Sons of Apollo (feat. Portnoy & Sherinian)

[King Postwhore]

Who's saying that Adam? A high percentage of the reviews are average to poor at best.

[Adami]

Who's saying that Adam? A high percentage of the reviews are average to poor at best.

Adam? I'll just assume you're not talking to me 


Yes, you're right, but there are now a growing number of people (not a ton still) who are discounting people who didn't like it. I just am never a fan of discounting peoples opinions on either side.

[King Postwhore]

Damn auto correct.   Yeah I get you but in all mediums there are fanboys that always defend.  It sounded better today mowing the lawn but still for me, an average album.

[Adami]

Damn auto correct.   Yeah I get you but in all mediums there are fanboys that always defend.  It sounded better today mowing the lawn but still for me, an average album.

Oh man, I went all anti-Stadler, didn't I?


You're right boss. 

[MirrorMask]

Nah, I'm fine with long instrumental passages, but they have to fit with the song. I don't mind at all Metropolis' solo section for example, these ones instead feel generic enough that they could have been swapped with each other without too much difference.

How do you think about, let's say, Beyond This Life, Outcry or - to take a completely different example - Fading Lights by Genesis?
Not trying to annoy you here, just to understand

Fine with BTS, it's long but it keeps the mood. Fine just enough with Outcry, it's outrageous but has enough cool moments. On that album I prefer Breaking All Illusions' solo section howver, that is very long but always melodic and in line with the style of the song. Don't know Fading Lights, I'll have to hear it 

[King Postwhore]

 

I KNOW! I'm defending an average album.

One thing nobody's talking about. How much better will the DT album sound knowing how disappointed a lot were to this album?

[SwedishGoose]

Could it have anything to do with the bubble that DS and MP are maintaining around this project. Deleting any negative views.... still calling it unanimously praised although there are tons of lukewarm reviews for it.

I don't think the poll here is representativ of the overall view of the album but I think it gives a more balanced view of how the prog world views the album.

The hard rock community might see it in a better light than the prog conmunity.

[rumborak]

I don't think the poll here is representativ of the overall view of the album but I think it gives a more balanced view of how the prog world views the album.

The hard rock community might see it in a better light than the prog conmunity.

RYM has an average of 3.5/5. We're a bit below that with 5.4/10, but in the end both scores say the same thing: meh.

[ganpondorodf]

It's been said elsewhere by others but just having technical chops isn't all that impressive in this day and age when you can watch children on youtube play the craziest stuff without breaking a sweat. With this album you're just left with a bunch of bits that rarely, if ever, flow together. It's just constantly jarring; the occasional left turn can work well (ragtime bit in The Dance of Eternity for example) but this album always feels like throwing shit at the wall to see what sticks

[Anguyen92]

I just simply did not enjoy Psycotic Symphony too much.  There were plenty of albums I heard this year, most of them which did not have the "drama" baggage that SOA had, where I went, "I heard it.  Sounds all right.  Don't know if I will listen to most of the songs again on a regular basis.  Moving on to the next album to listen to." 

Heck, Trivium released their new album on the same day and they have a fair amount of baggage (especially with their revolving door of drummers) and I enjoyed that album way more than SOA and want to relisten to the songs there again (and I'm not a fan of harsh vocals in general).

There are people that just do not simply like the SOA album, but there are people that do.  No need for people to invalidate other people's opinion of the album.

[tristl]

I don't know, gave it a five, listened to it two times, actually I tend more to a three.
For me it does not sound as a unit, everybody plays his stuff, on german you say,
They really tried hard but couldn't deliver(viel gewollt, nicht gekonnt).
And.  I really liked portnoys drumming in DT, the las CD where i really digged his drumming was Nightmare, his drumming would have been perfect for AS.
I will check them out live, if theey come close, but overall I am dissapointed 

[Madman Shepherd]

If the music was the same I think the reception would have been the same...

For me, I feel like this album really just came 6 years too late. I think it would have fit into the prog-metal scene better in 2011-2012, before bands like BTBAM, Tesseract, Periphery and Animals as Leaders really started blowing up. Back then albums like Iconoclast and ADTOE were still hot.

Kind of like AMob came 6 years too late.  Had AMob come out in 2005-2006 I think it would have made a bigger impact.  Might not have still been considered "successful" but I think might have had a few songs on the radio and had a bit longer of a shelf life. 

[ariich]

I don't think the poll here is representativ of the overall view of the album but I think it gives a more balanced view of how the prog world views the album.

The hard rock community might see it in a better light than the prog conmunity.

RYM has an average of 3.5/5. We're a bit below that with 5.4/10, but in the end both scores say the same thing: meh.

3.5 stars is 7/10, which is a good rating for RYM (though only 53 ratings so far, so it's early days).

We're definitely rating it lower, on average, here, but that doesn't surprise me at all.

[Lowdz]

Russell Allen is great but versatile? He doesn’t show that on AMob or SymX. He would have sounded just the same as JSS does here. Just how DS and MP told him to.

Listen to Paradise Lost (the song) and tell me Russell is not veratile.

Yes, that’s his ballad voice. And it’s awesome.

The intro to Alive is JSS’s only real chance to sing in his. JSS is very versatile, he just isn’t given any chance to show it here.

[rumborak]

3.5/5 isn't the same as 7/10, since the numbering system starts from 1, not 0.
3/5 is actually exactly average, so SoA is 0.5 above that.

[Fritzinger]

I don't think the poll here is representativ of the overall view of the album but I think it gives a more balanced view of how the prog world views the album.

The hard rock community might see it in a better light than the prog conmunity.

RYM has an average of 3.5/5. We're a bit below that with 5.4/10, but in the end both scores say the same thing: meh.

3.5 stars is 7/10, which is a good rating for RYM (though only 53 ratings so far, so it's early days).

We're definitely rating it lower, on average, here, but that doesn't surprise me at all.

Amazon.com has a 3,8/5 rating, german Amazon.de has an even 5/5 rating. Now I'm not "trusting" those reviews generally. The German Prog review website Babyblaue Seiten has a 12,5/15 rating, which is pretty good for this site since they're usually pretty critical (Affinity by Haken only had 10/15).
I agree, a 3,5/5 rating is NOT a bad rating. There's always people liking it and people not liking it. But I don't feel that people are rating this album bad in general, like for instance Heaven & Earth by Yes, which I think got mostly negative reviews.

[JayOctavarium]

I honestly think that if they let JSS and Bumblefoot open up more for the second album, we have potential for a really cool album.

[Adami]

I honestly think that if they let JSS and Bumblefoot open up more for the second album, we have potential for a really cool album.

Eh, I think they let Ron open up a lot. He's a great player, but not a really strong writer. Honestly, if they stepped up the writing...A LOT...and ditched Portnoy, it could have potential. I feel like many of our complaints are the direct result of his "direction".

[erwinrafael]

Russell Allen is great but versatile? He doesn’t show that on AMob or SymX. He would have sounded just the same as JSS does here. Just how DS and MP told him to.

Listen to Paradise Lost (the song) and tell me Russell is not veratile.

Yes, that’s his ballad voice. And it’s awesome.

The intro to Alive is JSS’s only real chance to sing in his. JSS is very versatile, he just isn’t given any chance to show it here.

That's the reason why I find Alive as the best song in the album. It sort of showed us how good JSS is.

I honestly think that if they let JSS and Bumblefoot open up more for the second album, we have potential for a really cool album.

Eh, I think they let Ron open up a lot. He's a great player, but not a really strong writer. Honestly, if they stepped up the writing...A LOT...and ditched Portnoy, it could have potential. I feel like many of our complaints are the direct result of his "direction".

I suspect that as well because the parts I don't like remind me a lot of the drawn out sections in TDS and ANTR.

[Madman Shepherd]

For anybody that got the physical copy of the album, how are the writing credits presented?  Does God of the Sun of Derek listed as a solo contributor?  How about lyrics since Derek says he helped out with those here and there.

[SystematicThought]

Wow, not to sound bitter.. but all the negative comments are starting to take the fun out of this album for me...  Of course it's not the masterpiece it was built up to be.. but it's not that bad either is it? You guys seem to find something bad in everything of this album...

I find it no different to how Derek took all of the excitement and fun out of the album for me with his comments throughout the pre-release and his attitude towards fans who called him out on those comments. I found it unnecessary and alienating. Others are different and can separate the man from the music, I can't.

That's why it bothers me that I find the first three minutes to God of the Sun so cool. 

[PetFish]

There should be a "0" vote for those of us who refuse to listen or support it due solely to the attitudes of MP and DS.

My vote is "0".

Your wish is my command...

Thanks.  How do I change my vote?  I don't see that option.  I also know there are people who will check out the music but still not support the project financially but I'm probably the only one not doing either so I'll probably be the only "0".

[?]

For anybody that got the physical copy of the album, how are the writing credits presented?  Does God of the Sun of Derek listed as a solo contributor?  How about lyrics since Derek says he helped out with those here and there.

You can see the writing credits on Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/Sons-Of-Apollo-Psychotic-Symphony/release/11025456

LP-A1   God Of The Sun
Lyrics By – Derek Sherinian
Music By – Derek Sherinian
11:12
LP-A2   Coming Home
Lyrics By – Derek Sherinian, Jeff Scott Soto, Mike Portnoy
Music By – Derek Sherinian, Mike Portnoy, Ron Thal
4:23
LP-A3   Signs Of The Time
Lyrics By – Jeff Scott Soto
Music By – Derek Sherinian, Mike Portnoy, Ron Thal
6:43
LP-B1   Labyrinth
Lyrics By – Jeff Scott Soto
Music By – Derek Sherinian, Mike Portnoy, Ron Thal
9:23
LP-B2   Alive
Lyrics By – Jeff Scott Soto
Music By – Billy Sheehan, Derek Sherinian, Mike Portnoy, Ron Thal
5:06
LP-B3   Lost In Oblivion
Lyrics By – Derek Sherinian, Jeff Scott Soto
Music By – Derek Sherinian, Mike Portnoy, Ron Thal
4:28
LP-C1   Figaro's Whore
Music By – Derek Sherinian
1:04
LP-C2   Divine Addiction
Lyrics By – Derek Sherinian, Jeff Scott Soto
Music By – Billy Sheehan, Derek Sherinian, Mike Portnoy, Ron Thal
4:42
LP-C3   Opus Maximus
Music By – Billy Sheehan, Derek Sherinian, Mike Portnoy, Ron Thal
10:39

[nobloodyname]

Eh, I think they let Ron open up a lot. He's a great player, but not a really strong writer.

Little Brother is Watching would appear to indicate the opposite.

[erwinrafael]

Billy wrote in Alive and Dvine Addiction, the songs that had the most coherence.

Billy should write more.

[RoeDent]

0 for me too. And it's not that I was particularly up for it either. With the exception of Flying Colors, I've not really had the urge to try anything else Portnoy's been involved with post-DT. I'll probably stick with Flying Colors though. The other guys' work on it is awesome.

[erwinrafael]

If you haven't listened to it, why would you rate it?

[ariich]

Eh, I think they let Ron open up a lot. He's a great player, but not a really strong writer.

Little Brother is Watching would appear to indicate the opposite.

Personally, I don't find that album especially interesting, but Normal and Abnormal are excellent (if you like quirky).

[ariich]

Billy wrote in Alive and Dvine Addiction, the songs that had the most coherence.

Billy should write more.

I think it's probably more relevant to the fact that those are the most classic hard rock in style, rather than the coherence.

[Fritzinger]

If you haven't listened to it, why would you rate it?

[MirrorMask]

It's specifically written in the option:

Their online behaviour ruined it (won't listen)

It was added to let people voice their discontent that led them to refuse to listen to it.

[nobloodyname]

Eh, I think they let Ron open up a lot. He's a great player, but not a really strong writer.

Little Brother is Watching would appear to indicate the opposite.

Personally, I don't find that album especially interesting, but Normal and Abnormal are excellent (if you like quirky).

Which is fine. Nothing wrong with not finding an album interesting.

I just find common criticism of an artist apparently not being a song writer to often be baseless. Who defines what a song writer is? Is it literal? Is it in the sense of a song not being memorable? Lacking a melody? A song being disjointed?

(As an aside: how many songs must a song writer write before they can be considered a song writer, eh? )

It's easy, throwaway criticism. Just like people saying an album is 'shit' or 'uninspired'.

[nobloodyname]

So it's apparently possible to change your vote. But how do we do that, please? There doesn't seem to be any option to do so (same for a couple of others, I think).

[ReaperKK]

It's interesting to hear what MP being charge sounds like. You get a sense of who lead the direction of DT in the later MP-DT years.

[ariich]

Eh, I think they let Ron open up a lot. He's a great player, but not a really strong writer.

Little Brother is Watching would appear to indicate the opposite.

Personally, I don't find that album especially interesting, but Normal and Abnormal are excellent (if you like quirky).

Which is fine. Nothing wrong with not finding an album interesting.

I just find common criticism of an artist apparently not being a song writer to often be baseless. Who defines what a song writer is? Is it literal? Is it in the sense of a song not being memorable? Lacking a melody? A song being disjointed?

(As an aside: how many songs must a song writer write before they can be considered a song writer, eh? )

It's easy, throwaway criticism. Just like people saying an album is 'shit' or 'uninspired'.

Oh yeah, I 100% agree. It's the sort of criticism that doesn't really mean anything but gets used because for some reason people can't just say "I don't like it" or "it doesn't grab me" or whatever.