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

[bosk1]

That means it's prog.

[SwedishGoose]

Listened a second time and unfortunately my first impression still holds.... not buying the record on the merits of this song :-(

[Madman Shepherd]

Right!  It's the internet.  Where people go to extremes. No news here.  Who cares it DS is playing it up.  We all know he's trying to drum up hits to promote the new band.

Yup. Just Sherinian acting like the Blabbermouth trolls Portnoy always rails against. No big deal.

 

People overreacting as usual.

Absolutely.

And it's some wonderful free publicity those over-reactors are creating, too

Yup. It's sure to go platinum now because some guy on a message board thought Sherinian was acting a bit immature.

[gzarruk]

I agree with Madman Shepherd, don't like Derek's attitude at all.

I get it, he's got a new band that has potential to be succesful and he's very excited about it, but they've literally only released one song... ONE SONG! But he's already claiming to be the kings of prog metal. You haven't even released the album yet! How do you know people aren't going to hate it and never listen to it again? (don't think this is going to be the case, but we just don't know yet)
He's just sooooooo confident with this, that he doesn't realize some of his actions (and words, retweets, etc) aren't helping his image at all, the same way (to a degree) as Portnoy.

I can imagine the DT guys seeing all of this like 
However, if this actually helps inspire DT to make a much better DT14, just to make them eat their words, it'll be worth it.

[King Postwhore]

Right!  It's the internet.  Where people go to extremes. No news here.  Who cares it DS is playing it up.  We all know he's trying to drum up hits to promote the new band.

Yup. Just Sherinian acting like the Blabbermouth trolls Portnoy always rails against. No big deal.

 

People overreacting as usual.

Absolutely.

And it's some wonderful free publicity those over-reactors are creating, too

Yup. It's sure to go platinum now because some guy on a message board thought Sherinian was acting a bit immature.

How does this affect us in one bit.  I'll by their album contrary to the Twitter chest pumping and I'll still buy DT.  Think of it as WWE.   It's entertainment.

[bill1971]

I just posted this on the MP forum.


See I am trying to enjoy this and then this occurs. It's really immature. Why "beat" DT?? You were kicked out, I get the bitterness. You are now part of a new band, ironically with most likely the person who kicked you out, vindication and validation complete.  So far seems like a great band, why beat anyone? What does "beating" even look like? Releasing a successful 1st album vs 13 albums and almost 30 years of history. 
 
I am sure I am over reacting, but for me it does take away my enjoyment.
 
 Derek Sherinian Retweeted

Martin Baur‏ @DreamTheaterMB  22h22 hours ago More



Replying to @MikePortnoy @DerekSherinian
It's not easy to admit... but there's definitely a huge part of me that would love to see "new DT" beaten by @SonsOfApollo1 in every aspect!

[bill1971]

I agree with Madman Shepherd, don't like Derek's attitude at all.

I get it, he's got a new band that has potential to be succesful and he's very excited about it, but they've literally only released one song... ONE SONG! But he's already claiming to be the kings of prog metal. You haven't even released the album yet! How do you know people aren't going to hate it and never listen to it again? (don't think this is going to be the case, but we just don't know yet)
He's just sooooooo confident with this, that he doesn't realize some of his actions (and words, retweets, etc) aren't helping his image at all, the same way (to a degree) as Portnoy.

I can imagine the DT guys seeing all of this like 
However, if this actually helps inspire DT to make a much better DT14, just to make them eat their words, it'll be worth it.

Retweeted

[antigoon]

Y'all are so sensitive, I swear. This stuff is fun! It's rock and roll, nothing wrong with a little edge and competitive fire. Why NOT be extremely confident?

[nobloodyname]

Y'all are so sensitive, I swear. This stuff is fun! It's rock and roll, nothing wrong with a little edge and competitive fire. Why NOT be extremely confident?

Spot on.

"Siiiirrr... Derek said his dad's stronger than my dad."

[ToT-147]

Honestly DT could use some of that competitive fire.

Nah, they don't need it.. I hope they don't, although we cannot know when/if they do..

[Madman Shepherd]

Right!  It's the internet.  Where people go to extremes. No news here.  Who cares it DS is playing it up.  We all know he's trying to drum up hits to promote the new band.

Yup. Just Sherinian acting like the Blabbermouth trolls Portnoy always rails against. No big deal.

 

People overreacting as usual.

Absolutely.

And it's some wonderful free publicity those over-reactors are creating, too

Yup. It's sure to go platinum now because some guy on a message board thought Sherinian was acting a bit immature.

How does this affect us in one bit.  I'll by their album contrary to the Twitter chest pumping and I'll still buy DT.  Think of it as WWE.   It's entertainment.

Actually this is a great comparison.  When I see WWE on, I change the channel. 

I just posted this on the MP forum.


See I am trying to enjoy this and then this occurs. It's really immature. Why "beat" DT?? You were kicked out, I get the bitterness. You are now part of a new band, ironically with most likely the person who kicked you out, vindication and validation complete.  So far seems like a great band, why beat anyone? What does "beating" even look like? Releasing a successful 1st album vs 13 albums and almost 30 years of history. 
 
I am sure I am over reacting, but for me it does take away my enjoyment.
 
 Derek Sherinian Retweeted

Martin Baur‏ @DreamTheaterMB  22h22 hours ago More



Replying to @MikePortnoy @DerekSherinian
It's not easy to admit... but there's definitely a huge part of me that would love to see "new DT" beaten by @SonsOfApollo1 in every aspect!

Good post.  For the record, if I remember it correctly from Lifting Shadows, after the success of Liquid Tension Experiment, Petrucci approached Mike about asking Jordan to join.  Mike agreed and then the two of them spoke to the other guys who were more hesitant especially John Myung who was in the band Platypus with Derek.  They then had a conference call with him.

So yeah,  it was Petrucci and Mike that were the catalysts for kicking Derek out.

 

Y'all are so sensitive, I swear. This stuff is fun! It's rock and roll, nothing wrong with a little edge and competitive fire. Why NOT be extremely confident?

Riiiiiiiight.  Weeeeeee're the ones being sensitive.  By any chance, what shirt are you wearing right now?  I hope to god it isn't a Dramatic Turn of Events shirt.   

[King Postwhore]

 

Madman, that was a great answer. 

You just can't get too invested in an internet fight between bands.  It's not healthy.

[Zook]

It'll probably remain a one sided "fight" anyway seeing as Dream Theater have yet to take the bait all these years later.

[Plasmastrike]

Y'all are so sensitive, I swear. This stuff is fun! It's rock and roll, nothing wrong with a little edge and competitive fire. Why NOT be extremely confident?

This so much. Zzzzzz

[bill1971]

Well, my post was deleted. Along with someone who agreed with me.

[mikeyd23]

Well, my post was deleted. Along with someone who agreed with me.

Sounds about right.

[bill1971]

I didn't even think my post was offensive.

[Madman Shepherd]

Well, my post was deleted. Along with someone who agreed with me.

Sounds about right.

Funny.  People used to trash James on his message board while he was in the band.  Now someone levels a constructive criticism about a current member of a different band and it gets deleted. 

Fortunately there are people in this thread that are very against people being too sensitive.  They'll be sure to call out MP any second now....

Any....


....second....


....now.












 

[Mosh]

Well, my post was deleted. Along with someone who agreed with me.

Sounds about right.

Fortunately there are people in this thread that are very against people being too sensitive.  They'll be sure to call out MP any second now....

Yea he is also being sensitive. Two wrongs don't make a right.

[pogoowner]

Well, my post was deleted. Along with someone who agreed with me.

Sounds about right.

My first thought when I read it was that it would immediately be deleted.

[PetFish]

As far as I can tell, there's no "fight", no "rivalry", and no "friendly competition" going on here AT ALL.  Only the fans here are saying things like this by assuming and reading-in to some statements and creating something out of nothing.

Also, one band taking shots at another band is NOT a competition and it certainly isn't "friendly".  Nobody from DT has acknowledged any of this and "fired back", as far as I know at least.  It's just one band trying to start something that isn't there and the fans somehow thinking there's some kind of competition going on.

DT is, yet again, doing the right thing and staying away from all of this junk.

You know, if MP leaving was friendly or at least everyone was friends again and taking some fun shots at each other, then it would be fun, but the way it stands now is just one group with a couple of butthurts trying to prove something and start crap.  Up until this I've loved DS's attitude (and I still think he has the best lead tone out of any keyboard player I've ever heard), but, again, since nobody on either side is truly "friendly" with the other it just comes across as douchie (or douchey, dunno which one is right).

You just can't get too invested in an internet fight between bands.  It's not healthy.

But there *is* no fight between bands.  It's one band taking shots at another for no reason other than to try and start shit.


As for the song itself, aside from DS's awesome sounds, it's pretty "meh" for me.

[King Postwhore]

Yup. You are right.  DT stays away from the fodder.

[Nick]

Yup. You are right.  DT stays away from the fodder.

To a sometimes alarming degree. Look at the fiasco with the release of the Astonishing box set or the recent shows that were canceled, or not, or moved, or who knows because they were negligently quiet on the matter. I do wish that Petrucci would be a little more engaged, he has an ability to take on subjects in a tactful matter when I've seen him address them. For example, if he spoke about Sons of Apollo and competition, I can see it going like this: "Mike has returned to doing new progressive metal, which is really cool, and it's great that Derek right there in it as well. Every band is competing for album and ticket sales, but I'm really hoping everyone does well and we can bring this awesome music to all the people who want to hear it."

You can address it without flaring up the flames, which he does well.

[TAC]

I agree, Nick. Sometimes it's good to just let the fans know you're there.

[Stadler]

Yup. You are right.  DT stays away from the fodder.

To a sometimes alarming degree. Look at the fiasco with the release of the Astonishing box set or the recent shows that were canceled, or not, or moved, or who knows because they were negligently quiet on the matter. I do wish that Petrucci would be a little more engaged, he has an ability to take on subjects in a tactful matter when I've seen him address them. For example, if he spoke about Sons of Apollo and competition, I can see it going like this: "Mike has returned to doing new progressive metal, which is really cool, and it's great that Derek right there in it as well. Every band is competing for album and ticket sales, but I'm really hoping everyone does well and we can bring this awesome music to all the people who want to hear it."

You can address it without flaring up the flames, which he does well.

In all fairness, it's not as if John and the rest of the band promised to step up and continue the interfacing with the fans.

[Nick]

Yup. You are right.  DT stays away from the fodder.

To a sometimes alarming degree. Look at the fiasco with the release of the Astonishing box set or the recent shows that were canceled, or not, or moved, or who knows because they were negligently quiet on the matter. I do wish that Petrucci would be a little more engaged, he has an ability to take on subjects in a tactful matter when I've seen him address them. For example, if he spoke about Sons of Apollo and competition, I can see it going like this: "Mike has returned to doing new progressive metal, which is really cool, and it's great that Derek right there in it as well. Every band is competing for album and ticket sales, but I'm really hoping everyone does well and we can bring this awesome music to all the people who want to hear it."

You can address it without flaring up the flames, which he does well.

In all fairness, it's not as if John and the rest of the band promised to step up and continue the interfacing with the fans.

Yes, and aside from an initial push I do not believe they'd held true to that commitment.

[nobloodyname]

Another case in point is the novel. I've literally received no updates at all, despite having paid back in November 2016. Now, I know it has been delayed but I only know that because I've seen a couple of people post about it on this site. Is this the band's fault? Of course not. Is it more dreadful customer service under the Dream Theater brand? Yes. It is.

[Architeuthis]

I listened to the song one time, and I liked what I heard. It seems Derek has a lot of the same keyboard tone on the solos as he did in FII, which gets kind of old. I don't mean to compare, but I like JR's innovative tones and patches much more. Hopefully I'm just jumping the gun here, and Derek will have some innovative sounds on their upcoming release.

[rumborak]

EDIT: Lol, it's always good to read the previous post before hitting send. Take the below as a repetition of the above, with the addition that I think JR is as guilty of it as DS.

Ok, I gotta ask, what's with DT keyboard players sticking to their signature sound until the bitter end? FII is now 20 years old, but Derek is still using the same sound.

[gzarruk]

Well, at least Jordan has changed, not necessarily for the better, some of his sounds, specially his lead, which he seems to tweak every couple years. Also, he's always looking for new sounds on his apps, the Continuum, the Seaboard, etc.

Derek has like 5 sounds and has been using them, and the same tricks, for the last 20 something years 

[JohnLocke]

I want to order the vinyl for this, but so far I'm only seeing it on the InsideOut shop which means shipping from Europe to the US, no thanks.  Considering its a US-based band its a shame there's no better options, at least not yet.  maybe something will get added later

You could check discogs.com once it drops. I had great luck on that site... actually, I finished my Dream Theater vinyl collection through that site (WDADU, and OIALT).

You can find a large selection of sellers from around the globe, and in many cases I found that there was a large amount of sales requiring PayPal.

[goo-goo]

www.lasercd.com will have it. They will probably have pre-orders soon. Lasecd has become the North american webshop.

[Madman Shepherd]

EDIT: Lol, it's always good to read the previous post before hitting send. Take the below as a repetition of the above, with the addition that I think JR is as guilty of it as DS.

Ok, I gotta ask, what's with DT keyboard players sticking to their signature sound until the bitter end? FII is now 20 years old, but Derek is still using the same sound.

I think keyboard players get a bad rap.  Guitarists keep the same sound, more or less, with minor modifications.  People don't have a problem with it because, I'm assuming, guitars are just supposed to sound that way. 

Keyboardist are expected to change because they can load 5 billion different patches.  I too think keyboardists should switch it up but if they have a great go to sound like Derek does, then I think its great, especially if it's a signature of theirs. 

On the flip side, I feel like Jordan switches his up too much just for the sake of doing something new.  I guess he would get criticized if he didn't though.  I thought his sound on Beneath the Surface was absolutely amazing so I was stoked when he used the same or a very similar sound for the solo in Along For the Ride (two incredibly underrated songs). 

[PetFish]

I think keyboard players get a bad rap.  Guitarists keep the same sound, more or less, with minor modifications.  People don't have a problem with it because, I'm assuming, guitars are just supposed to sound that way. 

Keyboardist are expected to change because they can load 5 billion different patches.  I too think keyboardists should switch it up but if they have a great go to sound like Derek does, then I think its great, especially if it's a signature of theirs.

I've always felt this way.

Every guitar player can be identified by their unique tone but when a keyboard player has their own somehow it's not cool and I don't understand that.

[ErHaO]

EDIT: Lol, it's always good to read the previous post before hitting send. Take the below as a repetition of the above, with the addition that I think JR is as guilty of it as DS.

Ok, I gotta ask, what's with DT keyboard players sticking to their signature sound until the bitter end? FII is now 20 years old, but Derek is still using the same sound.

I think keyboard players get a bad rap.  Guitarists keep the same sound, more or less, with minor modifications.  People don't have a problem with it because, I'm assuming, guitars are just supposed to sound that way. 

Keyboardist are expected to change because they can load 5 billion different patches.  I too think keyboardists should switch it up but if they have a great go to sound like Derek does, then I think its great, especially if it's a signature of theirs. 

On the flip side, I feel like Jordan switches his up too much just for the sake of doing something new.  I guess he would get criticized if he didn't though.  I thought his sound on Beneath the Surface was absolutely amazing so I was stoked when he used the same or a very similar sound for the solo in Along For the Ride (two incredibly underrated songs).

I agree.

Furthermore, it has been about 20 years since a full DT-esque band made an album with this type of keyboard sound, no? (with vocalist and all, not too familiar with Derek's projects). For me, it is a welcome return (despite me not liking FII very much, but that is due to the actual songs, not the sound).