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

[The Walrus]

Wrong:   https://www.antimusic.com/news/11/july/ts12LaBrie_Says_Dream_Theater_Are_Better_Without_Mike_Portnoy.shtml
https://rocknewsdesk.com/world-news/labrie-dream-theater-is-better-without-portnoy/2496/

"We are better and happier now without Mike".    Boom.   

You, Stadler, the man who is always trying to cite factual information and chastising others for not doing the same, quote something that isn't even said by JLB in the articles, and then present it as a mic drop moment. Really?? Looks like you picked a headline and ran with it without reading. Ironic, my friend.

AND

Boom.

Those interviews referred to a statement given by James on "Used Bin Radio", and he was clear.   If you don't think "not sad at all" and "excited" don't in any way shape or form imply "happy", well, you're right.  You got me.  Winner! 

"You know what?! I'm not sad at all. I've gotta be honest with you." and "We're excited, we're really looking forward to the next chapter."
https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/interviews/dream_theater_singer_not_sad_at_all_following_portnoys_departure.html

"We are better and happier now without Mike" is not something James ever said, so he cannot be quoted on it, so don't present it like he did say it. You have argued in the past against assuming meanings from quotes, now you're arguing in favor of it. Stop. He didn't say it. We could read the 'implications' a thousand different ways, but you presented that as something he said, when he didn't, end of story. I'm sorry you don't like being called out on something as plain and obvious as this, but them's the facts, chief. Boom.

EDIT: Basically, you presented a quote that wasn't even said, now you're arguing that the implication YOU want to get out of it is the only one. Again, irony, thy name is Stadler.

[Cool Chris]

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."

[rumborak]

https://youtu.be/de4z6-YcpUs

1st promise broken.

Derek Sherinian‏ @DerekSherinian  Sep 1
More
 No asshole puckering high vocal shreiks in SONS OF APOLLO!! We promise!@

Good call.

Umm....ok. What was the point of that short snippet. Would've rather had the whole song instead, so I can decide wheter I enjoyed it.

Yeah, that was mostly my reaction as well. When I watched the video the first time I did not look at the total time of the video, so when the fade happened I was "wait, what?"

[Stadler]

Typically when you put something in quotes in means that is exactly what is said. So when you put "We are better and happier now without Mike".    Boom.  it made it seem like you are quoting James and not just interpreting his words.

AND

"We are better and happier now without Mike" is not something James ever said, so he cannot be quoted on it, so don't present it like he did say it. You have argued in the past against assuming meanings from quotes, now you're arguing in favor of it. Stop. He didn't say it. We could read the 'implications' a thousand different ways, but you presented that as something he said, when he didn't, end of story. I'm sorry you don't like being called out on something as plain and obvious as this, but them's the facts, chief. Boom.

Yup.  You guys are right.  You win. You won the battle.  You got one.   I technically speaking, misquoted James, and was sloppy in my drafting of my post.  Boom.   Call me out all day long when I'm wrong.  I deserve it as much as the next guy.   I was wrong on that singular point.

As for the war?  I stand by the underlying argument.   James was, according to the article I quoted above (and any misprints, mistakes, misstatements from this point forward are therefore the responsibility of the author of the underlying piece, as I am only quoting that article), "not sad at all" that Mike left.   Since "happy" is, according to the Merriam-Webster Thesaurus, and using definition number 2 of said word, the antonym of "sad" (https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/happy), it is reasonable, though not entirely conclusive, to interpret the statement "not sad" as in fact meaning "happy".    Since we do have other evidence, including the fact that the band is "excited" as well (considered a "related word" to "happy", also as per Merriam-Webster [https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excited]), this is not merely an assumption subject to the "we just don't know" false understanding of my argument, but rather a conclusion drawn on the totality of the evidence.

[Mladen]

That was a nice sample. There's a bunch of guys that look like they know how to have their fun, they appear to still have a lot of energy.

[Nick]

That was a nice sample. There's a bunch of guys that look like they know how to have their fun, they appear to still have a lot of energy.

Why are you even talking about this? Did you not know there are interview segments we could be arguing about?!?

[Stadler]

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". 

[cramx3]

I have no problems with the little preview clip of today.  It definitely did have the feeling of "welcome to the jungle" but that's OK.  Definitely felt like a good, get pumped, intro teaser clip.  Maybe they could have released this a month ago and the single today if anything, but it's not really enough of anything musically to form any opinion of it.

[Mladen]

That was a nice sample. There's a bunch of guys that look like they know how to have their fun, they appear to still have a lot of energy.

Why are you even talking about this? Did you not know there are interview segments we could be arguing about?!?

Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to spoil the discussion. 

Back on topic ( ), as far as I'm concerned, there were hardly any comments that could be considered insensitive, harsh or disrespectful by James regarding Mike and the split. Mike, on the other hand, made plenty more passive-aggressive jabs over the years. It's beyond me how this is even a discussion - it's objective, because sources, interviews and tweets speak for themselves. But it's possible I haven't been following the discussion correctly.

It's odd that this kind of talk takes place in the Sons Of Apollo thread - maybe Mike Portnoy needs his own topic. Something like "Mike Portnoy - personality and comments", so that we know we should discuss music elsewhere. Sorry for trying to bring order into this mess, nobody asked me to and most of the people are apparently fine with this. 

[Polarbear]

That was a nice sample. There's a bunch of guys that look like they know how to have their fun, they appear to still have a lot of energy.

Why are you even talking about this? Did you not know there are interview segments we could be arguing about?!?

This Sons of Apollo thread is starting to look like a free for all fistfight...

But yeah, the sample sounded pretty cool!

[The Walrus]

Sigh. Stadler, not sure if you're missing the point, but the point is that you're doing exactly what you've regularly (and consistently - after all, you said it yourself, if you're anything, it's consistent) criticized others for. If you feel a little salty about that, it's not on me... but that pretty much sums it up I guess, no reason to continue arguing it, it's silly.

I don't know why they didn't just release the whole song, but it's coming out on Friday right?

[bill1971]

Typically when you put something in quotes in means that is exactly what is said. So when you put "We are better and happier now without Mike".    Boom.  it made it seem like you are quoting James and not just interpreting his words.

AND

"We are better and happier now without Mike" is not something James ever said, so he cannot be quoted on it, so don't present it like he did say it. You have argued in the past against assuming meanings from quotes, now you're arguing in favor of it. Stop. He didn't say it. We could read the 'implications' a thousand different ways, but you presented that as something he said, when he didn't, end of story. I'm sorry you don't like being called out on something as plain and obvious as this, but them's the facts, chief. Boom.

Yup.  You guys are right.  You win. You won the battle.  You got one.   I technically speaking, misquoted James, and was sloppy in my drafting of my post.  Boom.   Call me out all day long when I'm wrong.  I deserve it as much as the next guy.   I was wrong on that singular point.

As for the war?  I stand by the underlying argument.   James was, according to the article I quoted above (and any misprints, mistakes, misstatements from this point forward are therefore the responsibility of the author of the underlying piece, as I am only quoting that article), "not sad at all" that Mike left.   Since "happy" is, according to the Merriam-Webster Thesaurus, and using definition number 2 of said word, the antonym of "sad" (https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/happy), it is reasonable, though not entirely conclusive, to interpret the statement "not sad" as in fact meaning "happy".    Since we do have other evidence, including the fact that the band is "excited" as well (considered a "related word" to "happy", also as per Merriam-Webster [https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excited]), this is not merely an assumption subject to the "we just don't know" false understanding of my argument, but rather a conclusion drawn on the totality of the evidence.

Stadler, I don't want to win anything. Fine, you are right, James and MP are equally to blame, or James is more to blame if that is the argument you are trying to win. I was just explaining the usage of quotes.

You are tenacious.

[rumborak]

Can we just open a separate thread called "Stadler vs the World" and direct all that bickering into that?

[Skeever]

I can't say I have heard the Sons of Apollo album, but from what I have heard, I'd be very surprised if it comes anywhere close to justifying all the attention being paid to the band in this thread.

I like MP, but let's face it: this is a band of has-beens and also-rans. Whether people want to claim DT are no different -
 maybe, but that's another discussion for another time. The SoA might be a decent album, but I highly doubt it's going to be anyone's masterwork.

Also, just watched that :24 snippet, and both Bumblefoot and Sheehan are using double neck guitars. That alone has me checked out, aside from my own morbid curiosity 

[rumborak]

The odd part for me, and it doesn't make much sense actually, but in the rhythm sections I've heard so far I get really reminded of Adrenaline Mob.

[Ben_Jamin]

From that snippet. I didn't like Billy Sheehans bass tone at all. Its really upfront amd twangy.

[JayOctavarium]

From that snippet. I didn't like Billy Sheehans bass tone at all. Its really upfront amd twangy.

I am glad I am not the only one who noticed that. It was kinda jarring.

[Skeever]

The odd part for me, and it doesn't make much sense actually, but in the rhythm sections I've heard so far I get really reminded of Adrenaline Mob.

Given Bumblefoot's other main project, Art of Anarchy, I'm not surprised. That stuff is your typical "radio rock" that sits quite appropriately alongside Five Finger Death Punch, Seether, Bush, Godsmack, etc., I'm sure you get the point.  Scott Stapp is apparently even the full-time vocalist of Bumblefoot's other band.

Honestly, would have been way more interested had we seen somebody like Eric Gilette on guitars. Bumblefoot is the very definition of an also-ran, and he's way more of a Tremonti or Orlando than a Petrucci.

[KevShmev]

"We are better and happier now without Mike" is not something James ever said, so he cannot be quoted on it, so don't present it like he did say it. You have argued in the past against assuming meanings from quotes, now you're arguing in favor of it. Stop. He didn't say it. We could read the 'implications' a thousand different ways, but you presented that as something he said, when he didn't, end of story. I'm sorry you don't like being called out on something as plain and obvious as this, but them's the facts, chief. Boom.

EDIT: Basically, you presented a quote that wasn't even said, now you're arguing that the implication YOU want to get out of it is the only one. Again, irony, thy name is Stadler.

Hilarious, ain't it?  He has taken more people than we count to task for misquoting or interpreting Portnoy's comments a certain way, and now here he is misquoting LaBrie in an attempt to make him look like the bad guy. Team Mike, indeed.

[mikeyd23]

From that snippet. I didn't like Billy Sheehans bass tone at all. Its really upfront amd twangy.

I am glad I am not the only one who noticed that. It was kinda jarring.

That's always my big hurdle with his playing.

[Ben_Jamin]

From that snippet. I didn't like Billy Sheehans bass tone at all. Its really upfront amd twangy.

I am glad I am not the only one who noticed that. It was kinda jarring.

That's always my big hurdle with his playing.

He's a good bass player. His tone doesn't suck in Steve Vai's Real Illusions: Reflections album. But here and Winery Dogs, its a bit too grungy of a tone. Its odd in that it fits The Winery Dogs.

We'll see Friday I guess.

[kaos2900]

I can't say I have heard the Sons of Apollo album, but from what I have heard, I'd be very surprised if it comes anywhere close to justifying all the attention being paid to the band in this thread.

I like MP, but let's face it: this is a band of has-beens and also-rans. Whether people want to claim DT are no different -
 maybe, but that's another discussion for another time. The SoA might be a decent album, but I highly doubt it's going to be anyone's masterwork.

Also, just watched that :24 snippet, and both Bumblefoot and Sheehan are using double neck guitars. That alone has me checked out, aside from my own morbid curiosity 

This.

[Stadler]

Typically when you put something in quotes in means that is exactly what is said. So when you put "We are better and happier now without Mike".    Boom.  it made it seem like you are quoting James and not just interpreting his words.

AND

"We are better and happier now without Mike" is not something James ever said, so he cannot be quoted on it, so don't present it like he did say it. You have argued in the past against assuming meanings from quotes, now you're arguing in favor of it. Stop. He didn't say it. We could read the 'implications' a thousand different ways, but you presented that as something he said, when he didn't, end of story. I'm sorry you don't like being called out on something as plain and obvious as this, but them's the facts, chief. Boom.

Yup.  You guys are right.  You win. You won the battle.  You got one.   I technically speaking, misquoted James, and was sloppy in my drafting of my post.  Boom.   Call me out all day long when I'm wrong.  I deserve it as much as the next guy.   I was wrong on that singular point.

As for the war?  I stand by the underlying argument.   James was, according to the article I quoted above (and any misprints, mistakes, misstatements from this point forward are therefore the responsibility of the author of the underlying piece, as I am only quoting that article), "not sad at all" that Mike left.   Since "happy" is, according to the Merriam-Webster Thesaurus, and using definition number 2 of said word, the antonym of "sad" (https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/happy), it is reasonable, though not entirely conclusive, to interpret the statement "not sad" as in fact meaning "happy".    Since we do have other evidence, including the fact that the band is "excited" as well (considered a "related word" to "happy", also as per Merriam-Webster [https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excited]), this is not merely an assumption subject to the "we just don't know" false understanding of my argument, but rather a conclusion drawn on the totality of the evidence.

Stadler, I don't want to win anything. Fine, you are right, James and MP are equally to blame, or James is more to blame if that is the argument you are trying to win. I was just explaining the usage of quotes.

You are tenacious.

It's not at all about winning.  It's just very frustrating to hear people like Mladen say it's "objective" and act all incredulous, like someone is trying to argue "Margot Robbie is a troll with a penis" and then when I give examples that show it's not, I get nitpicked for technical errors and mocked for having the conversation to begin with, and told I'm the one who's biased.  Then cue the obligatory "off topic" posts, and what-not.

Anyway...

I hate snippets, so I don't give them much credence, but I think I'm with most of the group so far:  I like what I hear, but I need to hear more to be convinced that the vocals are the real deal and that it's not more generic, yet very well-played genre prog metal.   I've said this before (and it has nothing to do with Mike or any other individual musician), but I get skittish when musicians try to play in a genre.   The best music, in my opinion, is that which blurs genres.  Maiden was never pure "heavy metal"; they had prog influences.   Crimson wasn't just "prog", they had jazz influences.   Sabbath wasn't just "metal", they had prog and blues influences (some of the mid-period Ozzy stuff was almost progressive itself).   I think that was the magic of early Dream Theater; they were a band that was an amalgamation of Journey, Maiden, Rush, Sabbath, Metallica, Elton John, and Deep Purple.   

The initial keyboard part reminds me of something, but I can't quite place it...

[gzarruk]

From that snippet. I didn't like Billy Sheehans bass tone at all. Its really upfront amd twangy.

I am glad I am not the only one who noticed that. It was kinda jarring.

That's always my big hurdle with his playing.

I'm a bassist, and I admire that Billy's been able to create his own style and approach to the instrument, that's really cool. The guy's a legend!
Having said that, I just cannot stand his tone or the way he overplays the crap out of everything he's involved with.

I can't say I have heard the Sons of Apollo album, but from what I have heard, I'd be very surprised if it comes anywhere close to justifying all the attention being paid to the band in this thread.

I like MP, but let's face it: this is a band of has-beens and also-rans. Whether people want to claim DT are no different -
 maybe, but that's another discussion for another time. The SoA might be a decent album, but I highly doubt it's going to be anyone's masterwork.

Also, just watched that :24 snippet, and both Bumblefoot and Sheehan are using double neck guitars. That alone has me checked out, aside from my own morbid curiosity 

This.

I think that, after the tour in 2018, the band will slowly fade into nothingness and Mike will come up with other 87 new bands to focus on.

[Stadler]

"We are better and happier now without Mike" is not something James ever said, so he cannot be quoted on it, so don't present it like he did say it. You have argued in the past against assuming meanings from quotes, now you're arguing in favor of it. Stop. He didn't say it. We could read the 'implications' a thousand different ways, but you presented that as something he said, when he didn't, end of story. I'm sorry you don't like being called out on something as plain and obvious as this, but them's the facts, chief. Boom.

EDIT: Basically, you presented a quote that wasn't even said, now you're arguing that the implication YOU want to get out of it is the only one. Again, irony, thy name is Stadler.

Hilarious, ain't it?  He has taken more people than we count to task for misquoting or interpreting Portnoy's comments a certain way, and now here he is misquoting LaBrie in an attempt to make him look like the bad guy. Team Mike, indeed.

I'm glad you're amused.  I made a style error; if you want to hold me to the technical letter of the law I admitted to my mistake.  Should I expect a warrant for my arrest?  My error wasn't factual though; he DID say what I said he said, albeit in a different way, and not that language.   Show me where I've nitpicked someone's use of quotations like this.   The others are pulling interpretations out of thin air.  Not at all the same thing.

If that's all you got on me - a misuse of quotation marks - I can sleep at night. Better than a lot of what's been said here.   

[Dave_Manchester]

Bit of an Astral Body (Between The Buried And Me) vibe from the snippet. A part of me thinks they've hurriedly rushed this snippet out to try and move conversation back to the music rather than Derek's shenanigans, and that's fair enough, but it's nowhere near long enough to give a sense of where the track is going. A lot of songs begin the way this one does (Fuzz Universe by Paul Gilbert also came to mind when I was listening), before settling down into a dull chug-fest. This snippet cuts out right before it becomes clear which direction it's heading. In terms of heightening anticipation for the album, it hasn't done it for me, but neither has it turned me off. There's just...not much to say about it. It's nice enough.

[devieira73]

My only "complaint" is that I think they should release one of the epics to cause a bigger impact. This song has around 4 minutes and I really don't understand the "singles" mentality to promote this kind of band. Anyway I really liked the first song released and I'm confident I will like a lot the new one too.

[SjundeInseglet]

The odd part for me, and it doesn't make much sense actually, but in the rhythm sections I've heard so far I get really reminded of Adrenaline Mob.

Given Bumblefoot's other main project, Art of Anarchy, I'm not surprised. That stuff is your typical "radio rock" that sits quite appropriately alongside Five Finger Death Punch, Seether, Bush, Godsmack, etc., I'm sure you get the point.  Scott Stapp is apparently even the full-time vocalist of Bumblefoot's other band.
 

Honestly, would have been way more interested had we seen somebody like Eric Gilette on guitars. Bumblefoot is the very definition of an also-ran, and he's way more of a Tremonti or Orlando than a Petrucci.

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...

[Madman Shepherd]

"We are better and happier now without Mike" is not something James ever said, so he cannot be quoted on it, so don't present it like he did say it. You have argued in the past against assuming meanings from quotes, now you're arguing in favor of it. Stop. He didn't say it. We could read the 'implications' a thousand different ways, but you presented that as something he said, when he didn't, end of story. I'm sorry you don't like being called out on something as plain and obvious as this, but them's the facts, chief. Boom.

EDIT: Basically, you presented a quote that wasn't even said, now you're arguing that the implication YOU want to get out of it is the only one. Again, irony, thy name is Stadler.

Hilarious, ain't it?  He has taken more people than we count to task for misquoting or interpreting Portnoy's comments a certain way, and now here he is misquoting LaBrie in an attempt to make him look like the bad guy. Team Mike, indeed.

I'm glad you're amused.  I made a style error; if you want to hold me to the technical letter of the law I admitted to my mistake.  Should I expect a warrant for my arrest?  My error wasn't factual though; he DID say what I said he said, albeit in a different way, and not that language.   Show me where I've nitpicked someone's use of quotations like this.   The others are pulling interpretations out of thin air.  Not at all the same thing.

If that's all you got on me - a misuse of quotation marks - I can sleep at night. Better than a lot of what's been said here.

My god!  Talk about an overreaction.  Everybody already proved that what you quoted wasn't actually a quote and you apologized and then promptly took your apology back by claiming he kinda sorta did say it!  He didn't!  You were wrong! 

One thing you've missed completely is context.  So yes, James did say they are "better" now but that was immediately after talking about acting more like a unit.  As far as "not sad at all" goes, he was asked a weird question in a kind of cheeky way.  The interview even made a statement after because this all blew up and I think he felt bad.  The interviewer asked if James was sad.  He responded he was not.  Then Mike message board exploded after he deleted a thread on James solo tour and some guy over there started calling Mike out.  Mike eventually "apologized."  Not for overreacting or not giving James the benefit of the doubt but for "believing the out of context headline."  Even Mike admitted it was out of context (but he didn't revive the thread about James's solo tour which was eventually and sadly canceled.  I don't even think he's said anything nice about James since then.  James, however, has said nice stuff about Mike.  )

James then had to make another statement saying that he was in fact sad when Mike first announced he was leaving but he wasn't going to wallow and he was going to make the best of it so he is excited for the future or whatever. 

So no, Stadler.  James never used the word "happier" and anything that implied that was much less "offensive" in context if you cared to actually examine it. 




Far be it from me to only complain about people blatantly taking things out of context to make their point, here's something on topic. 

One of the only thing's that excite me about the clip is Derek's keyboards who is probably my least favorite member at this point.  I guess I'm kind of excited to see what Bumblefoot does (I've actually seen him three times with GNR).  Other than that....meh. 

[bosk1]

"We are better and happier now without Mike" is not something James ever said, so he cannot be quoted on it, so don't present it like he did say it. You have argued in the past against assuming meanings from quotes, now you're arguing in favor of it. Stop. He didn't say it. We could read the 'implications' a thousand different ways, but you presented that as something he said, when he didn't, end of story. I'm sorry you don't like being called out on something as plain and obvious as this, but them's the facts, chief. Boom.

EDIT: Basically, you presented a quote that wasn't even said, now you're arguing that the implication YOU want to get out of it is the only one. Again, irony, thy name is Stadler.

Hilarious, ain't it?  He has taken more people than we count to task for misquoting or interpreting Portnoy's comments a certain way, and now here he is misquoting LaBrie in an attempt to make him look like the bad guy. Team Mike, indeed.

I'm glad you're amused.  I made a style error; if you want to hold me to the technical letter of the law I admitted to my mistake.  Should I expect a warrant for my arrest?  My error wasn't factual though; he DID say what I said he said, albeit in a different way, and not that language.   Show me where I've nitpicked someone's use of quotations like this.   The others are pulling interpretations out of thin air.  Not at all the same thing.

If that's all you got on me - a misuse of quotation marks - I can sleep at night. Better than a lot of what's been said here.

1.  Misquoting someone, especially when you linked to the article yourself and should have read it is not a "style error."  It is outright dishonesty. 
2.  Why are we STILL on Mike Portnoy's and James LaBrie's off-topic exploits from several years ago after my prior warnings?  This is OFF TOPIC, and this is the last warning I will give on the subject.

[cramx3]

My only "complaint" is that I think they should release one of the epics to cause a bigger impact. This song has around 4 minutes and I really don't understand the "singles" mentality to promote this kind of band. Anyway I really liked the first song released and I'm confident I will like a lot the new one too.

Im not sure that's a good idea personally.  I know us prog fans want to hear it and it would probably get us pumped, but that's a good chunk of the album in terms over % of minutes that releasing that may actually cause people to not buy the music as well.  I don't know, I think the single route makes sense even if it results in the best songs not being released before hand.  It just helps reach a larger audience without releasing too much of the album.

[Madman Shepherd]

My only "complaint" is that I think they should release one of the epics to cause a bigger impact. This song has around 4 minutes and I really don't understand the "singles" mentality to promote this kind of band. Anyway I really liked the first song released and I'm confident I will like a lot the new one too.

Im not sure that's a good idea personally.  I know us prog fans want to hear it and it would probably get us pumped, but that's a good chunk of the album in terms over % of minutes that releasing that may actually cause people to not buy the music as well.  I don't know, I think the single route makes sense even if it results in the best songs not being released before hand.  It just helps reach a larger audience without releasing too much of the album.

I agree but I think they probably should have released something "proggier" than the first single.  I doubt they're going to get much mainstream success so they may as well play to their base a little more. 

[cramx3]

My only "complaint" is that I think they should release one of the epics to cause a bigger impact. This song has around 4 minutes and I really don't understand the "singles" mentality to promote this kind of band. Anyway I really liked the first song released and I'm confident I will like a lot the new one too.

Im not sure that's a good idea personally.  I know us prog fans want to hear it and it would probably get us pumped, but that's a good chunk of the album in terms over % of minutes that releasing that may actually cause people to not buy the music as well.  I don't know, I think the single route makes sense even if it results in the best songs not being released before hand.  It just helps reach a larger audience without releasing too much of the album.

I agree but I think they probably should have released something "proggier" than the first single.  I doubt they're going to get much mainstream success so they may as well play to their base a little more.

Yea, maybe the next song is a bit proggier.  Also, considering the musicians, some of which weren't necessarily proggy themselves, maybe the less proggy single helps win over fans of those musicians.  I just personally don't put too much weight on the single of a prog band nor do I expect them do go a different route with the singe.

[ariich]

2.  Why are we STILL on Mike Portnoy's and James LaBrie's off-topic exploits from several years ago after my prior warnings?  This is OFF TOPIC, and this is the last warning I will give on the subject.

To make sure it's clear, this applies to everyone. Enough crap.

[bill1971]

From that snippet. I didn't like Billy Sheehans bass tone at all. Its really upfront amd twangy.

I am glad I am not the only one who noticed that. It was kinda jarring.

That's always my big hurdle with his playing.

I'm a bassist, and I admire that Billy's been able to create his own style and approach to the instrument, that's really cool. The guy's a legend!
Having said that, I just cannot stand his tone or the way he overplays the crap out of everything he's involved with.

I can't say I have heard the Sons of Apollo album, but from what I have heard, I'd be very surprised if it comes anywhere close to justifying all the attention being paid to the band in this thread.

I like MP, but let's face it: this is a band of has-beens and also-rans. Whether people want to claim DT are no different -
 maybe, but that's another discussion for another time. The SoA might be a decent album, but I highly doubt it's going to be anyone's masterwork.

Also, just watched that :24 snippet, and both Bumblefoot and Sheehan are using double neck guitars. That alone has me checked out, aside from my own morbid curiosity 

This.

I think that, after the tour in 2018, the band will slowly fade into nothingness and Mike will come up with other 87 new bands to focus on.

I have a strange feeling you're right. It seems like the only stability is through Neal Morse, who is about consistent as they come. I am not always a fan of Neal's music but seems like a very good guy who is respectful to everyone and is a very prolific writer.