Derek Sherinian interview (excerpt)

Derek Sherinian is more bashful and reserved than usual. The former Dream Theater and Sons Of Apollo keyboard player has been known to be somewhat scathing of his old bandmates. Indeed, there was a sense that the much lauded Sons Of Apollo project – which also featured then-ex-Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy –was motivated by a desire to overtake them in the progressive metal hierarchy. That band released two impeccably crafted albums and there were lofty expectations of a third album that could finally propel them into the genre’s higher echelons. By the tail end of 2020, Portnoy’s interest in the band seemingly cooled and it plummeted down his priority list. Fast forward to 2023 and the drummer’s return to Dream Theater provided a public, non-verbal declaration that cemented the demise of Sons Of Apollo.

“Yeah, and you know what? Whatever,” says Sherinian, his voice genuinely lacking any signs of disgruntlement. “Basically, I think that Covid was the brutal death knell for Sons Of Apollo. It simply came down to the fact that Mike had other obligations with his other bands, which was understandable. But who knew how long that was going to take? Ron [‘Bumblefoot’ Thal, guitarist] and I were sitting there and we just didn’t want to wait to see what was going to happen in the future. I’d wanted to just move forward and start something fresh. So, that’s what we did and it’s that simple. It ended up working out for everyone. Honestly, it all worked out great. I wish Mike and the guys in Dream Theater the best. I really hope that they make a great record.”