Sons of Apollo ‘MMXX’
Album Review By Adam McCann
InsideOut Music/Progressive Metal
Sons of Apollo catapulted themselves onto the scene in 2017; this band did not just boast a stellar line-up (and I refrain from using the word ‘supergroup’), but the band did what so many groups of this nature fail to do and that was deliver an excellent album with ‘Psychotic Symphony’. But, what that a fluke? Was the curse of the supergroup about to strike for the bands second album ‘MMXX’?
The answer? Definitely not! ‘MMXX’ delivers exactly what is expected of musicians of this calibre with each member pushing themselves to the maximum. This is the album that was needed following ‘Psychotic Symphony’, it shows that Sons of Apollo are not a one trick pony, or even capable of just replicating the first album, ‘MMXX’ is its own beast entirely and whilst it may just fall short of the magnificence of ‘Psychotic Symphony’, that is in no way a criticism. The band are firing on all cylinders, there are some excellent parts from Portnoy, Sheehan, Bumblefoot and Sherinian, whilst Jeff Scott Soto delivers a heartfelt performance that really does show the dynamism of his vocal pipes. Tracks such as ‘Goodbye Divinity’, ‘Resurrection Day’ and ‘Wither to Black’ show that there is no lack of ideas in the Sons of Apollo camp, even if the latter does begin with a vocal melody that is reminiscent of Aerosmith’s ‘Hangman Jury’. The best thing about ‘MMXX’ is that it is progressive metal with a hard rock edge; this makes the band extremely accessible whilst tracks like ‘New World Today’ have enough progressive rock edge to appeal to fans of Emerson, Lake and Palmer.
‘MMXX’ really stomps home what Sons of Apollo are all about, classic progressive metal at its finest, memorable songs where complexity enjoyed without being overtly in your face. The album is enjoyable, but it also ultimately reminds us just what Dream Theater have been missing for the last decade.
Rating : 91/100
MHF Magazine/Adam McCann
