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Progressive metal newcomers Whom Gods Destroy<\/a> <\/strong>arrive with an esteemed cast of established talent. After all, the quintet is comprised of vocalist Dino Jelusick <\/strong>(Whitesnake<\/a><\/strong>, Trans-Siberian Orchestra<\/a><\/strong>); keyboardist Derek Sherinian<\/a><\/strong> (ex-Dream Theater<\/a><\/strong>, ex-Sons Of Apollo<\/a><\/strong>); guitarist Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal<\/a> <\/strong>(ex-Sons Of Apollo<\/a><\/strong><\/strong>, solo); bassist Yas Nomura <\/strong>(The Resonance Project<\/strong>); and drummer Bruno Valverde <\/strong>(Angra<\/a><\/strong>). Rather than appear as “a new force” in the genre (as their press release declares), however, their debut LP \u2013 Insanium<\/em> \u2013 finds them largely relying on by-the-numbers techniques and timbres. It’s not a terrible record by any means, but it is disappointingly predictable and familiar.<\/p>\n Given that two members were previously in Sons Of Apollo<\/a><\/strong><\/strong>, this overreliance on obvious hard rock\/progressive metal tropes isn’t too surprising (To be fair, Sons Of Apollo<\/a><\/strong><\/strong> were always open about their intentions, and fans always knew what to expect.) In explaining which artists influenced Insanium<\/em>, Sherinian <\/strong>reflects<\/a>: “The inspiration is wide for this band. We cover a lot of ground stylistically, everything from Led Zeppelin<\/a><\/strong>, Meshuggah<\/a><\/strong> to Muse<\/a><\/strong>, to the most technical prog.” \u00a0Those connections come through clearly in the music \u2013 and Whom Gods Destroy<\/a><\/strong><\/strong> nail what they’re going for \u2013 but there’s almost nothing adventurous or fresh here.<\/p>\n \n