I was excited yet hesitant to hear/review this release.  Obviously, I would be hard pressed to believe anything involving Portnoy wouldn't be, at the very least, interesting and adventurous.  However, having mixed feelings about Portnoy less DREAM THEATER, I was feeling some mild trepidation over how a DREAM THEATER less Portnoy would sound, as I am unfamiliar with anything he has done outside them.   In addition, aside from Derek Sherinian, I have never heard of anyone else involved. I'm happy to say that my excitement was warranted and hesitance was unnecessary.   The overall sound of the band, the balance they achieve together, is what makes this album so damn great, so masterful.  All too often, prog metal bands stay one side of the other for too long.  SONS OF APOLLO find that perfect mixture between Progressive Rock and Heavy Metal, being both while also not being too far into neither.

The opening track, "God of the Sun," sounds like it could had been lifted from TRAIN OF THOUGHT, such is the ferocity of the riffs and the progressive lengths the song stretches out to.  Immediately, I am taken to a safe space where my protector is the bombastic yet intelligent and forward thinking of Portnoy's drums.  Honestly, and no offense to anyone, but I always felt he was THE heart and soul of DREAM THEATER and I can tell he is the heart and soul once again.  His ease, his excitement, blood, sweat and tears can be heard through his playing and that is a rare thing for a drummer to accomplish.  Portnoy, from his first note to the last played on this album that he is in rare form because, well, he is always in rare form. At over 11 minutes in length, this album doesn't waste time in trying to get your feet wet with the prog waters.  As heavy as the guitar is, Sherinian is just as much in your face and weaved into the song.  His key style is pretty aggressive; I don't mean that in how hard or fast he plays but rather the amount of time he has.  Some bands use keys as a back drop or background filler but Sherinian is pretty much a second guitar player, so prevalent and essential to the sound he is.  Just like with the other instruments, should his keys be removed from the songs then they would change sound drastically.  After five minutes or so of rocking out, the song takes a complete 360 with Sherinian leading the charge.

"Labyrinth," is a highlight for me because the keys and guitar riffs really work in tandem to create a swirling mass of epic heaviness.  Jeff Scott Soto's soaring vocals only add to this eclectic mix.  After such a strong vocal performance, I feel like a total asshole for never listening to this guy before.  Simply put, he is one of the strongest clean vocalists I've ever heard; where has he been my whole life?  His voice is smooth but somehow filled with edge, mixed with clarity and theatrical gusto. His vocals in the mid paced rocker "Alive," filled my headphones with gut wrenching heartfelt vocals.  His delivery during the album is at all times emotional, expressive, and filled with a tamed reckless energy that begs to be heard.

Speaking of expressive, Ron Thal, his solos on the aforementioned "Alive," are soulful, sorrow speaking through the strings of a guitar.  He shows his metal chops with the riffs and shows his sterling musicianship through the solos.  Yet another person in this band whose name I regret not knowing beforehand.  The instrumental "Figaro's Whore," is a short but sweet display of organ notes along with the abilities of bassist Billy Sheehan, who plays like he is about to explode.  His sound is a deep set of rhythmic assault when the flow of Metal calls for it but at other times he sounds like he was put into a room and told to solo while the band plays around him.  Is he human?  Probably but he's a better human. "Divine Addiction," is another high light because it echoes a lot of the sounds of 70's prog rock.  In fact, the song, especially in the beginning, sounds like a ultra heavy version of DEEP PURPLE, which is probably the biggest compliment I could ever give anyone ever.

All in all, this album is a prog metal classic.  Anyone who isn't any of the musicians featured here should pick this up.  If you like prog metal, you should pick this up. If you like music at all, you should pick this out.  Not only does it sound like the missing link that DREAM THEATER is still looking for but its the sound of what happens with musicians play with both immense talent and immense heart.  A classic.