Sons of Apollo (feat. Portnoy & Sherinian)

[Elite]

They have March-June free, so I assume those will be filled up at some point.

Mike will be in the studio with his new band during those months.

Sorry to steal the momentum, but I had to give a shout out to this post: holy shit

[MirrorMask]

Sorry but you got the emphasis wrong. THEY PLAYED THE PROPHET'S SONG!!!!! Need a video ASAP!!!!

I think that was extremely cool! I would love if they play covers on the more "B-sides" ou less known songs of the classic bands. They really did that vocal part of Queen song live?

I wasn't there, but since the setlist says "Prophet's Song / Save Me", I would assume they skipped the a cappella part by going into Save Me instead. We'll see!

[DT2003]

I find it amusing how they bashed DT while promoting this album while proclaiming to be the new kings of prog, and then their first show ever they close with a DT song.

[RodrigoAltaf]

I find it amusing how they bashed DT while promoting this album while proclaiming to be the new kings of prog, and then their first show ever they close with a DT song.

 They bashed what DT has become, not what it was when they were in the band.

[KevShmev]

What has DT "become"?

DT is really no different than they've always been, despite the member changes, so really their bashing came off more as scorned lovers throwing fits than anything else.

[RodrigoAltaf]

What has DT "become"?

DT is really no different than they've always been, despite the member changes, so really their bashing came off more as scorned lovers throwing fits than anything else.

 You have to ask Derek and MP - I didn´t bash DT! And I´m not saying they´re right, I was just stating that that´s what they meant.

[Mister Gold]

I find it amusing how they bashed DT while promoting this album while proclaiming to be the new kings of prog, and then their first show ever they close with a DT song.

I mean, personally speaking, Psychotic Symphony trounces The Astonishing and the self-titled release. It might not be groundbreaking, but has Dream Theater themselves really been all that original lately? That's not a slight against the guys in DT, as I'd probably rank ADToE as a better album over PS, but aren't all of the parties involved kind of at that stage in their careers where they're more likely to close out their shows with a song they wrote earlier in their careers rather than sooner?

Sons of Apollo, despite Derek and Mike's self-proclamations and hype, aren't the new Kings of Prog (that's going to be Witherfall, I think ). But as far as a new prog metal band made up from five renowned musicians go, they're not all that bad either. I see Sons of Apollo being akin more to something like Black Country Communion right now. They're not going to reinvent the wheel, but they've got serious talent and aren't bad at writing songs.

[KevShmev]

What has DT "become"?

DT is really no different than they've always been, despite the member changes, so really their bashing came off more as scorned lovers throwing fits than anything else.

 You have to ask Derek and MP - I didn´t bash DT! And I´m not saying they´re right, I was just stating that that´s what they meant.

How do you know what they meant?

[RodrigoAltaf]

What has DT "become"?

DT is really no different than they've always been, despite the member changes, so really their bashing came off more as scorned lovers throwing fits than anything else.

 You have to ask Derek and MP - I didn´t bash DT! And I´m not saying they´re right, I was just stating that that´s what they meant.

How do you know what they meant?

That´s how I understood, based on Derek´s comments about cheesy apps.

[SwedishGoose]

I would argue that The Astonishing is much more groundbreaking than Psycotic Symphony. Might not be to everyones tastes but I wish Sons of Apollo had had 1/100th of the ambition Dream Theater showed with TA.

Had they poured a bit more effort into it it might have turned out OK.

[mikeyd23]

I find it amusing how they bashed DT while promoting this album while proclaiming to be the new kings of prog, and then their first show ever they close with a DT song.

I mean, personally speaking, Psychotic Symphony trounces The Astonishing and the self-titled release. It might not be groundbreaking, but has Dream Theater themselves really been all that original lately? That's not a slight against the guys in DT, as I'd probably rank ADToE as a better album over PS, but aren't all of the parties involved kind of at that stage in their careers where they're more likely to close out their shows with a song they wrote earlier in their careers rather than sooner?

Sons of Apollo, despite Derek and Mike's self-proclamations and hype, aren't the new Kings of Prog (that's going to be Witherfall, I think ). But as far as a new prog metal band made up from five renowned musicians go, they're not all that bad either. I see Sons of Apollo being akin more to something like Black Country Communion right now. They're not going to reinvent the wheel, but they've got serious talent and aren't bad at writing songs.

You might not like TA, but it was certainly DT pushing boundaries and doing something original.

[devieira73]

Anyone knows when it’s the next show on the cruise? Thanks!

[Mister Gold]

I find it amusing how they bashed DT while promoting this album while proclaiming to be the new kings of prog, and then their first show ever they close with a DT song.

I mean, personally speaking, Psychotic Symphony trounces The Astonishing and the self-titled release. It might not be groundbreaking, but has Dream Theater themselves really been all that original lately? That's not a slight against the guys in DT, as I'd probably rank ADToE as a better album over PS, but aren't all of the parties involved kind of at that stage in their careers where they're more likely to close out their shows with a song they wrote earlier in their careers rather than sooner?

Sons of Apollo, despite Derek and Mike's self-proclamations and hype, aren't the new Kings of Prog (that's going to be Witherfall, I think ). But as far as a new prog metal band made up from five renowned musicians go, they're not all that bad either. I see Sons of Apollo being akin more to something like Black Country Communion right now. They're not going to reinvent the wheel, but they've got serious talent and aren't bad at writing songs.

You might not like TA, but it was certainly DT pushing boundaries and doing something original.

I'm not entirely sure how DT taking the plot of Rush's 2112 and stretching it out into a two hour long album is "pushing the boundaries." I respect the band's ambition on that album, but I personally don't think it's particularly original either.

Your mileage obviously may vary.

[Ben_Jamin]

I find it amusing how they bashed DT while promoting this album while proclaiming to be the new kings of prog, and then their first show ever they close with a DT song.

I mean, personally speaking, Psychotic Symphony trounces The Astonishing and the self-titled release. It might not be groundbreaking, but has Dream Theater themselves really been all that original lately? That's not a slight against the guys in DT, as I'd probably rank ADToE as a better album over PS, but aren't all of the parties involved kind of at that stage in their careers where they're more likely to close out their shows with a song they wrote earlier in their careers rather than sooner?

Sons of Apollo, despite Derek and Mike's self-proclamations and hype, aren't the new Kings of Prog (that's going to be Witherfall, I think ). But as far as a new prog metal band made up from five renowned musicians go, they're not all that bad either. I see Sons of Apollo being akin more to something like Black Country Communion right now. They're not going to reinvent the wheel, but they've got serious talent and aren't bad at writing songs.

You might not like TA, but it was certainly DT pushing boundaries and doing something original.

I'm not entirely sure how DT taking the plot of Rush's 2112 and stretching it out into a two hour long album is "pushing the boundaries." I respect the band's ambition on that album, but I personally don't think it's particularly original either.

Your mileage obviously may vary.

They are not really the same plot.

One finds "the ancient miracle" hiding in cave, discovers its beauty and goes to the priests to show them the world could use this. But being the priests in power, they already know what it can do, and decide to break it.

How is that related to...

Ravenskill Militia leader's brother has a gift of creating/making something beautiful that unites the town. Emperor finds out the power it has over people (some calling him Saviour) doesn't want his reign overthrown, decides to find out himself. Sees the saviour falling for his Daughter, gets angry and tells him to surrenddr himself in 3 days or else entire town dies.


The only thing related is Music being a gift/ancient miracle.

[the keyboard wizard]

Anyone knows when it’s the next show on the cruise? Thanks!

I'm pretty sure it's next Tuesday.

[noxon]

DT fans are impossible. "I WANT ORIGINAL STUFF" - DT creates a 2 cd rock opera unlike anything they've ever done before. "WAAH, I DIDN'T WANT THAT; I WANTED THE STUFF THAT SOUNDED LIKE WHAT THEY DID BEFORE!".

"DT ARE GETTING STALE" - "WAH, DT IS MAKING MUSIC THATS TOO DIFFERENT FROM WHAT THEY USED TO MAKE".

It's a sea of contradicitions.

And then comes along an album that literally rests on cliches; "OOOH, SHINY!"

[Train of Naught]

I think the originality, or "unlike anything they've ever done before" factor is heavily overstated on this forum, it's not like they treaded completely new ground musically. Its length is longer than average, sure, but that doesn't mean they unraveled a new sound per se.

I think it has some great moments and honestly a step up from DT12, especially James sounded way better on TA, but I just don't get what's particularly original about the music compared to most of their other albums?

And to go slightly back on topic, I think it's very cool that SoA covered Prophet's Song, and at the same time super reliefed that they (according to the comments here) left out that acappella section

[MirrorMask]

No, wait, I only *assumed* that since the setlist was saying "Prophet's Song / Save Me", the a cappella section was a natural moment to change song for the medley.

Furthermore, that is not reported on Setlist.fm, are the YouTube clips already of that?

[Mister Gold]

DT fans are impossible. "I WANT ORIGINAL STUFF" - DT creates a 2 cd rock opera unlike anything they've ever done before. "WAAH, I DIDN'T WANT THAT; I WANTED THE STUFF THAT SOUNDED LIKE WHAT THEY DID BEFORE!".

"DT ARE GETTING STALE" - "WAH, DT IS MAKING MUSIC THATS TOO DIFFERENT FROM WHAT THEY USED TO MAKE".

It's a sea of contradicitions.

And then comes along an album that literally rests on cliches; "OOOH, SHINY!"

Not sure if you're referring to me or not- but for the record, I'm not a huge DT fan, at least not in the same way most folks here are. I like the band and admire their best albums, but I'm here more for the General Music section of the forum and to interact with other fans of the same general type of music I enjoy.

I just don't care much for The Astonishing. That's my opinion. I don't go out of my way to make a big deal about it, because I know most folks here don't agree with my thoughts on it and that's fine. My opinions are my opinions- same goes for literally every person in this forum that adores it, thinks it's okay or thinks it's garbage.

And I make no claims that Sons of Apollo are doing anything new- they aren't. I just happen to think that for a debut album from a prog metal band consisting entirely of men in their fifties, it's not bad and does what it does well. It's not groundbreaking or original, but it's done well.

That doesn't make the album better than Dream Theater's greatest works- because frankly it'd be hard for most any band to do that, especially under these circumstances. I just happen to like it better than The Astonishing and probably Dream Theater's self-titled album (it's been ages since I last revisited that one). A Dramatic Turn of Events is very blatantly Dream Theater returning to a sound more akin to Images & Words to play it safe in introduce the fanbase to their new drummer, but that doesn't change the album from being pretty damn awesome, does it?

[Ben_Jamin]

I think the originality, or "unlike anything they've ever done before" factor is heavily overstated on this forum, it's not like they treaded completely new ground musically. Its length is longer than average, sure, but that doesn't mean they unraveled a new sound per se.

I think it has some great moments and honestly a step up from DT12, especially James sounded way better on TA, but I just don't get what's particularly original about the music compared to most of their other albums?

Am I the only one saying that The Astonishing is musically akin to 6DOIT (the song). About to Crash is The Gift of Music and Goodnight Kiss is The Answer...also, Solitary Shell is Saviour in The Square. Its not easy to miss....

I'm just saying I love The Astonishing...


But I don't enjoy Sons of Apollo because it SOUNDS a lot like THE WINERY DOGS with KEYBOARDS. TWD sounded too generic like CHICKENFOOT. Great musicians just generic song writing. And it all sounded the same to me....I was expecting Sammy Hagar to sing Dreams style lyrics in Labyrinth.

All this discussion just has me in tears laughing. 

[RodrigoAltaf]

No, wait, I only *assumed* that since the setlist was saying "Prophet's Song / Save Me", the a cappella section was a natural moment to change song for the medley.

Furthermore, that is not reported on Setlist.fm, are the YouTube clips already of that?

I think that it's not reported on Setlisfm because the concert was on a cruise, and access to the internet may not be easy. I took the setlist from MP's group on Facebook. There's one guy who recorded the whole show and will ask for MP's permission to post on YouTube.

[MirrorMask]

Ah, ok then. Looking forward to that!

[devieira73]

Anyone knows when it’s the next show on the cruise? Thanks!

I'm pretty sure it's next Tuesday.

Cool, I'm really curious about the DT and cover songs in the next setlist.

[bill1971]

So uh, given the controversy that hit the web while the album was first coming out, I mostly avoided listening to the Sons of Apollo debut. Finally decided to give it a spin the other night and I have a feeling a lot of folks here aren't going to be happy- but I think I like it better than most Dream Theater albums?

For the record, I don't think Psychotic Symphony is even remotely on par with any of Dream Theater's top four albums (i.e. Images & Words, Awake, SFAM and Six Degrees)- but I think I like it about as much as I do say Train of Thought, Falling Into Infinity or A Dramatic Turn of Events.

It's not a very original album by any means, but I think the band has promise. If Mike is able to stick to a particular band for once and keep at it for a second or third album, I think Sons of Apollo have potential to do something pretty good. They just need to experiment a bit more and offer something new to the table. The talent and chemistry is there and the songs on PS actually aren't bad.

I am VERY unhappy about your comment. I do not like it so therefor no one should. I will not stop bashing it ever until I convince everyone of my opinion either by putting the music down or if need be you personally for having such bad tastes.

-Sincerely Unhappy Bill







 

[The Silent Cody]

I don't know if someone posted it before, but setlist from first Soa show was:

God of the Sun
Signs of the Time
Labyrinth
Bass Solo
Lost in Oblivion
Alive
Opus Maximus
Keyboard Solo
Lines in the Sand

As You can see not much covers, I was expecting Lines In The Sand to be honest

[bill1971]

Jeff's brother just passed a day or two ago. Not sure if the initial tour dates could be cancelled because of this.

That is really sad. Having two brothers I can't imagine how tough that would be for him.

[Adami]

I don't know if someone posted it before, but setlist from first Soa show was:

God of the Sun
Signs of the Time
Labyrinth
Bass Solo
Lost in Oblivion
Alive
Opus Maximus
Keyboard Solo
Lines in the Sand

As You can see not much covers, I was expecting Lines In The Sand to be honest

I mean, obviously they were going to do LiTS, but closing on a DT song feels odd for a band trying to establish themselves.

[The Walrus]

Very strange that Derek and Mike want to act like DT isn't shit without them but won't even play their own original lead single... lol...

[Nick]

Very strange that Derek and Mike want to act like DT isn't shit without them but won't even play their own original lead single... lol...

They have another show on the cruise, my guess is they'll be rotating other material into that set.

[bosk1]

Sons of Apollo, despite Derek and Mike's self-proclamations and hype, aren't the new Kings of Prog (that's going to be Witherfall, I think ). But as far as a new prog metal band made up from five renowned musicians go, they're not all that bad either. I see Sons of Apollo being akin more to something like Black Country Communion right now. They're not going to reinvent the wheel, but they've got serious talent and aren't bad at writing songs.

I don't particularly agree with your assessment of recent DT, but your take on Sons of Apollo is VERY similar to mine.  I like the BCC comparison and think it is pretty spot on. 

But I don't enjoy Sons of Apollo because it SOUNDS a lot like THE WINERY DOGS with KEYBOARDS. 

Wow, that comparison is really confusing to me.  I don't get TWD from Sons of Apollo at all.  Not even a little bit.

[DT2003]

Other than a few listens when this album first came out, I haven’t listened to it at all. I think all the crap that went on beforehand just really left a bad taste in my mouth. With that said I listened again today and really enjoyed some of it. I definitely want to give this album some more listens as I think if I give it a legitamate shot, I’ll really like it.

I have to agree with bosk1 that I don’t hear any similarity between this and The Winery Dogs at all.

[Mister Gold]

Sons of Apollo, despite Derek and Mike's self-proclamations and hype, aren't the new Kings of Prog (that's going to be Witherfall, I think ). But as far as a new prog metal band made up from five renowned musicians go, they're not all that bad either. I see Sons of Apollo being akin more to something like Black Country Communion right now. They're not going to reinvent the wheel, but they've got serious talent and aren't bad at writing songs.

I don't particularly agree with your assessment of recent DT, but your take on Sons of Apollo is VERY similar to mine.  I like the BCC comparison and think it is pretty spot on. 

To be fair to recent DT, it has been awhile since I last listened to the self-titled release. I didn't hate that album or anything when it came out, I just never felt very compelled to bother going back and revisiting it.

The Astonishing on the other hand... I'm sorry, I've tried to enjoy that album way too many times and it's never clicked for me. More power to everyone in this thread who does enjoy it and props to the band for having the guts to make a two hour long album, but I just don't care for it.

Like I said though, A Dramatic Turn of Events is a superb album and one of the best from the band. I have hopes the next album will be like that too.

[Ben_Jamin]

Its mainly the sound Billy Sheehan and Mike Portnoy have, plus JSS vocals sounding more casual.

I enjoy some songs on the album but I do wish they could've worked more on the vocals...Theyre the usual Rock 80's vocals where they use "Yeah" and "baby" every other word.

[IDontNotDoThings]

DT fans are impossible. "I WANT ORIGINAL STUFF" - DT creates a 2 cd rock opera unlike anything they've ever done before. "WAAH, I DIDN'T WANT THAT; I WANTED THE STUFF THAT SOUNDED LIKE WHAT THEY DID BEFORE!".

"DT ARE GETTING STALE" - "WAH, DT IS MAKING MUSIC THATS TOO DIFFERENT FROM WHAT THEY USED TO MAKE".

It's a sea of contradicitions.

And then comes along an album that literally rests on cliches; "OOOH, SHINY!"

That is a 100% accurate representation of what Dream Theater fans are definitely saying. Good job.

[devieira73]

the second show will be tonight:
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10155994730891877&id=36797576876