Mike Portnoy's "Prog Metal" supergroup: Sons of Apollo

[SwedishGoose]

Listened to the teaser of the second song and it find that it did not tease me... still hoping there might be something worthwile pn this record. Not holding my breath though.

[King Postwhore]

Why worry about a future of a band with a first album? Just go with the flow man.


Very Cheech and Chong of me but you're better off.

[ariich]

Haven't listened to the new teaser yet, but it does seem a pretty odd thing to release. Why not just release either a new song or just don't release anything?

[cramx3]

Haven't listened to the new teaser yet, but it does seem a pretty odd thing to release. Why not just release either a new song or just don't release anything?

My guess, to get people talking about the music and not the tweets.  The music is coming soon, but maybe they wanted something out sooner to smooth over the potential fan base.

[Madman Shepherd]

Haven't listened to the new teaser yet, but it does seem a pretty odd thing to release. Why not just release either a new song or just don't release anything?

My guess, to get people talking about the music and not the tweets.  The music is coming soon, but maybe they wanted something out sooner to smooth over the potential fan base.

An announcement about an announcement. I don't think it's to divert from the tweets. Just a common marketing ploy. Most bands do it to build hype. Nothing new in that regard.

[bosk1]

Yeah, just a way to remind people--"Hey, we're still here.  Our album comes out soon.  Don't forget to buy it and come see us on the road."

[cramx3]

But it was more than just an announcement, it contained new music with the band performing it in studio.  This is coming after many people complained about wanting new music.  Not saying they were corelated, because I am not in the decision making room for the band, but I do think it's possible there was a link to that.

[TheLordOfTheStrings]

What's the guy supposed to say? "We are devastated! There is no possible way we could carry on. We are so sad we are just going to pack up our gear and go home, never to work together again."

It's not the point; he should tell the truth, as he sees it, or not say anything at all.  The problem isn't that James said it, it's that some people here are ignoring that he said it and arguing "it didn't happen".

I thought everyone realized that trying to defend Portnoy ended as soon as he put that fan on blast for wearing the ADTOE shirt to his signing. The guy is a child, and there is no defending this kind of childish behavior. It's extremely unfortunate that DS has followed suit in his tweets and making claims as ridiculous as the one about MP "reclaiming the thrown of the genre he created". Sorry, but until MP writes the music, he hasn't created shit. I don't care how many of their albums he had a hand in producing. The fact is MP would never be able to write a DT album on his own, unlike JP who absolutely can.

Don't get me wrong, I adore most of the projects he's been involved in, and I absolutely respect the man. I would be a fool not to. But I cannot, as a sane human being, defend this childishness. His immaturity in his personal life, and the way he lets it spill into his professional life, is just unacceptable behavior.

[Adami]

Anyway.....

But it was more than just an announcement, it contained new music with the band performing it in studio.  This is coming after many people complained about wanting new music.  Not saying they were corelated, because I am not in the decision making room for the band, but I do think it's possible there was a link to that.

I doubt it. The album is coming out soon and they only have one single released. This was a teaser for a music video, which is a logical progression. I doubt anyone off of DTF or MP's page are clamoring for a new single, and the only reason most of DTF is wanting a new single is to counterbalance this awful, brain cell killing argument that has destroyed this thread recently.

[Sycsa]

https://youtu.be/de4z6-YcpUs

Now that's how you start an album! Awesome!

But that's not the first song of the album 

Damn, I was pretty sure, it's a typical opener. I assume it's the second song then, after a short instrumental intro.

[Skeever]

This quote alone makes me believe you're not really too familiar with Ron Thal or his work. His solo records (under his own name and under the "Bumblefoot" alias) cover a lot of different musical ground. He can go from loung-y jazz ["Every Time I Shake My Head (It's Like Christmas)"] to wacky, Zappa-influenced instrumental rock (pretty much all of "The Adventures of Bumblefoot"), crank a few punk-ish songs ("Normal"), play something that wouldn't be out of place at a Spaghetti Western ("Legend Of Van Cleef") or poke some fun at different musical genres ("Guitars Suck", "I Can't Play The Blues"). Art of Anarchy is, by no means, a great example of how diverse his playing actually is. And I have a hard time comparing him to either Mark Tremonti or Mike Orlando. I mean, Thal is a MUCH more advanced guitar player than those two guys. And he's much more tasteful (in my opinion, obviously) than either of them.

I  also found your use of the labels "has-been" and "also-ran" quite ludricous. So these guys are "has-beens" and " also-rans" because they're not new hotshots that supposedly still have a lot to prove? I'd prefer to call them seasoned veterans but that's probably just me...

With all due respect, that is the very definition of an also-ran. Sometimes also-rans are better than the acts that get the notoriety, as may be the case with Thal, but niche success doesn't make you a star.

If we look at Thal's career, we have a bunch of solo albums that not many people in the mainstream know or care about, and then we have the fact that he is the "other guy" that played with GnR, Scott Weiland, Scott Stapp, and now Mike Portnoy. He could be one of the best players in the world - but a lot of the best players in the world today never get far beyond their Youtube channels.

Maybe this is a big moment for Thal, where he stops being the extremely talented "other guy" and gets crossover notoriety. But given the rest of the SoA lineup, I highly doubt it. These are all busy guys who will move on to the next thing when the moment is up - Portnoy included.

[gzarruk]

https://youtu.be/de4z6-YcpUs

Now that's how you start an album! Awesome!

But that's not the first song of the album 

Damn, I was pretty sure, it's a typical opener. I assume it's the second song then, after a short instrumental intro.

It's actually the second song... after an 11 minute epic 

[SjundeInseglet]

This quote alone makes me believe you're not really too familiar with Ron Thal or his work. His solo records (under his own name and under the "Bumblefoot" alias) cover a lot of different musical ground. He can go from loung-y jazz ["Every Time I Shake My Head (It's Like Christmas)"] to wacky, Zappa-influenced instrumental rock (pretty much all of "The Adventures of Bumblefoot"), crank a few punk-ish songs ("Normal"), play something that wouldn't be out of place at a Spaghetti Western ("Legend Of Van Cleef") or poke some fun at different musical genres ("Guitars Suck", "I Can't Play The Blues"). Art of Anarchy is, by no means, a great example of how diverse his playing actually is. And I have a hard time comparing him to either Mark Tremonti or Mike Orlando. I mean, Thal is a MUCH more advanced guitar player than those two guys. And he's much more tasteful (in my opinion, obviously) than either of them.

I  also found your use of the labels "has-been" and "also-ran" quite ludricous. So these guys are "has-beens" and " also-rans" because they're not new hotshots that supposedly still have a lot to prove? I'd prefer to call them seasoned veterans but that's probably just me...

With all due respect, that is the very definition of an also-ran. Sometimes also-rans are better than the acts that get the notoriety, as may be the case with Thal, but niche success doesn't make you a star.

If we look at Thal's career, we have a bunch of solo albums that not many people in the mainstream know or care about, and then we have the fact that he is the "other guy" that played with GnR, Scott Weiland, Scott Stapp, and now Mike Portnoy. He could be one of the best players in the world - but a lot of the best players in the world today never get far beyond their Youtube channels.

Maybe this is a big moment for Thal, where he stops being the extremely talented "other guy" and gets crossover notoriety. But given the rest of the SoA lineup, I highly doubt it. These are all busy guys who will move on to the next thing when the moment is up - Portnoy included.

But that is precisely my point. Do you have to be a "star" to be considered relevant? Can you say that you've only "made it" if you achieve mainstream sucess? I'd argue otherwise. "Also-ran" and "has-been" are terms that have a very clear pejorative connotation that I don't think is warranted when it comes to the guys in Sons of Apollo or Dream Theater.

[Skeever]

It remains to be seen whether Sons of Apollo make music that is considered relevant.

Given what we heard from the first single, I'm thinking not. And the only reason it seems anyone is talking about them at all is because Derek Sherinian is a troll on social media.

[bill1971]

It remains to be seen whether Sons of Apollo make music that is considered relevant.

Given what we heard from the first single, I'm thinking not. And the only reason it seems anyone is talking about them at all is because Derek Sherinian is a troll on social media.

I think people are talking about it because MP calls everything a Super group and creates buzz. Everything is hyperbole with him. 87 bands! Super group! Best album of my career! He is very good at self promotion.

[gzarruk]

It remains to be seen whether Sons of Apollo make music that is considered relevant.

Given what we heard from the first single, I'm thinking not. And the only reason it seems anyone is talking about them at all is because Derek Sherinian is a troll on social media.

I think people are talking about it because MP calls everything a Super group and creates buzz. Everything is hyperbole with him. 87 bands! Super group! Best album of my career! He is very good at self promotion.

I wouldn't call that being good at self promotion. He just overhypes everything he does, to the point that people just don't believe him anymore (some people, at least).

[bill1971]

It remains to be seen whether Sons of Apollo make music that is considered relevant.

Given what we heard from the first single, I'm thinking not. And the only reason it seems anyone is talking about them at all is because Derek Sherinian is a troll on social media.

I think people are talking about it because MP calls everything a Super group and creates buzz. Everything is hyperbole with him. 87 bands! Super group! Best album of my career! He is very good at self promotion.

I wouldn't call that being good at self promotion. He just overhypes everything he does, to the point that people just don't believe him anymore (some people, at least).

I am with you.  I don't believe the hype anymore but he gets himself in the "press". Maybe it could be because I used to go to his site because he used to be in DT. so I am exposed to all the marketing.

[bill1971]

This is even kind of funny MP's tweet about the Shattered Fortress show. As if DT is some band that has retired. Ok, maybe I am nitpicking.

Muchos Gracias Mexico! What a great night last night showcasing the Past, Present & Future of Progressive Metal! (DT, Haken & Next To None)

[Bertielee]

This is even kind of funny MP's tweet about the Shattered Fortress show. As if DT is some band that has retired. Ok, maybe I am nitpicking.

Muchos Gracias Mexico! What a great night last night showcasing the Past, Present & Future of Progressive Metal! (DT, Haken & Next To None)

I think it's nitpicking. There, MP, in my opinion, just hints that DT are / were the root of progressive metal and the other two the followers. I don't think it's deragotary at all, but I may be wrong.

B.Lee

On a side note, if the music released by SoA had been that good, nobody would have been talking about mischievous tweets for the past 15 pages or so, thay would have been talking about the music itself (more than they have at least).

[cramx3]

Yea, that seems like a logical progression of the progressive metal that MP is involved with.  Obviously DT is still in the present, but their success seems to have been in the past and Haken are a current band, but they are celebrating 10 years so they were also clearly in the past as well, but they are currently in their biggest state, and then of course the prediction of Next to None who are also in the present, and he believes they are the future of the genre (I disagree there).  I don't see anything wrong with that post personally.

[bill1971]

Yea, that seems like a logical progression of the progressive metal that MP is involved with.  Obviously DT is still in the present, but their success seems to have been in the past and Haken are a current band, but they are celebrating 10 years so they were also clearly in the past as well, but they are currently in their biggest state, and then of course the prediction of Next to None who are also in the present, and he believes they are the future of the genre (I disagree there).  I don't see anything wrong with that post personally.

Ok. I'll move on.

Besides we all know Sons of Apollo is the future of prog metal.

[MirrorMask]

Yea, that seems like a logical progression of the progressive metal that MP is involved with.  Obviously DT is still in the present, but their success seems to have been in the past and Haken are a current band, but they are celebrating 10 years so they were also clearly in the past as well, but they are currently in their biggest state, and then of course the prediction of Next to None who are also in the present, and he believes they are the future of the genre (I disagree there).  I don't see anything wrong with that post personally.

What he said.

[ariich]

It remains to be seen whether Sons of Apollo make music that is considered relevant.

Given what we heard from the first single, I'm thinking not. And the only reason it seems anyone is talking about them at all is because Derek Sherinian is a troll on social media.

I don't understand this conversation. Why should we care what's popular or "considered relevant"? (by who, anyway?). Shouldn't we care about whether it's good or not?

[emtee]

More like whether we like it (individually) or not. That's all that matters.

[Sycsa]

It's relevant. If it's popular, we'll get more of it. Not the usual 1-2 albums, then turn the page.

[mikeyd23]

It's relevant. If it's popular, we'll get more of it. Not the usual 1-2 albums, then turn the page.

Right, I think that's why it's somewhat important to the conversation. If SoA somehow break out of the prog metal niche, they'll probably be around longer. If they don't, then like you said, you'll probably just have the 1 or 2 albums with tours and then nothing.

[efx]

I know I have been a part of the discussion here regarding how they are hyping this album but beyond this and the mp forum where the chatter is even less I'm not seeing this band make the rounds on other forums and sites and to me it speaks of a generational shift. The music they are making seems decidedly old school and while there is nothing wrong with that there's a whole generation of newer bands infintitely more suited to breaking out than this band. I think their popularity being a bunch of guys in their 50's and 60's will come from a very defined group that is already largely cornered by DT and others so I'm with the others who are thinking 1 or 2 albums tops.

And I'm not saying this to denigrate them, I'll still check the full thing out but it's just more of a feeling of how this will play out for them.

[cramx3]

You may be right, but it's hard to make that conclusion without hearing more of the music to say it's old school.

[Madman Shepherd]

I know I have been a part of the discussion here regarding how they are hyping this album but beyond this and the mp forum where the chatter is even less I'm not seeing this band make the rounds on other forums and sites and to me it speaks of a generational shift. The music they are making seems decidedly old school and while there is nothing wrong with that there's a whole generation of newer bands infintitely more suited to breaking out than this band. I think their popularity being a bunch of guys in their 50's and 60's will come from a very defined group that is already largely cornered by DT and others so I'm with the others who are thinking 1 or 2 albums tops.

And I'm not saying this to denigrate them, I'll still check the full thing out but it's just more of a feeling of how this will play out for them.

I've got the same feeling.  I actually was just perusing Blabbermouth which I actually don't do that much.  Scrolling through the facebook feed I saw a thing about SoA and it only had 5 comments (one from Derek making fun of a posters criticism).  It surprised me because almost every other article had dozens or maybe hundreds of comments.  SoA had five.

I had assumed SoA would be as successful as Winery Dogs which had decent success.  Now I'm not so sure.  Doesn't seem to be getting much buzz good or bad. 

[The Walrus]

They'll sell a couple thousand copies, make one, maybe two albums, and then it'll be over. This is a supergroup that just won't last. We should just enjoy the tunes when they come and not be surprised when it's over. Mike will move on to 10 other bands in order to support his lifestyle (this isn't a dig, it's just a fact of observation, the guy is a millionaire and lives luxuriously so he needs to pay for it somehow). But there is *no* buzz about this anywhere beyond the immediate members' realms which is pretty small.

Again, we should just enjoy the tunes when they arrive and be thankful we're getting them at all... I'm not buying it out of principle, but I'll definitely listen. Would rather have Winery Dogs 3 and Flying Colors 3 anyway

[bosk1]

the guy is a millionaire

Possible, but I highly doubt it.

[The Walrus]

the guy is a millionaire

Possible, but I highly doubt it.

I'm probably overstating it, but I do know his net worth is around 8 million, and I've seen his house, car, and pool o_o

[bill1971]

They'll sell a couple thousand copies, make one, maybe two albums, and then it'll be over. This is a supergroup that just won't last. We should just enjoy the tunes when they come and not be surprised when it's over. Mike will move on to 10 other bands in order to support his lifestyle (this isn't a dig, it's just a fact of observation, the guy is a millionaire and lives luxuriously so he needs to pay for it somehow). But there is *no* buzz about this anywhere beyond the immediate members' realms which is pretty small.

Again, we should just enjoy the tunes when they arrive and be thankful we're getting them at all... I'm not buying it out of principle, but I'll definitely listen. Would rather have Winery Dogs 3 and Flying Colors 3 anyway

I am not buying it either. Don't like the negativity. I did buy the first two Flying Colors and the 1st Winery Dogs though. I think out of all of his post DT bands Flying Colors is really special, especially the 1st one.

[cramx3]

I had assumed SoA would be as successful as Winery Dogs which had decent success.  Now I'm not so sure.  Doesn't seem to be getting much buzz good or bad.

Winery Dogs have more of a classic rock type of sound, that music is appealing to a much larger audience and I believe that is why that band had success (well the music was good too, but it had larger potential due to style). 

[bosk1]

the guy is a millionaire

Possible, but I highly doubt it.

I'm probably overstating it, but I do know his net worth is around 8 million, and I've seen his house, car, and pool o_o

  I don't think so.  Don't believe everything you read on the Internet.