Best Progressive album 2017 : SONS OF APOLLO – Psychotic Symphony [Limited Edition 2CD]

Near the end of the year, it’s time to recap about the best 2017 releases, by category.
Wonderful musicianship, great fusion stylings, killer melodies, and the voice of Jeff Scott Soto, SONS OF APOLLO’s Psychotic Symphony is simply awesome.

SONS OF APOLLO is the mega super group featuring former Dream Theater members Mike Portnoy and Derek Sherinian alongside Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal (ex- Guns N’ Roses), Billy Sheehan (The Winery Dogs / Mr. Big) and the mighty Jeff Scott Soto on lead vocals. Their debut album, “Psychotic Symphony”, also appeared on this luxury Ltd Ed. MediaBook 2-CD.
The disc was produced by the dynamic production duo of Portnoy and Sherinian, also affectionately known as ‘The Del Fuvio Brothers’ which is the nickname given to them over twenty years ago during their time together in Dream Theater.

I’ve heard a lot of ‘super groups’. It very rarely really works; too many cooks, too many egos etc. When I first heard that these five monster musicians were making a band my first thought was; there’s not enough room for all these individuals to fit into one song, much less a full album…
Boy oh boy was I wrong… and I’m so glad I was.

“Psychotic Symphony” is as close to a perfect Rock album as you can get. You have it all here, from progressive inventiveness to hard rock swagger to ridiculously catchiness.
From Bumblefoot’s first riff on ‘God of the Sun’ to Sherinian’s fade out on ‘Opus Maximus’, I was mesmerized.

Maybe I’m wrong, but the point of reviewing an album is to let people know whether they should dole out their hard earned cash for a product.
The answer here is a resounding YES!

I’m not going to do a song by song write-up. Discover it by yourself; it’s a fantastic musical journey.
Each member of Sons Of Apollo is at the top of their game on “Psychotic Symphony”, which is funny since I thought they no room for improvement from their already stellar catalogs. The sum of these parts is truly breathtaking to listen to.

Apart from its high quality presentation, this Limited Edition MediaBook includes a bonus CD: the ‘Instrumental Mix’ of the album, a truly amazing version where you discover more and more layers of sounds from this terrific recording.

Bumblefoot and Sheehan made me want to smash my guitar. Those riffs!!! And I mean bass riffs too, an instrument used here as a true ‘bass guitar’
Portnoy is a BEAST. I always liked his playing, but he owns this album. Sherinian compliments every single song perfectly, and what can I say about the incredible Jeff Scott Soto… this is one of the best works of his impressive career, and that’s saying a lot.
I can only pray to the Rock Gods that they continue this SUPER group for many more albums.
A MUST

CD 1: Psychotic Symphony
01 – God Of The Sun
02 – Coming Home
03 – Signs Of The Time
04 – Labyrinth
05 – Alive
06 – Lost In Oblivion
07 – Figaros Whore
08 – Divine Addiction
09 – Opus Maximus

CD 2: The Instrumental Mix
01 – God Of The Sun
02 – Coming Home
03 – Signs Of The Time
04 – Labyrinth
05 – Alive
06 – Lost In Oblivion
07 – Figaros Whore
08 – Divine Addiction
09 – Opus Maximus

Jeff Scott Soto (vocals, W.E.T. / ex-Talisman / ex-Journey)
Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal (guitar, ex-Guns N’ Roses)
Billy Sheehan (bass, The Winery Dogs / Mr. Big)
Mike Portnoy (drums, The Winery Dogs / ex-Dream Theater)
Derek Sherinian (keyboards, Black Country Communion)

BUY IT !
www.amazon.com/Psychotic-Symphony-SONS-APOLLO/dp/B074KW3J7T
.