Sons of Apollo (feat. Portnoy & Sherinian)

[IDontNotDoThings]

The first two Transatlantic albums are examples that it can be done right, but after those, this became somewhat of a formula. And it more often doesn't work out.

I haven't heard the first two TA albums, but I thought The Whirlwind was amazing. Psychotic Symphony on the other hand... is not.

[Kwyjibo]

The rough ideas for Transatlantic are put together in a short time, that's true, but I think then comes a lot of fine tuning by the individuals before everything is complete. That was (maybe) missing on Psychotic Symphony.

[Fritzinger]

The first two Transatlantic albums are examples that it can be done right, but after those, this became somewhat of a formula. And it more often doesn't work out.

That's because Transatlantic have a mastermind named Neal Morse among them.

[Stadler]

The first two Transatlantic albums are examples that it can be done right, but after those, this became somewhat of a formula. And it more often doesn't work out.

I haven't heard the first two TA albums, but I thought The Whirlwind was amazing. Psychotic Symphony on the other hand... is not.

You might be pleased to hear "Bridge Across Forever", just sayin'. 

[gmillerdrake]

I think there are a couple solid songs on Psychotic Symphony......and there are instances of cool moments scattered throughout the CD. BUT.....you can certainly tell this was thrown together quickly.

I'd love to see them spend at least three or four months writing/recording their next album.....i think that'd end up producing a great sophomore album. As we've all mentioned....the talent is there....no doubt....so, hopefully they continue to build chemistry on this tour and then put a solid effort into the next album.

[bill1971]

I think there are a couple solid songs on Psychotic Symphony......and there are instances of cool moments scattered throughout the CD. BUT.....you can certainly tell this was thrown together quickly.

I'd love to see them spend at least three or four months writing/recording their next album.....i think that'd end up producing a great sophomore album. As we've all mentioned....the talent is there....no doubt....so, hopefully they continue to build chemistry on this tour and then put a solid effort into the next album.

I agree with it sounding kind of thrown together but maybe it would sound like that if they worked on it for a year. People here keep bringing up Neal Morse, he is whether you like his music or not he is  a tremendously skilled song writer.

[OpenYourEyes311]

The first two Transatlantic albums are examples that it can be done right, but after those, this became somewhat of a formula. And it more often doesn't work out.

I haven't heard the first two TA albums, but I thought The Whirlwind was amazing. Psychotic Symphony on the other hand... is not.

You might be pleased to hear "Bridge Across Forever", just sayin'.

Seriously. I wish I could hear BAF for the first time again.

[metrojam]

The album was recorded in a week and a half, but they had been throwing ideas at each other before that. Bumblefoot spoke about that in the interview, and said that "it's a good first album where we brought all our influences from the past into the writing, and for the second album we'll have the benefit of playing together a whole tour and feeding off from each other". I'm paraphrasing of course, but you'll hear that in the interview. No need to forcefully say good things about the album, but I find that this relentless criticism on MP is just unnecessary.

Spot on. It appears that "rule 12" no longer applies to "former DT members" just to the current ones!!

[Adami]

The album was recorded in a week and a half, but they had been throwing ideas at each other before that. Bumblefoot spoke about that in the interview, and said that "it's a good first album where we brought all our influences from the past into the writing, and for the second album we'll have the benefit of playing together a whole tour and feeding off from each other". I'm paraphrasing of course, but you'll hear that in the interview. No need to forcefully say good things about the album, but I find that this relentless criticism on MP is just unnecessary.

Spot on. It appears that "rule 12" no longer applies to "former DT members" just to the current ones!!

I don't think criticism is a rule.

[The Walrus]

Pretty sure bosk already addressed that many months ago anyway.

[bosk1]

Many times over.  Nobody in their right mind who has read the rule could think anything in the last few pages comes close to a violation.

[Anxiety35]

Sometimes it takes a few albums for a band to come into their own. Seems that many are critical because an expectation wasn't met, like the debut was supposed to be the best thing ever (regardless of the social media stunts leading up to the release). I'm not a SOA fanboy, but I haven't written them off. I had high expectations for this debut due to the personnel of the band but when I listened I wasn't blown away. I wasn't totally put off either.

They may gel over the tours this year. A riff or melody may come out in sound check jam session. They work on it for a while and it becomes a great song.

What if there is a second album and it is incredible?

[The Walrus]

Then it's incredible.

[Nick]

Sometimes it takes a few albums for a band to come into their own. Seems that many are critical because an expectation wasn't met, like the debut was supposed to be the best thing ever (regardless of the social media stunts leading up to the release). I'm not a SOA fanboy, but I haven't written them off. I had high expectations for this debut due to the personnel of the band but when I listened I wasn't blown away. I wasn't totally put off either.

They may gel over the tours this year. A riff or melody may come out in sound check jam session. They work on it for a while and it becomes a great song.

What if there is a second album and it is incredible?

You can't just detach us from our expectations when the band puts us there. If we were given no info or hype and went into the album with expectations that weren't met, that's on us. But if the band puts certain ideas and expectations out there than you can't fault us for holding them to those standards.

Like you I am relatively happy though not blown away, and I will judge a second album when it comes out based on its merits then. It will have little bearing on how I view the debut.

[Anxiety35]

Sometimes it takes a few albums for a band to come into their own. Seems that many are critical because an expectation wasn't met, like the debut was supposed to be the best thing ever (regardless of the social media stunts leading up to the release). I'm not a SOA fanboy, but I haven't written them off. I had high expectations for this debut due to the personnel of the band but when I listened I wasn't blown away. I wasn't totally put off either.

They may gel over the tours this year. A riff or melody may come out in sound check jam session. They work on it for a while and it becomes a great song.

What if there is a second album and it is incredible?

You can't just detach us from our expectations when the band puts us there. If we were given no info or hype and went into the album with expectations that weren't met, that's on us. But if the band puts certain ideas and expectations out there than you can't fault us for holding them to those standards.

Like you I am relatively happy though not blown away, and I will judge a second album when it comes out based on its merits then. It will have little bearing on how I view the debut.

They definitely didn't help themselves with how they hyped this release.

[devieira73]

Going back to the discussion of an album being made rushed or not... this discussion here reminded me a funny situation that occurred on my work, that I, with two colleagues, had to finish a report where, for legal reasons, the deadline was a bit tight. We succeeded to complete all the work near to deadline and I remember at the time, although very pleased with the results, I commented with one of these colleagues that if we had one more month to finish the work, that report would be even better. Then he told me "I'm sure if we had an extra month, we would make the exactly the same report, with the only difference that it would be delivered a month later ..." 
I don't know, maybe we had the same Psychotic Symphony album maybe not, but I guess, for a second one, the fact the band is now a more "real" band, with time touring and knowing each other better, it will no doubt benefit the compositions (and I already like this first album a lot).

[gmillerdrake]

You can't just detach us from our expectations when the band puts us there. If we were given no info or hype and went into the album with expectations that weren't met, that's on us. But if the band puts certain ideas and expectations out there than you can't fault us for holding them to those standards.

They definitely didn't help themselves with how they hyped this release.

For me this where my issue with the album was. Derek and MP....the hype.....bashing and social media/promotional behavior leading into the release was over the top. Had they just played it cool and let the album release....I'd have received it better than I initially did. But they put a bad taste in my mouth months before any music was heard.


that being said....I think there was/is promise for the second album as this album.....when stripped away from all the BS and baggage from the lead in to it's release....wasn't a 'bad' album but it most certainly wasn't the album that they were promoting and saying it was going to be.

[cramx3]

Sometimes it takes a few albums for a band to come into their own. Seems that many are critical because an expectation wasn't met, like the debut was supposed to be the best thing ever (regardless of the social media stunts leading up to the release). I'm not a SOA fanboy, but I haven't written them off. I had high expectations for this debut due to the personnel of the band but when I listened I wasn't blown away. I wasn't totally put off either.

They may gel over the tours this year. A riff or melody may come out in sound check jam session. They work on it for a while and it becomes a great song.

What if there is a second album and it is incredible?

Taking out their own hype, I pretty much agree with this.  Most bands when they release thier debut, they had been jamming and working together for awhile before they've found a coherent sound and write an album.  This band really seems to have only come together because Ritchie Kotzen wanted some time off from Winery Dogs and MP needed something else to do.  Because of that, there was no jamming no meshing (at least not enough of it IMO) to really be able to form good music.  They all have the chops and there's so much potential with this album.  There are some really awesome moments that just don't form one coherent album though, it screams of being rushed to my ears and it really was.  A year on the road together, playing together, spending time together, hopefully jamming together, and I think they could come up with a really strong follow up.

If there's a second album, I'd bet it's better than the first.

[gzarruk]

Sometimes it takes a few albums for a band to come into their own. Seems that many are critical because an expectation wasn't met, like the debut was supposed to be the best thing ever (regardless of the social media stunts leading up to the release). I'm not a SOA fanboy, but I haven't written them off. I had high expectations for this debut due to the personnel of the band but when I listened I wasn't blown away. I wasn't totally put off either.

They may gel over the tours this year. A riff or melody may come out in sound check jam session. They work on it for a while and it becomes a great song.

What if there is a second album and it is incredible?

Taking out their own hype, I pretty much agree with this.  Most bands when they release thier debut, they had been jamming and working together for awhile before they've found a coherent sound and write an album.  This band really seems to have only come together because Ritchie Kotzen wanted some time off from Winery Dogs and MP needed something else to do.  Because of that, there was no jamming no meshing (at least not enough of it IMO) to really be able to form good music.  They all have the chops and there's so much potential with this album.  There are some really awesome moments that just don't form one coherent album though, it screams of being rushed to my ears and it really was.  A year on the road together, playing together, spending time together, hopefully jamming together, and I think they could come up with a really strong follow up.

If there's a second album, I'd bet it's better than the first.

Nailed it.

[RodrigoAltaf]

Here´s the interview with Bumblefoot, at last:

https://www.sonicperspectives.com/interviews/interview-with-ron-bumblefoot-thal/

[Stadler]

I don't disagree with the "rushed" aspect, and I'll add my usual "genre" criticism, but fair question:  do we really think we'd like this better if there was different hype before?   I mean, the record is what the record is, and I can't say it's reasonable to expect Mike and Derek to say "Hey guys, we put this little thing together in a week and it shows!   The chroruses are a little same-y and the vocals - well, let's not talk about the vocals right now.   But next time, we might nail it better.  Or maybe not, but in any event, we're not going to do even one more tweet than necessary to just let you know the material is out there!"   They're both aggressive, forward promoters for their music, and I'm not sure we should expect anything different (I'm only talking about the actual promotion; not reopening the can of worms on the other stuff.)

[deggs37]

Here´s the interview with Bumblefoot, at last:

https://www.sonicperspectives.com/interviews/interview-with-ron-bumblefoot-thal/

Thanks, Rodrigo! Was really looking forward to this. Bumblefoot has been on my radar for a while due to the Guns 'N Roses connection, but I never really dug any deeper than that. After this experience with Sons of Apollo, I've really developed a huge amount of respect for him. He is a monster player, with creativity to match that - as well as being incredibly down to earth and humble (from all that I've seen so far). Really reminds me of why I got into John Petrucci back in the day.

I voted a 7 for for Psychotic Symphony, but I have high hopes for their next release. I think if they treat it right they can really do something special.

[devieira73]

Really good interview! I love the way Ron talks a lot, in a very detailed way, but also about relevant things connected with the questions.
Interesting that I got the impression, while he was talking about the way they will make the second album and although he didn't say it clearly, that he thinks the first album could be more worked.

[bosk1]

Really good interview! I love the way Ron talks a lot, in a very detailed way, but also about relevant things connected with the questions.

Agreed.  That was fantastic.  I feel like I gained a lot of insight into him as a musician and person from that, and it all just felt so genuine.

[RodrigoAltaf]

Thanks guys!!! Since doing the interview aí also gained even more respect for Ron, and checked out his solo work, which is really good.

[JayOctavarium]

Here´s the interview with Bumblefoot, at last:

https://www.sonicperspectives.com/interviews/interview-with-ron-bumblefoot-thal/

I'm enjoying this immensely.

Thank you!

[Schurftkut]

i think one of the wisest moves MP did was making the other bandmembers talk about the band, doing interviews and promos. They're the ones who don't make themselves talk about how great they are and whatnot, they're the ones who are relatable and show genuine motivation/interests. Not all the hype stuff MP does, always comparing themselves to other artists etc..

[cramx3]

Really good interview! I love the way Ron talks a lot, in a very detailed way, but also about relevant things connected with the questions.

Agreed.  That was fantastic.  I feel like I gained a lot of insight into him as a musician and person from that, and it all just felt so genuine.

Listened to about half of it this morning and was well done.  I feel Ron is the saving grace of this band at least to me.  His performance is fresh (once again, to me) and really awesome.  From the live videos, he has great stage presence and is a show man.  And while I knew nothing about him before this, he came across as a pretty chill guy in the interview and the way he talked about the music showed to me how much he was into it.  How he kept singing along to the song rhythms and whatnot was really cool. 

[RodrigoAltaf]

Thanks again! I´m a new writer/interviewer on the Sonic Perspectives website, and was told today that it´s already the most watched interview there!

[Fritzinger]

Apparently the band released a six track EP with Spanish, acoustic and radio-edit versions of Alive. They'll also release a video. I seriously don't understand the purpose of this.

It’s a great day to be a Sons Of Apollo fan!!! OUT TODAY is our new 6-Song EP for ALIVE / TENGO VIDA! Yes, 6 different versions: English, Spanish, Acoustic & Radio Edits! Get it NOW:
https://soa.lnk.to/AliveTengoVidaEP
(And coming at the beginning of next week is the TENGO VIDA Music Video...)

[Train of Naught]

Oh my god, the Spanish version is fucking funny. I seriously hope they do not play that when I see them (yes, I'm actually going to a festival this summer where SoA happens to be playing)

My Spanish isn't world-class, but I'm preeeeeetty sure "tengo vida" does not mean "I'm alive" but "I have life" which really doesn't mean anything

[Fritzinger]

Some things translate differently into other languages. Also, JSS has Puerto Rican roots, I think he will be able to translate the song correctly
Still, I agree, it sounds funny.

[MirrorMask]

Apparently the band released a six track EP with Spanish, acoustic and radio-edit versions of Alive. They'll also release a video. I seriously don't understand the purpose of this.

I assume it's the same purpose of everything else re-recorded in a different language, to appeal more to the native speakers of that language.

Apparently this is somehow a thing in music industry - I remember the reverse example, when Megadeth re-recorded A Tout Le Monde with Cristina Scabbia as guest vocalist, they were pressured to add "Set me free" as sub-title to appeal more to the non speaking french people out there (I still remember Dave Mustaine in an interview explaining this... "People don't know how to pronounce the title" - "I sing it in the chorus, they hear it there how it's pronounced" - "Nah, let's go for Set Me Free as well")

[RodrigoAltaf]

David Lee Roth also released a Spanish version of Eat em and Smile, and Billy Sheehan suggested it at the time. It might have been his idea for SOA to do it as well. And no, it's not a direct translation - it's very difficult to translate lyrics line by line with the same meaning and fit the translation into the metrics of the song, so when this is done the bands adapt the lyrics a little bit.

[gzarruk]

Sorry, but this EP is a monumental waste of time. Radio edits are just a lesser version of the original song and JSS doesn’t sound convincing at all on the spanish version. The only cool thing here is the acoustic version, if you care about that kind of stuff.