BLACK UTOPIA

I noticed an immediate change in Derek Sherinian's music right from the beginning of his latest release Black Utopia. The cover evokes a futuristic (?) civilization of what looks to be a post nuclear holocaust image(s) on the outskirts of a "normal" city with an interesting design of a crucifix in the shadows of the skyline. The music is most certainly darker and heavier than it ever has been before and the best that I have heard yet from Sherinian and his mates. He always creates magnificent music and I was wondering how he was going to come up with something fresh and different being that he plays strictly instrumental progressive rock, which actually provides more flexibility than music with vocals. He has not strayed off course too much over the last two releases. This time out is an entirely different approach than you have heard before so get ready for some changes. For starters, he decided to invite an all-star cast to support this project. Legends such as Yngwie Malmsteen, Al DiMeola, Steve Lukather and Simon Phillips, amongst others, are all part of this determined instrumental onslaught of prog-rock.

Deep in the corners of our minds there are dark places we all have whether we want to admit it or not. Sounds, images and words place or prompt these thought processes inside our heads. As disturbing as they may be at times we must be realistic and acknowledge those thoughts and feelings. I think musicians such as Derek do just that through their music. It must be a wonderfully therapeutic experience releasing those demons. Even though his utopia is black, there is always hope for change, and if you look to the horizon of the image on this cover, there is light and life beyond the doom and gloom. Therefore, the message is more than clear to me, allow the acceptance of all our feelings and you unlock the gate to immersion in the music. This is what this is all about for me and it can be for you as well.

Thanks to the music, for a while, I can have some kind of release during my day. Unleash "The Fury" chained inside you and it becomes a "Sweet Lament," such is life in the danger zone of emotions; this is how this music speaks to me. That says it all. It is easy enough to let it all go and then move on to the next chapter of your life. I know I am waxing prophetic and getting intense but I feel this music provokes this mindset and for me that can be a good thing to acknowledge. And how about you fellow prog- heads? Can you let the music take you away for 60 minutes of your life to find some other place inside your head you have not visited for a long time? Let Derek Sherinian and his music show you the way, I promise you will enjoy the trip. Sherinian has become the consummate bandleader and virtuoso with few equals; once again, he provides an album that serves as his truth.

For me, this album is just perfect. It's heavy and instrumental, in a similar vein to Liquid Tension Experiment. Surprising that even though Derek Sherinian is a keyboard player, he has let the guitarists take the lead on this album and it is the guitarists that give each track their form. The Yngwie Malmsteen tracks are fast guitar shredding. The Zakk Wylde tracks are heavy and rythmic and very much like his playing on Ozzy Osbourne albums. Al DiMeola's playing on "Gypsy Moth" sounds like Spanish guitar. Jerry Goodman plays violin on this album but I have real trouble picking out the violin sound, which is a shame.

This album is pure prog metal fusion. It has no connection with jazz fusion except that it's totally instrumental. There are no weak tracks on this album. If you like Liquid Tension Experiment then you might well like this too.

4.5 stars.This was an absolute blast ! Hey when you have Al DiMeola, Zakk Wylde and Yngwie Malmsteen as your featured guitarists you know the metal is going to fly. And fly it does ! Simon Phillips is on drums, he's played with Jeff Beck and Joe Satriani. Jerry Goodman on violin from MAHIVISHNU ORCHESTRA of course, while Billy Sheehan and Tony Franklin take care of the bass duties. Oh and Steve Lukather plays lead guitar on a couple of the mellower tracks. Of course this is Derek Sherinian's baby, yet he really does not take the spotlight very often, rather he leaves that role to the virtuoso guitar players for the most part.

"The Fury" is just that from the hands of Malmsteen.The synths and drums add some support as well. "The Sons Of Anu" is an uptempo rocker with great riffs as Malmsteen's fluid and fast guitar comes in. This is a shred-fest ! It calms down 2 minutes in but the guitar continues to play so beautifully with background synths. A change before 4 1/2 minutes as we get some intricate nylon guitar from DiMeola as Sherinian answers with a flury of keys. Not to be out done DiMeola comes back with his electric guitar, and he's on freaking fire ! More keys and guitar before Malmsteen ends it with a blazing solo. "Nightmare Cinema" is probably my favourite. I love the contrast between Wylde's heavy guitar attacks and the atmospheric calm with Shreinian's dark keys. Just an incredible track. Dark and very heavy. "Stony Days" features Lukather on guitar and he does a beautiful job on this more fusion influenced track. "Starcycle" is actually a cover of a Jan Hammer tune. Lukather is back but much more aggressively. He's outstanding on this one as Sherinian does his Hammer impression. Nice. Incredible guitar though.

"Axel Of Evil" joins Malmsteen and Wylde for the only time on the album.They do not disappoint. Crushing opening as drums pound and Keys run wild. Malmsteen and Wylde trade fire. Unbelieveable ! A wondrous calm 2 1/2 minutes in. Check out the guitar 4 minutes in as this gets pretty emotional as these two guitarists display how gifted they are. It gets chaotic a minute later before the song ends explosively. "Gypsy Moth" is obviously a nod to DiMeola who plays his nylon guitar with presicion as Goodman offers up some violin melodies. Sherinian plays keys throughout. "Sweet Lament" places the focus squarley on Lukather and his soaring guitar melodies. "Black Utopia" is the closing track with Zakk on guitar. There is some atmosphere to this one early before violin and drums come in. Heaviness arrives 1 1/2 minutes in and it steam rolls everything in it's path. It gets even heavier 2 minutes in. Check out the guitar ! Keys and calm 5 1/2 minutes in continue until the song fades out after 7 minutes. Silence until some brief weird sounds to end it.

I will be getting Sherinian's next two recordings after being knocked over by this one. A must for Prog-Metal fans. Very impressed.

Wow, how utterly dissapointing this was for me. Here I was expecting to get some good keyboard-charged Fusion music froma n undeniably great ex-DT member, and instead I get this. I mean, seriousely, there is nothing progressive about this. It's just a bunch of guitar wankers with some input from Sherinian, but really, this is a guitar album, and I am very dissapointed by what I heard. Not only are the keyboards nearly non-existant, but there is absolutely no soul whatsoever to this music. Can it even be called music, is my question? Yes, there are some moments on the record that got me bopping my head, I'll admit, but at the end of the day, what it progressive about this? It sure isn't true Jazz/Fusion. It's just Sherinian hiring a bunch of crappy guitar 'legends' to play every single note known to man as fast as possible while he backs them up. Sorry, but that isn't my idea of good or original music.

Such a shame, as I really enjoyed Derek's work while he was with Dream Theater. Ah well, you can't win 'em all, I suppose. This album may grow on me over time, but one thing is for certain: it will never be a 'progressive' record in my eyes. Too much thrashing and not enough heart. This is straightforward metal trying to be something more, and it fails. Sorry, Derek fans, but this just isn't my cup of tea. I'll be lucky if I listen to this thing once every five years. Sadly, another dust-collector on my shelf. This one's only for the most dedicated of fans.

Third Derek Sherinian's solo album is made in the tradition of previous one: even more participated guitar heroes added in. If debut album was ambitious and experimental but raw one with team of unknown musicians, strarting from his second album, Sherinian plays with music stars all around.

Second album was real success, mainly because of new drummer Simon Phillips and perfect session guitarist Steve Lukather participated on it. Using the same formula for his third solo album, Sherinian made some mistakes, in my opinion.

First of all, just physical growth of star musicians participated can't guarantee high standard of music automathicaly. So, Yngwie Malmsteen is very fast guitarist for sure, but his Kalashnikov- style solos destroyed musical structure of this album. Zakk Wylde plays his usual Ozzie Osbourne's style heavy metal, which is not bad if used in right place.Even Lukather was pushed to play as fast and heavy as he can. Acoustic piece played by Al Di Meola is nice, but out of place again. All album sounds like sountrack of guitar heroes technique demonstration championship ( if you still remember, it's a keyboardist solo album!).

The total result is eclectic collection of very competent but fast,heavy and very formal guitar instrumental pieces ( in many cases it's difficult to name these compositions as songs, it's more guitar technique demonstration).

So, after really successfull second album, third one missed that high musical level ( still saving high technigue level). It's a good album for axe-heroes fans, but it gives not too much to music lovers.

Still 3, because of high musical technique.

Derek Sherinian is a musician that needs no introduction, so I will stop only on the music here on this third album from his solo career from 2003 named Black utopia. Jazz fusion with progressive metal elements is what everybody will find here, a good doze of guitars that at some point , at least I, I sweared I'd listened to some album of a guitarist. To me, he never take the lead, is present on every piece, he's work is very well melted with the rest of the instruments. Again a line up that will make envy every band involved in this kind of music, among others Malmsteen, DiMeola, Phillips, etc. A solid and well known musicin who contriputed a lot to the sound of this album, who seams to be more as a unit sound then a solo project. Anyway a good album, that worth to be investigated, not his best but a good one. The pieces are well developed, crunchy guitars, specialy Zakk Wilds unique style, excellent druming by Simon Phillps, and above all Sherinian keybords are always whre must be. 3 stars for this one.

In 2003 a tireless Derek Sherinian launches his third solo album entitled ''Black Utopia'', released again on Inside Out.For this album the line-up of ''Inertia'' took an upgrade with three more musicians added to the guest list of Sherinian: Bass parts are provided in a few tracks by Billy Sheehan, Jazz/Fusion legend Al Di Meola also contributes with his guitar in a pair of tracks and the virtuoso Yngwie Malmsteen appears also in three pieces.The later was touring with Sherinian since 2002, propably this was the reason of his appearance on the album.

''Black Utopia'' sounds so much the same yet different to ''Inertia''.This is still a heavy-sounding album, especially when Zakk Wylde takes over with his guitar, having a strong Heavy Metal sense throughout and flirting constantly with modern Jazz/Fusion.Malmsteen's influence on the tracks he appears is more than evident, these two pieces along with the opening introduction have an obvious Neo-Classical flavor due to his highly technical solos.The rest of the album can be actually labeled as Fusion Metal with plenty of atmospheric soundscapes added for good measure.Sherinian again provides a virtuosic keyboard performance with tremendous pyrotechnics, grandiose preludes and powerful solos, while the guitars remain aggressive and punchy all the way.The biggest suprise comes from the brief but highly original acoustic crescendos of Di Meola, which have their own sound and spark.However the ghost of DREAM THEATER seems to keep haunting Sherinian's composing approach, who's albums have a strong vibe from his past with the milestone US Prog Metal legends.

Sharp, rich and pounding Fusion/Heavy Prog/Metal with huge waves of guitar and keyboard attacks is what ''Black Utopia'' is all about and anyone fond of the more virtuosic side of Prog has find his heaven.Recommended.

Derek is of course keyboard player with Planet X, among others, but while this is a solo album of his it has to be said that it sounds as if it has been recorded by a master guitarist. When looking into the album a bit more closely the reason becomes apparent in that Derek has seen himself as composer, arranger and musical director and has then invited some guests such as Zakk Wylde and Yngwie J Malmsteen (among others) to come in and let rip. While Derek does provide some extremely complex melodies (aided and abetted by a rhythm section of Simon Phillips and Tony Franklin), it is the guitars that are centre stage.

While there are places where the music calms down, and indeed there is room at times for some acoustic guitar, it is where the guitars are at their most ferocious that this album really flies. Derek has brought in guitarists with quite different styles and has used this to great effect. "Axis Of Evil" sees Zakk and Yngwie shredding and trying to outdo each other on a rock song that just blasts. The note density on this album must be phenomenal yet there are few times when it seems over-indulgent. Over the top definitely, but it is music that makes the listener want more, not reach for the off switch. Derek may be a keyboard player but buy this not if you want to hear a Rick Wakeman soundalike but if you want to hear guitarists going for it at top speed.

Originally appeared in Feedback #73, Jun 03