Every year new supergroups form. A promising group of musicians from various respected acts will assemble and put out an album that tends to get moderate fanfare. If there’s enough traction, they’ll tour and then quietly fade into the sunset. Seldom do these supergroups stick together or become a full time endeavor. This was my immediate impression of Sons of Apollo upon their formation in 2017. 3 years, 2 albums, and a couple tours later, it turns out I was wrong.
Sons of Apollo consists of 2/5 Dream Theater with ex-keyboardist Derek Sherinian and ex-drummer Mike Portnoy, ex-Guns N’ Roses axeman Bumblefoot, bassist extraordinaire Billy Sheehan, and the voice of Talisman among others, Jeff Scott Soto. With such an all star cast of players, my initial concern was that the playing would outweigh the songs themselves. I felt this was the case on their debut album, Psychotic Symphony. Not much has changed on MMXX. However, there are enjoyable moments which stand out.
Let me begin the review by saying this: I was never a big Dream Theater fan. There are songs here and there I enjoy, but overall they did nothing for me. Part of this was due to their singer, James LaBrie, who I always thought was one dimensional. Had they a different singer, I might just be a fan. Well I’ve always been a fan of Jeff Scott Soto who knocks it out of the park on MMXX. On the frantic “Asphyxiation”, we hear what may have been in an alternate reality for Dream Theater. Good luck getting that djent riff out of your head.
MMXX contains two long pieces of music. The first is the ballad “Desolate July” which segues into the brooding “King of Delusion”. I prefer the latter. It’s fueled by a mean riff from Bumblefoot and the soulful voice of Soto before veering into a spacey, progressive section with plenty of soloing. The second is “New World Today”. Clocking in at nearly 16 minutes, it is a roller coaster ride of a song. Every member is given equal opportunity to shine, yet compliment each other perfectly. I feel this track is a nod to the band’s 70s heroes such as Yes and Genesis. There are moments in this song that are much more metallic than anything those bands put out, but it feels in the same spirit as those 70s epics that took up entire album sides.
While the songs may fall short at times, there’s no denying Sons of Apollo are one of the tightest knit units around. They’re also having fun with what they’re doing. In the end, isn’t that all that matters?
5 out of 10
Label: InsideOut Music
Genre: Progressive Metal
For fans of: Dream Theater, Fates Warning, Symphony X