Sons of Apollo (feat. Portnoy & Sherinian)

[Adami]

Haters can keep on hating. I can't stop spinning this album. Mike Portnoy never ceases to amaze. His drumming in OM alone is among the best that I've ever heard.

It"s not that we are haters it's just that a lot of us feel this album cis very bland and uninspired. There are some moments but too few and too far apart.... the album would have benefitted from the band stoppning and taking the time to listen to what they created with fresh ears and then rewrite parts that did not work as well

'Fanboys are gonna fanboy' 😉

So why are we focused on Derek's weight?  Or how that weight impacts his "keyboard skills"?  If Derek made a comment about Jordan's being bald, you'd have a cow. 

Totally agree. The personal retorts are no better, and often worse than Derek's original idiotic statements.

[The Walrus]

I prefer to call it Katteloxian bravado.

Seriously, I won't deny it's a bit immature, but I'm a nobody. Here's a genuine apology from me for a moment of childishness.

[bill1971]

I wonder if Derek knows that James and Myung were the most hesitant to let him go? I'm sure MP spun it to him being the most hesitant and Derek believed him. Either that or Derek knows it and is just capitalizing on what fame MP has left. He knows MP has friends in the business and knows how to promote himself.

[MirrorMask]

He was let go for the keyboard player Petrucci and Portnoy worked right before the change with. If we fans know it, there's no way in hell that he doesn't know that it was the two persone that worked with his replacement to have made the decision.

[Madman Shepherd]

Haters can keep on hating. I can't stop spinning this album. Mike Portnoy never ceases to amaze. His drumming in OM alone is among the best that I've ever heard.

It"s not that we are haters it's just that a lot of us feel this album cis very bland and uninspired. There are some moments but too few and too far apart.... the album would have benefitted from the band stoppning and taking the time to listen to what they created with fresh ears and then rewrite parts that did not work as well

'Fanboys are gonna fanboy' 😉

So why are we focused on Derek's weight?  Or how that weight impacts his "keyboard skills"?  If Derek made a comment about Jordan's being bald, you'd have a cow. 

Totally agree. The personal retorts are no better, and often worse than Derek's original idiotic statements.

Often worse?

Hardly. 

[Adami]

You're right. Often was the wrong word. Occasionally worse.

[Madman Shepherd]

 

[Destiny Of Chaos]

I think it's hillarious that being nominated for Grammies keeps being brought up as if that's some sort of measuring stick of prog metal greatness. Mike's drumming awards are much more impressive than James' slice of those 2 nominations.....

[Adami]

I think it's hillarious that being nominated for Grammies keeps being brought up as if that's some sort of measuring stick of prog metal greatness. Mike's drumming awards are much more impressive than James' slice of those 2 nominations.....

I'm pretty sure none of them are terribly impressive honestly.

[gzarruk]

I think it's hillarious that being nominated for Grammies keeps being brought up as if that's some sort of measuring stick of prog metal greatness. Mike's drumming awards are much more impressive than James' slice of those 2 nominations.....

I'm pretty sure none of them are terribly impressive honestly.

Agree. Also, no one is dissing Mike's drumming. The only complaint about his playing here has been his tired and repeated use of the same bag of tricks.

[Adami]

Oh yea. MP is probably my biggest influence on drums. He just sounds like a guy trying to sound like MP now. His skills are fine.

To be fair, I have very similar complaints about a ton of other people.

[Madman Shepherd]

I think it's hillarious that being nominated for Grammies keeps being brought up as if that's some sort of measuring stick of prog metal greatness. Mike's drumming awards are much more impressive than James' slice of those 2 nominations.....

I would say consistently performing in front of 2-3000 people is much more impressive than being nominated for two Grammys.

[Destiny Of Chaos]

I think it's hillarious that being nominated for Grammies keeps being brought up as if that's some sort of measuring stick of prog metal greatness. Mike's drumming awards are much more impressive than James' slice of those 2 nominations.....

I would say consistently performing in front of 2-3000 people is much more impressive than being nominated for two Grammys.

You'd love Justin Bieber then. He plays in front of much larger crowds than that.

[Adami]

What the hell is going on in this thread?

[Dave_Manchester]

I think it's hillarious that being nominated for Grammies keeps being brought up as if that's some sort of measuring stick of prog metal greatness. Mike's drumming awards are much more impressive than James' slice of those 2 nominations.....

I would say consistently performing in front of 2-3000 people is much more impressive than being nominated for two Grammys.

You'd love Justin Bieber then. He plays in front of much larger crowds than that.

Not only that but he has over 200 awards, dwarfing Mike Portnoy's number:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_awards_and_nominations_received_by_Justin_Bieber

[Dave_Manchester]

What the hell is going on in this thread?

A discussion about which utterly meaningless advertising-agency-masquerading-as-an-award-ceremony is more prestigious than another.

[SjundeInseglet]

I think it's hillarious that being nominated for Grammies keeps being brought up as if that's some sort of measuring stick of prog metal greatness. Mike's drumming awards are much more impressive than James' slice of those 2 nominations.....

I would say consistently performing in front of 2-3000 people is much more impressive than being nominated for two Grammys.

Yes... and do they do playing a style of music which admitidly hasn't been exactly overly popular in years. That is what makes it so impressive... not sure why Justin Bieber and his brand of chewing gum pop music were even mentioned in this thead.

[pcs90]

The arguments on both sides are getting so silly.
Number of awards generally means nothing nowadays.
If you believe the way DS and MP are presenting themselves is good, more power to you, but I genuinely don't see how anyone can justify it at this point.
There are a few members who will justify anything MP does or doesn't do no matter how ridiculous it may be. Of course this is not limited to MP, people can do this with anyone they're a fan of and/or support, whether in music or elsewhere. That's all this is. It's a waste of time trying to argue.

[Anguyen92]

Some people just simply do not like the album, but do like the players involved in it and some listeners feel that they can do better.  It can be a thing that can happen.  It does not make the listeners "haters." People should not have that sort of opinion then?

[Destiny Of Chaos]

Some people just simply do not like the album, but do like the players involved in it and some listeners feel that they can do better.  It can be a thing that can happen.  It does not make the listeners "haters." People should not have that sort of opinion then?

If a fan of prog rock/prog metal can listen to this album and genuinely not like it for what it is as music, then that's not who I had in mind when I brought up the word haters.

Who I had in mind are those who are letting things not having to do with the music itself shape their opinion on the music. And I've seen plenty of both on the forum.

I think it's hillarious that being nominated for Grammies keeps being brought up as if that's some sort of measuring stick of prog metal greatness. Mike's drumming awards are much more impressive than James' slice of those 2 nominations.....

I would say consistently performing in front of 2-3000 people is much more impressive than being nominated for two Grammys.

It's undeniable that Mike is a big reason why DT has grown as a band over time and played to larger and  more prestigious venues. Hard to say what sort of crowds James would singing for if the roles were reversed.

[KevShmev]

Looks like Portnoy is now logging in under the Destiny of Chaos handle instead of Stadler.

[Destiny Of Chaos]

Looks like Portnoy is now logging in under the Destiny of Chaos handle instead of Stadler.

Nah, that was ChaosSystem who would capitalize words at random.

[TAC]

Chaossystem would be posting random SOA setlists that make no sense.

[Destiny Of Chaos]

Chaossystem would be posting random SOA setlists that make no sense.

True that! He'd probably make the case for Figaro's Whore for the encore.

[Madman Shepherd]

To be fair, I don't care about Grammys OR crowd size.  I actually just tracked down a CD by a band that is so unpopular over here they have never even toured the states.  I doubt they even pressed more than 500 CDs of their latest which was nearly impossible to find. Not even Amazon, Discogs, etc had even one copy. 

But I do think Grammys and playing to thousands of people matter to a dude obsessed with reclaiming a throne that was never his. 

Some people just simply do not like the album, but do like the players involved in it and some listeners feel that they can do better.  It can be a thing that can happen.  It does not make the listeners "haters." People should not have that sort of opinion then?

If a fan of prog rock/prog metal can listen to this album and genuinely not like it for what it is as music, then that's not who I had in mind when I brought up the word haters.

Who I had in mind are those who are letting things not having to do with the music itself shape their opinion on the music. And I've seen plenty of both on the forum.

I think it's hillarious that being nominated for Grammies keeps being brought up as if that's some sort of measuring stick of prog metal greatness. Mike's drumming awards are much more impressive than James' slice of those 2 nominations.....

I would say consistently performing in front of 2-3000 people is much more impressive than being nominated for two Grammys.

It's undeniable that Mike is a big reason why DT has grown as a band over time and played to larger and  more prestigious venues. Hard to say what sort of crowds James would singing for if the roles were reversed.

Except DT's crowds have remained relatively consistent since Mike left.  There was a slight dip in the second leg of the Astonishing tour (that even I didnt bother going to) but other than that I think Mike's popularity is a little over stated.  Maybe we can check on those Adrenaline Mob numbers to see what influence he really had. 

[KevShmev]

Exactly.  It's easy to wonder how far JLB would have gotten without Dream Theater, and it's even easier to wonder how far Portnoy would have gotten had he not lucked out and ended up in a band with good primary songwriters (of which he is not).  Without Dream Theater, he never makes the connection he did to do everything else he has done since, and without Petrucci, Moore and Myung, he never gets off the ground.

[TAC]

I think what probably pisses off Mike is that he probably owes more to JLB than the other way around. There was no way he could let James go.

[KevShmev]

I think what probably pisses off Mike is that he probably owes more to JLB than the other way around. There was no way he could let James go.

True.  Pull Me Under put the band on the map, and let's see...the vocal melodies in that were written by Kevin Moore and sung by James LaBrie.  That probably sticks in his craw.  As great as the music is in that song, the hook to the masses was in the vocals and vocal melodies, courtesy of two guys he seems to have a lot of disdain for.  Oh, the irony.

[Sycsa]

Yeah, it's a reasonable theory that without JLB, I&W would have turned out differently and DT might never have taken off.

[ReaperKK]

Chaossystem would be posting random SOA setlists that make no sense.

True that! He'd probably make the case for Figaro's Whore for the encore.

Did Chaossystems posts get wiped?

[Madman Shepherd]

I think what probably pisses off Mike is that he probably owes more to JLB than the other way around. There was no way he could let James go.

True.  Pull Me Under put the band on the map, and let's see...the vocal melodies in that were written by Kevin Moore and sung by James LaBrie.  That probably sticks in his craw.  As great as the music is in that song, the hook to the masses was in the vocals and vocal melodies, courtesy of two guys he seems to have a lot of disdain for.  Oh, the irony.

Never thought of it that way.  I mean, they went through how many vocalists before finally finding James?  I actually like each one they demoed with, well, except Steve Stone, but I really couldn't see any one of those achieving breakthrough success.  Mike certainly contributed a lot to DT but the vast majority of that stuff appeals to people like me, not the average fan.  I'm surprised I still find diehard fans that never bothered to pick up any Ytsejam releases, or fan club stuff, and the vast majority of fans including me never went to back to back shows so different setlists never mattered. 

[TAC]

  and the vast majority of fans including me never went to back to back shows so different setlists never mattered.

Well, the different setlist were cool in that:
1. You could check the previous night's setlist as if you were checking the score of a game from the night before, and
2. It made collecting bootlegs very interesting.

I think both of those added to the "fan experience". I know the band is happier executing a more consistent show, but I usually only went to my local show anyway, and I never did not enjoy it.
But my day to day interest in a current tour is not even close to what it once was.

[Schurftkut]

now sons of apollo can play a change of seasons as an encore, considering there's two people there who were on the album!!

[Madman Shepherd]

  and the vast majority of fans including me never went to back to back shows so different setlists never mattered.

Well, the different setlist were cool in that:
1. You could check the previous night's setlist as if you were checking the score of a game from the night before, and
2. It made collecting bootlegs very interesting.

I think both of those added to the "fan experience". I know the band is happier executing a more consistent show, but I usually only went to my local show anyway, and I never did not enjoy it.
But my day to day interest in a current tour is not even close to what it once was.

Very true.  It was also equally frustrating to go to a show a find out that the night before they played a song I really wanted to hear and then they played it the next night but not the night I was there.  So I kind of feel it was a wash. 

[hefdaddy42]

Dear God, this thread.