Sons of Apollo (feat. Portnoy & Sherinian)

[devieira73]

This interview was really good, Rodrigo!
Interesting to know that Jeff isn’t much a fan of prog metal. This makes me wonder if this is the reason his vocals, although good, aren’t the strongest part in the album. Maybe the style of the band will shift in the future to a more straight hard rock?
Also very funny that the band didn’t see the similarities in the backing vocals of coming home and alive until the people on internet pointed out!

[kaos2900]

This may be a silly question but if you want to form the prog metal band to end all prog metal bands, why hire a singer who isn't a big fan of prog metal?

[bosk1]

This may be a silly question but if you want to form the prog metal band to end all prog metal bands, why hire a singer who isn't a big fan of prog metal?

Yeah, really good point.    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_LaBrie#Winter_Rose

[The Walrus]

This may be a silly question but if you want to form the prog metal band to end all prog metal bands, why hire a singer who isn't a big fan of prog metal?

Yeah, really good point.    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_LaBrie#Winter_Rose

I don't get it?

[gzarruk]

This may be a silly question but if you want to form the prog metal band to end all prog metal bands, why hire a singer who isn't a big fan of prog metal?

Yeah, really good point.    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_LaBrie#Winter_Rose

Well, what you posted shows that James was on a glam band before DT, not that James wasn't a fan of prog or anything like that. What kaos2900 is saying is that SOA was first announced as the new kings of prog metal and blah blah, but, it doesn't really make sense to include a singer who isn't even a fan of the genere you're trying to be the king of.

[RodrigoAltaf]

I may be biased, but to say that he wasn't a fan or didn't have the knowledge of Dream Theater's output doesn't mean that he can't contribute and/or write music in that vein. I think that he was invited to join SOA for a reason, and I appreciate the fact that his background is not exactly prog related.

And hey, album 2 next year!!!!

[Samsara]

A singer is a singer. Just because you begin singing a certain style, doesn't mean you're only going to sing that style for the entirety of your career. JSS cut his teeth singing for Yngwie's style of neoclassical metal, then did melodic hard rock and AOR, and now he's back fronting a prog metal band. A singer sings. If he or she is adaptable, they can do anything.

Hell, Lacuna Coil singer Cristina Scabbia was a pop singer before signing on to do metal.

I don't particularly like the choice of JSS (no disrespect to him at all), as I personally wanted an old school tenor metal singer who can hit piercing highs, and really go for broke, but that's not what the band wanted. The album is solid, JSS is a great live singer, and that's that. Who cares what he did beforehand?

[bosk1]

Well, I can't speak for anyone else.  But I know for me, I didn't buy the album and avoided any possible songs on the Internet because Soto didn't have a prog enough background.  But that's just me.

[bill1971]

A singer is a singer. Just because you begin singing a certain style, doesn't mean you're only going to sing that style for the entirety of your career. JSS cut his teeth singing for Yngwie's style of neoclassical metal, then did melodic hard rock and AOR, and now he's back fronting a prog metal band. A singer sings. If he or she is adaptable, they can do anything.

Hell, Lacuna Coil singer Cristina Scabbia was a pop singer before signing on to do metal.

I don't particularly like the choice of JSS (no disrespect to him at all), as I personally wanted an old school tenor metal singer who can hit piercing highs, and really go for broke, but that's not what the band wanted. The album is solid, JSS is a great live singer, and that's that. Who cares what he did beforehand?

Agreed. Didn't  Nuno Bettancourt tour with Beyonce? Sometimes its good to mix it up.

[goo-goo]

A singer is a singer. Just because you begin singing a certain style, doesn't mean you're only going to sing that style for the entirety of your career. JSS cut his teeth singing for Yngwie's style of neoclassical metal, then did melodic hard rock and AOR, and now he's back fronting a prog metal band. A singer sings. If he or she is adaptable, they can do anything.

Hell, Lacuna Coil singer Cristina Scabbia was a pop singer before signing on to do metal.

I don't particularly like the choice of JSS (no disrespect to him at all), as I personally wanted an old school tenor metal singer who can hit piercing highs, and really go for broke, but that's not what the band wanted. The album is solid, JSS is a great live singer, and that's that. Who cares what he did beforehand?

Agreed. Didn't  Nuno Bettancourt tour with Beyonce? Sometimes its good to mix it up.

Nuno was (or is) musical director for Rihanna and toured with her for a few years.

[cramx3]

A singer is a singer

Agreed.  Doesn't matter if he likes the genre or not, as long as he is into what he is doing with SOA then his musical past and personal tastes don't really matter. 

[Orbert]

In theory, yes, a good singer can get into any given song and/or give a good performance of anything he can sing.

But if you're putting together the next supergroup of some genre, it still doesn't make a lot of sense to hire someone who doesn't like that genre and has said so.

[tofee35]

It's worth noting that Gavin Harrison, albeit a drummer, was not a fan of prog and he's phenomenal in Porcupine Tree. That may be an apples/oranges comparison, but I think it's at least 50% relevant.

[Samsara]

In theory, yes, a good singer can get into any given song and/or give a good performance of anything he can sing.

But if you're putting together the next supergroup of some genre, it still doesn't make a lot of sense to hire someone who doesn't like that genre and has said so.

But is that what MP and DS specifically said the intent was? To put together a supergroup of prog metal players? If they did, then i stand corrected. I haven't followed what they have said all that closely. But I thought the idea was for DS and MP to put together a prog metal band, and get good players (regardless of genre) to fill out the band. And isn't that what they did?

[Mosh]

I don’t think so. My understanding was that they wanted to form a prog metal band in a similar vein as DT, not necessarily a supergroup of prog musicians. The lineup certainly isn’t a who’s who of prog. Even beyond Soto, I don’t really see the other musicians as guys with prog backgrounds (not counting MP ofc).

[Stadler]

Here's something to think about:  I think that Jeff not being into prog metal is about the MOST prog metal thing about Sons of Apollo.   I've long said here that as much as I love Mike Portnoy and his music (well, his music) I think he suffers when he tries to do too much, and compartmentalize.   I don't think it's productive from a creative standpoint to have a "prog" project, a "thrash" project, a "pop" project, a "hard rock" project...  I think the best music comes from the intersection of ideas.   Dream Theater didn't start out as "prog metal", they started out as a bunch of guys that liked Metallica, Rush, Maiden, Journey and Queen, and their music reflected that.

I think Jeff bringing in the stuff he likes - non-prog metal - is good for the project, certainly better than him spewing out prog metal clichés and tropes. 

[Orbert]

In theory, yes, a good singer can get into any given song and/or give a good performance of anything he can sing.

But if you're putting together the next supergroup of some genre, it still doesn't make a lot of sense to hire someone who doesn't like that genre and has said so.

But is that what MP and DS specifically said the intent was? To put together a supergroup of prog metal players? If they did, then i stand corrected. I haven't followed what they have said all that closely. But I thought the idea was for DS and MP to put together a prog metal band, and get good players (regardless of genre) to fill out the band. And isn't that what they did?

Okay, poor choice of words on my part.  Prog metal "supergroup" would imply that each member was highly respected in the prog metal genre.

I don't remember the exact wording he used (and don't really care enough to scroll back through 100 pages), but I'm pretty sure MP said that SoA was going to be the next prog metal gods or superstars or something.  I'm pretty sure "prog metal" was in there, but now it's not.  And I believe it's at least partly because they started working together, and Soto mentioned that he doesn't really like prog metal, so they backed off on that.  Now they're just a rock and roll band.  Nothing wrong with that, but the focus did seem to change.

[cramx3]

Here's something to think about:  I think that Jeff not being into prog metal is about the MOST prog metal thing about Sons of Apollo.   I've long said here that as much as I love Mike Portnoy and his music (well, his music) I think he suffers when he tries to do too much, and compartmentalize.   I don't think it's productive from a creative standpoint to have a "prog" project, a "thrash" project, a "pop" project, a "hard rock" project...  I think the best music comes from the intersection of ideas.   Dream Theater didn't start out as "prog metal", they started out as a bunch of guys that liked Metallica, Rush, Maiden, Journey and Queen, and their music reflected that.

I think Jeff bringing in the stuff he likes - non-prog metal - is good for the project, certainly better than him spewing out prog metal clichés and tropes.

I kind of agree with this.  Being somewhat on the outside of the prog scene, he would bring different influences to the table that could add to the music.  Sadly, I don't think that was the case with this album though as my understanding is that he was pretty much told what to do here. 

[Samsara]

Here's something to think about:  I think that Jeff not being into prog metal is about the MOST prog metal thing about Sons of Apollo.   I've long said here that as much as I love Mike Portnoy and his music (well, his music) I think he suffers when he tries to do too much, and compartmentalize.   I don't think it's productive from a creative standpoint to have a "prog" project, a "thrash" project, a "pop" project, a "hard rock" project...  I think the best music comes from the intersection of ideas.   Dream Theater didn't start out as "prog metal", they started out as a bunch of guys that liked Metallica, Rush, Maiden, Journey and Queen, and their music reflected that.

I think Jeff bringing in the stuff he likes - non-prog metal - is good for the project, certainly better than him spewing out prog metal clichés and tropes.

I kind of agree with this.  Being somewhat on the outside of the prog scene, he would bring different influences to the table that could add to the music.  Sadly, I don't think that was the case with this album though as my understanding is that he was pretty much told what to do here.

And that's likely not going to change. DS and MP have made it clear they call the shots, and Derek is the primary songwriter (music). They brought on three other guys to contribute, but those three won't ever steer the ship, creatively.

[IDontNotDoThings]

Didn't JLB hear the Status Seeker demo & loved it though? Obviously he'd have to like the style a least a little to have considered joining the band though.

Not that it matters at all whether JSS is a fan of prog metal, but I figured I'd at least point it out.

[Madman Shepherd]

Didn't JLB hear the Status Seeker demo & loved it though? Obviously he'd have to like the style a least a little to have considered joining the band though.

Not that it matters at all whether JSS is a fan of prog metal, but I figured I'd at least point it out.

Also, LaBrie was a Rush fan sooooooo....I mean, that kind of makes him a prog fan even if he liked other straight forward metal as well. 

[jammindude]

Regardless of what JSS likes or dislikes, he is considered to be a prog rock legend by way of his performances on the first 3 Yngwie albums.

[max_security]

Regardless of what JSS likes or dislikes, he is considered to be a prog rock legend by way of his performances on the first 3 Yngwie albums.

First 2 , but yeah I agree.

[TAC]

Regardless of what JSS likes or dislikes, he is considered to be a prog rock legend by way of his performances on the first 3 Yngwie albums.

First 2 , but yeah I agree.

His performance on Marching Out is one of the easily a TAC Top 10 Vocal.

[KevShmev]

His performance on Marching Out is one of the easily a TAC Top 10 Vocal.

Yeah, but making the TAC Top 10 Vocal list is like making the Circus Top 10 Keyboardists list in 1984.

[TAC]

His performance on Marching Out is one of the easily a TAC Top 10 Vocal.

Yeah, but making the TAC Top 10 Vocal list is like making the Circus Top 10 Keyboardists list in 1984.

Readers Poll Winners!



I had this issue!!!!!!

[KevShmev]

Was that the year Eddie Van Halen won best keyboardist because of Jump?

Check that: that came out in Feb 1984, EVH probably won it in 1985 since Jump would have still been too new.

[TAC]

I think so!! 

[TAC]

Kev, have you ever heard Marching Out? JSS is incredible.

[KevShmev]

I will not be duped into listening to a Yngwie Malmsteen album.

[TAC]

I will not be duped into listening to a Yngwie Malmsteen album.

 

Kev, don't be like that! Marching Out is great album. Especially vocally. It is not "cartoon Yngwie". It's his second album. There's great guitar playing and great vocals.

[max_security]

The first three YM albums are serious stuff.

[TAC]

The first three YM albums are serious stuff.

Well, I still think Trilogy is terrible, but he made up for it with Odyssey.

[KevShmev]

The first "serious" girlfriend I ever had liked some of his stuff and would play it on occasion.  I remember one song being good (have no clue what the name of it was), but the rest always make me wretch.  Granted, I was only 19 , but I knew then that a wanker like that was not for me.

[DT2003]

His performance on Marching Out is one of the easily a TAC Top 10 Vocal.

Yeah, but making the TAC Top 10 Vocal list is like making the Circus Top 10 Keyboardists list in 1984.

Man just seeing this brings back memories. I used to love getting all those magazines back when I was a kid.

Readers Poll Winners!



I had this issue!!!!!!