Already from hearing the intro to ‘God of the Sun’, fond memories from last year’s Sons of Apollo show in Athens come to mind. The exquisite gang of mister Portnoy, Sherinian, Sheehan, Soto and Bumblefoot release their first live album, recorded in Bulgaria, accompanied by the local symphony.
Obviously, to say that the band members are all incredible players is nothing new. ‘Live with the Plovdiv psychotic symphony’ is a satisfying release, since, with only one record under their belts do far (their sophomore effort is ready to go), Sons of Apollo chose to ‘fill’ an… evening with – type setlist with some of the best songs ever written: ‘Kashmir’, ‘Comfortably Numb’ with Portnoy on vocals, ‘The Show Must Go On’, perfect for Jeff Scott Soto’s voice, and more.
My sole objection is related to the orchestra. Following mainly Sherinian’s parts and being relatively low in the mix, the classical instruments didn’t give the added weight and extra dimension that they could have. Maybe it’s due to the comparison I unconsciously made with S&M2, which I saw in the same time period as listening to this record.
