Review by Shawn Perry
Photos by Ron Lyon
When I went to see Sons of Apollo at the House of Blues, the last thing on my mind was Van Halen. The minute I walked out onto the venue floor, I could hear strains of David Lee Roth’s raspy voice and Eddie Van Halen’s squeaking guitar leaking out of the house PA. That was only a glimpse of what was to come. So, I pondered, what connection could Sons of Apollo, a prog rock band comprising five seasoned virtuosos of their respected instruments, bearing resumes that place them collectively in the “supergroup” camp, possibly have to the mighty Van Halen? It would become more obvious as the night wore on.
On the road for the first time to promote their debut album, Psychotic Symphony, Sons of Apollo rolled into Anaheim with an ambitious gambit to bend notes, extend songs, solo, blow minds and spare lives. Standing in a crowd of youthful metal heads and grizzled proggers, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Compelling sets from progressive metal openers Sifting, followed by Venezuelan guitarist Felix Martin, whose two-handed, two-guitar technique slapped everyone on the floor senseless, set the stage for the 10:00 unveiling of the headliners.
Suddenly the lights lowered, Van Halen’s “Intruder” rose in volume, and each player took their position, like a five-man tactical squad ready for combat. Guitarist Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal, who served in the ranks of Guns N’ Roses for eight years, stepped up with his signature Vigier double-neck in hand. Instead of the usual six-string / twelve-string configuration most double-necks have, Bumblefoot has two sets of six strings over one fretted neck and one unfretted neck. That alone had all the guitar players in the house, jaws agape, marveling at Thal’s handiwork, which, as unique and splendiferous as it is, draws from a range of influences, including the aforementioned Van Halen. As everyone would learn, Bumblefoot’s also a formidable vocalist.
Bassist Billy Sheehan showed up on the other side of the stage with his own Yamaha Attitude double-neck bass. Both necks straddle four strings, but are tuned in different octaves. You could say Sheehan has a direct link to Van Halen because he played briefly for David Lee Roth in the 80s. As a charter member of Mr. Big and Winery Dogs, along with hundreds of one-offs here and there, the veteran bassist has notched up enough credentials for his mastery to defy easy categorization. He can go from rock to jazz to prog at the flip of a time signature. Seeing him and Bumblefoot face off each other, their double necks imposing their will and might, was like seeing two Valhalla Knights engaged in battle.
Front and center, singer Jeff Scott Soto assumed a firm grip on the situation from the get-go. As a hired gun for Journey and Yngwie Malmsteen, Soto wasn’t given the chance to take charge and lead a band of this magnitude and musical breadth. Fortunately he has the range, presence and agility to stand on stage with the other musicians and be the frontman. Between a furled brow of satisfaction and constant interaction with the band and audience alike, Soto look to be having the time of his life.
The beefy backline was filled in by drummer Mike Portnoy and keyboardist Derek Sherinian, both former members of Dream Theater and the impetus behind the formation of Sons of Apollo. Portnoy, of course, is a highly in-demand drummer and member of Winery Dogs (with Sheehan), Neal Morse Band, Flying Colors and maybe 37 other bands on any given day. Sherinian, who spent five years with Dream Theater in the 90s, has logged hours of studio and road time with Alice Cooper, Billy Idol and Steve Vai. He’s also a founding member of Black Country Communion, who reunited in 2017 and made an album that finally brought Sherinian’s keyboards to the frontline. Stationed with an arsenal that includes a B3 Hammond organ, a Nord Lead 3 synthesizer, a Leslie cabinet and assorted Marshall speakers, Sherinian wants to make sure he’s heard. For much of the night, he was.
Most bands with only one album would be hard-pressed to play for nearly two hours, but Sons of Apollo had plenty to draw from. Though they played every song from Psychotic Symphony, they didn’t do it front-to-back. Instead, they sprinkled in a couple Dream Theater tracks (“Just Let Me Breathe” and “Lines In The Sand”) and left a lot of room for soloing.
Naturally, Bumblefoot seized the moment, letting his fingers smoothly work away with astonishing dexterity and tone. Sheehan roared and riffed like a bulldozer when he and Portnoy weren’t building heavy, bottom-end foundations for each scenario. Sherinian also grabbed the spotlight with his Deep Purple-inspired strokes on the Hammond and loads of synth layering to delouse the undertow.
Everyone expected Portnoy to take off with a drum solo, but he kept the breaks to a minimum, choosing to work the disjointed rhythms and sing background vocals. He’s also one of the few drummer I’ve seen who can toss a drumstick in the air, miss it coming down, and still play a flawless one-handed roll with the other stick. To pick up the slack, Soto took over the stage with some vocal calisthenics of his own (aided by a little sleight-of-hand voice replay delay) on Queen’s “The Prophet’s Song” and “Save Me.” Who says singers can’t solo!
It would be so easy to label Sons of Apollo as “pretentious,” from haughty song titles like “God Of The Sun” and “Opus Maximus” (which truly measures up to “epic” proportions), to the band name itself (according to Sherinian, “Apollo was the God of Music, and we are his mighty offspring!”). Thankfully, there’s a shot of tongue-in-cheek filler in the cracks to offset the pomposity. The lounge lizard rendition of “The Pink Panther Theme” lightened the mood, and the encore of Van Halen’s “And The Cradle Will Rock” solidified the pageantry. Bumblefoot perfectly stumbled into the introduction and Soto stood at the back of the room, slithering through the crowd, posing for selfies along the way, then steamrolling to the stage, asking everyone to “wait for it” when it came to the climatic “Have you seen junior’s grades” line, and bringing it all down to one frantic close. How refreshing it is to have a prog band like Sons of Apollo — balanced out with the right chops and rock n’ roll swagger to make the whole trip stimulating, titillating and downright fun, all at the same time.
