I'll have to see how expensive that show is...most Arcada gigs are $40-60.
 
MrKnickerbocker said:
Jeff Scott Soto was on point vocally and his stage antics were fun. He reminded me a ton of Russell Allen, from his vocals to his performance. It was a massive step up from the terrible performance I saw him give a couple years back for Trans-Siberian..
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JSS was good when I saw him with TSO in December
 
New hipster-arthouse video of people playing in a field in California...


Plus tour dates leaked in the video description:

Thu 4/19 Montreal, QUE. Corona Theatre
Fri 4/20 Toronto, ONT. The Opera House
Sat 4/21 Grand Rapids, MI The Intersection
Sun 4/22 St. Louis, MO Delmar Hall
Tue 4/24 Lawrence, KS Granada Theater
Wed 4/25 Denver, CO Summit Music Hall
Fri 4/27 Las Vegas, NV Brooklyn Bowl
Sat 4/28 Sacramento, CA Ace Of Spades
Sun 4/29 Portland, OR Hawthorne Theatre
Mon 4/30 Seattle, WA The Showbox
Wed 5/2 San Francisco, CA The Regency Ballroom
Thu 5/3 Los Angeles, CA The Belasco Theatre
Fri 5/4 Anaheim, CA House Of Blues
Sat 5/5 Tempe, AZ Marquee Theatre
Mon 5/7 San Antonio, TX Alamo City Music Hall
Tue 5/8 Dallas, TX Canton Hall
Wed 5/9 Houston, TX Scout Bar
Fri 5/11 Nashville, TN 3rd & Lindsley
Sat 5/12 St. Charles, IL Arcada Theatre
Sun 5/13 Minneapolis, MN Varsity Theater
Tue 5/15 Cleveland, OH House Of Blues
Wed 5/16 Philadelphia, PA Theatre of Living Arts
Thu 5/17 Washington, D.C. The Howard Theatre
Fri 5/18 New York, NY Playstation Theater
Sat 5/19 Worcester, MA The Palladium

Fri 6/22 Clisson, France Hellfest
Sat 6/23 Dessel, Belgium Graspop
Sun 6/24 Milan, Italy Teatro Degli Arcimbodi
Wed 6/27 Leipzig, Germany Hellraiser
Sat 6/30 Barcelona, Spain Be Prog My Friend
Sun 7/1 Maidstone, England Rambling Man Festival
Mon 7/2 Motherwell, England Motherwell Concert Hall
Tue 7/3 Belfast, England Limelight
Wed 7/4 Dublin, Ireland Tivoli Variety Theatre
Sun 7/14 Eindhoven, Netherlands Dynamo MetalFest
Fri 8/3 Wacken, Germany Wacken Open Air
Sat 8/18 Warsaw, Poland Prog In Park
Sun 8/19 Budapest, Hungary Barba Negra Track
Wed 9/19 Moscow, Russia Glavclub
Sat 9/22 Plovdiv, Bulgaria Roman Amphitheater *
Mon 9/24 Athens, Greece Fuzz Club
  • A Very Special Evening with SONS OF APOLLO and the Plovdiv Psychotic Symphony.
 
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