Sons of Apollo (Portnoy, Sherinian, Sheehan, Bumblefoot, Jeff Scott Soto) Release First Track, “Signs of the Time”

You, me and everyone else the metal world over already knew what Sons of Apollo were going to sound like before we heard a note of music. With a lineup featuring drummer Mike Portnoy; his former Dream Theater bandmate, keyboardist Derek Sherinian; his Winery Dogs bandmate, bassist Billy Sheehan; ex-Guns N’ Roses/current Art of Anarchy guitarist Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal; and former Journey frontman Jeff Scott Soto, we all know exactly what we’re getting here.

And now that the first single is out, “Signs of the Time,” we can confirm our incredible foresight: it sounds exactly like the sum of its parts! Not that that’s a bad thing — all of these men are incredibly accomplished and talented musicians — it’s just, like, reality, man. I can already hear the old school prog metal nerds fapping over this one.

One thing that caught my ear: Derek Sherinian’s keyboard solo. His style is instantly recognizable from the era of Dream Theater albums on which he played. The guitar solo immediately following that keyboard solo is absolutely off the chain, too; fuck, I forgot how slick and dynamic of a player Bumblefoot is.

Psychotic Symphony comes out October 20th via InsideOut Music; order here.