Derek Sherinian interview (excerpts)

Howard Whitman: How did Whom Gods Destroy come together?

Derek Sherinian: Sons of Apollo put out two records. We were on tour in February or March 2020 and then COVID-19 hit. We were one of the first bands to say “Hey, we're coming home.” Then the world was changed and we stayed at home. Mike [Portnoy] had other commitments to do, other projects, and long story short, I just didn't want to wait. Ron and I just moved on and we started Whom Gods Destroy. We recruited Dino and we started writing with him pretty much right after [the COVID-19 pandemic] started. Once I realized that Sons Apollo didn't have a future in the foreseeable future, we moved forward with this. As far as the writing goes, Ron and I used to write all the Sons of Apollo material. We'd send music back and forth and expand on each other's ideas and keep just building and building until we were happy with the arrangements. So as far as the creative process goes, it's business as usual. We just have different players around us and a different band name, but the creative process is the same. And Dino came in and wrote the majority of the lyrics.

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HW: Bumblefoot has implied in interviews that Portnoy rejoining Dream Theater led to the end of Sons of Apollo. Was that really the case?

DS: Well, no. There's no harm, no foul, and the bottom line is [the pandemic] ended the tour. Mike had prior obligations. He plays in five different bands or whatever. After COVID, we were anxious to get back and start writing and with the goal to record. We just didn't want to wait, and that's it. So we got our own record deal and rebranded and re-banded.

HW: Did you consider trying to get new people in and continue with Sons of Apollo?

DS: No, because the bottom line is, Sons of Apollo is mine and Portnoy’s. We're the two owners of the band, so without either of us, it's a moot point. I wanted a clean, fresh start.