SONS OF APOLLO: Mmxx (PROGRESSIVE METAL,Heavy Metal): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

A few months after having completed the excellent third album of Flying Colors, we find the tireless stakhanovist Mike Portnoy and his second project Sons Of Apollo. Sons Of Apollo's first album released two years ago gave place to a tour immortalized on a very good DVD entitled "Live with the Plovdiv Psychotic Symphony". We could realize on this recording the whole technical range of this great band and the affinity between five great personalities. All these great people are back for a second disc soberly entitled "MMXX".

We know Portnoy's heavy and progressive double fibre, the first one was mainly expressed in Adrenaline Mob and Metal Allegiance and the second one in Transatlantic and Flying Colors. Since his departure from Dream Theater, it's Sons Of Apollo who synthesizes this duality and "MMXX" doesn't depart from the rule by being in the continuity of "Psychotic Symphony". It's the most immediate component of the combo's writing which is at work at the beginning of the record with three very heavy tracks based on the percussion of the melodies ('Wither to Black') and the efficiency of the riffs and the structures cut to ignite the future live performances. Thal's guitar is already incandescent on the more upbeat instrumental passage of 'Asphyxiation' and the rhythm section imposes its authoritative presence. The band performs a square score that is not very exciting until the power ballad 'Desolate July' that doesn't shine by its originality.

The interest rises a notch with the progressive and symphonic 'King of Delusion' with an interesting creation of a classical theme played on the piano, around which is built a dark title punctuated by heady choruses, and a luminous guitar performance. "MMXX" doesn't take advantage of this launching pad to gain height and falls back into the catchy of the beginning with a pushy 'Fall to Ascend' and its sterile virtuoso bridge and 'Resurrection Day' with a communicative groove but quickly extinguished by a race to the ego led in a succession of tasteless solos. The last hopes rest on 'New World Today' but are getting a little bit smaller with each minute spent listening to this long track without any guideline or chorus melodies worthy of the name, whereas they were one of the only satisfactions so far. Worse, 'New World Today' appears as a collage of ideas already heard with notably a keyboard festival referring to Planet X and a final instrumental section that strongly reminds the Dream Theater of "Falling Into Infinity".

It must be admitted that "MMXX" doesn't meet the expectations one could have had following "Psychotic Symphony", all the more so from such a concentration of talent. Apart from a piece that stands up and a few choruses that you enjoy hearing again once or twice, nothing really encourages a long-lasting listening. Sons Of Apollo seems to be humming on this "MMXX" without pushing the machine too far, just enough to provide some material to fill the tracklist of their future shows. - Official website

SONS OF APOLLO

MMXX

INSIDEOUT MUSIC

PROGRESSIVE METAL