DEREK SHERINIAN

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.

Do you like Jeff Beck's fusion albums like "Blow By Blow" and "Wired"? How about Jan Hammer, particularly The Jan Hammer Group's album "Oh Yeah?". Well, you're going to love this. This album has ex-Dream Theater keyboardist Derek Sherinian channeling the feel and style of those albums, with a little added heaviness in the guitars, and a few other keyboard sounds not heard from those great 70s albums.

Derek's style has always been a little jazzy, and on previous solo albums, and the albums by his main band Planet X, are a nice mix of jazz, jazz-fusion, and progressive metal. At times he'll even let loose and go completely post-bop amidst the prog-metal. On "Oceana", the jazz and fusion style is pushed to the foreground, leaving only traces of his famous brand of prog-metal. Lots of funky bass, excellent fusion drumming, and with guitarists Tony MacAlpine and Steve Lukather, you know you're going to get some real jazz-fusion guitar ala Scott Henderson; mixed with some heavy riffs here and there.

Seriously, if you are familiar with Planet X or Derek's solo stuff, but wished he'd do a real jazz-fusion album, this is it. Every track here is high quality modern fusion, with great soulful guitar, nice keyboard sounds and solos, but also fast technical stuff that occasionally reminds me of fusion bands like Tribal Tech, Jan Hammer Group, or Return To Forever. Add a little heaviness from the guitars (and keys), and you have a modern fusion classic.

Into a watery Eden...

For me this was one of the more pleasant surprise of 2011. I can't say I was expecting much having spent the last two years trying and failing to appreciate Molecular Heinosity, but several key changes make Oceana not only a more enjoyable experience, but also one of Sherinian's best works to date.

The Good: Firstly, his keyboards are more prominent and don't just sit behind the guitars like in recent outings. This recalls a style more similar to his debut solo release, Planet X. And then there's the lineup. With contributions from Tony Macalpine, Steve Lukather, Steve Stevens, Doug Aldrich and BCC band-mate Joe Bonamassa, its not hard to see which direction Sherinian wanted to take with this record.

Gone are the endless, sterile solos and metal clichés, in place we have killer hooks, engaging fusion exploration, and more than a hint of blues rock. Prolific session musician Simon Philips returns with another excellent, yet understated contribution as drummer and co-writer. The third appealing aspect of this release is it's total lack of vocals, something that has been 'missing' from Sherinian's recent solo output.

The Bad: Oceana is a very consistent album with nine great compositions. It has certainly become a regular feature amongst my playlists. But considering it from a 'prog' angle I find it to be a bit too predictable with rigid song structure and a 'less than smooth' transition between musical passages.

The Verdict: One of the strongest instrumental releases of 2011.

Audiophilicity...

Derek Sherinian's sixth solo album is heavily rooted in progressive metal, a noticeable departure from its fusion laced predecessor, Blood of the Snake. This might be preferable to some, but I find the lack of diversity to be a step backwards. As usual, some extremely talented musicians are on display including Planet X band-mate Virgil Donati on drums for the first time since their 1999 album of the same name.

The album starts off promisingly and it's not long before the soaring guitar of Ascension leads into the main event, Primal Eleven. It's a really great track, but sadly a sole highlight for Molecular Heinosity. After that it's pretty much every man for himself, a race to the finish in a flurry of Malmsteen-esque licks. It's quite exhilarating at times, but interesting? Not so much. Even the change of pace that The Lone Spaniard brings is far from inspiring.

I would like to say that the album's redeeming feature is it's lack of vocals, but alas, the final track also heralds the return of Zack Wilde sneezing into the microphone. It's clear from the reviews and ratings that Molecular Heinosity has received that it's generally considered amongst Sherinian's best, but for me it's his least commendable work to date.

The Verdict: A decent shred-fest with only one track that really stands out.

Right of the bat I must say that this is one of the strongest releases in 2011, it grabbed with the first listen. Derek proves that he is a real keyboard master and the guitar playing from Steve Lukather, Tony Macalpine and Joe Bonamassa is nothing but incredible. The bass playing is really livid and groovy on the album as well, the rhythm section does an outstanding job on the overall.

The compositions are fantastic in and of themselves too, they have a strong early Jeff Beck feel to them - fusiony yet very groovy. The music is not too focused on being prog, but the prog is all over the place - and it is done remarkably well. The songs are light, there's not much of a nod to metal at all on the album - but they are really energetic and pack a punch.

The only complaint of mine would be that there's too little keyboard spotlight on the album. But it doesn't diminish the listening enjoyment at all. The album has an overall energetic and light feel compared to some of his other work, and it's a truly fantastic release. Everyone should get it.

Best songs: Five Elements, Ghost Runner, El Camino Diablo, Oceana

here we have new Sherinian,Last few ds have been metal without hardly any keybords. This one is prog-jazz-fusion disc,What an monster it is lukather is on this one all time guitar gods. Compositions are top notch,This makes you like whole cd.Not shred fest thru whole cd which gets boring rather fast,Instead you get top notch fusion with lushious keybord passages.

This is the best solo cd he done outside of planet x hands down top pieces are

1)Euphoria 2)Ghost Runner 3)El Camino Diablo 4)Seven Sins 5)Oceana

One best prog-fusion cds of 2011 with high 4 stars,Since there are few songs that are not masterpiece wothy.Bumping it down an star overall must buy cd,Not same old metal shredfest thru his past solo cds.That has top notch guitar players instead you get fusion masterpiece to not be missed.

4 Stars essential Must Buy!!!

I was expecting for a work like this from DS.

I cant deny Derek Sherinian is a very good talented musician.

A really tasteful to listen his keyboards playing.

What I really miss in the other albums was the talent in compose .

In other albums too much prog metal jazz guitar riffs .

Songs were in an instrumental prog metal basis with not enough keyboards in my opinion.

Also the compositions were average....no inspiration...quite monotonous ...same line...nothing very good to expect.

In this album :good compositions,talented compositions...in a more jazz prog fusion line than in the prog metal line.

5 stars songs: 5 Elements,Mulholland,Euphoria,Seven Sins,Oceana .

So is very good news this DS album.

4 stars

Post-op Sherinigans...

The first collaboration between Derek Sherinian and Virgil Donati which then went on to form the instrumental supergroup of the same name.

The Good: Sherinian is both a fantastic keyboardist and composer and whilst this debut solo release still contains his signature sound, it is certainly not just a rehash of his earlier work with Dream Theater. It could be classified as progressive metal, but for me it is a much more fusion-orientated recording with noticeable heavier elements. Donati's drumming also provides a perfect blend of furious rhythms and interesting grooves. Whilst I am a huge fan of fully instrumental albums, the lack of binding vocal sections means that character and atmosphere are just as important as technicality and intricacy in order to hold the listeners attention. Luckily Planet X has this in buckets and remains my favourite in what is now a long list of releases and collaborations.

The Bad: The production isn't as polished as his later works.

The Verdict: Synthsational.

Knitted by nanas...

Derek Sherinian is joined by an all-star cast for his third solo release. As well as previous collaborators Simon Phillips, Steve Luthaker, Jerry Goodman and Zack Wylde this album also features contributions from Billy Sheehan, Brian Tichy, Yngwie Malmsteen and Al Di Meola.

The Good: Sherinian moves even further away from fusion for this shredalicious, strictly metal affair. The standard of composition is high, the musicianship higher, and the album remains interesting and engaging throughout. Whilst it is one of his heavier releases, it also has some lighter moments in the form of Satriani-esque Stony Days and Sweet Lament. However for me the main events are the cover of Jeff Becks' Starcycle, and a nylon-string Al Di Meola solo on The Sons of Anu, which segues into a heavy riffing section and blows me away every time.

The Bad: Whilst I respect Malmsteen as a technically gifted guitarist I also find his particular brand of playing to be a bit boring. The guitars in general do also have a tendancy to overpower the keyboard parts in the mix which is shame, especially considering this is, by definition, a keyboardist's solo album.

The Verdict: Strong from start to finish.

Heavy metal jazz!

Derek Sherinian is well known. That's really all I should say, because he has been involved in countless acts, crossing genre lines time and time again to be involved is prog metal, heavy metal, glam metal, jazz, funk rock, and countless other genres. He has worked with KISS, Alice Cooper, and of course, Dream Theater. After his departure from Dream Theater, he began a prolific solo career, in which he has so far released six studio albums as well as numerous other albums in his collaborations with other musicians. Blood of the Snake is Sherinian's fifth studio album and his most obvious heavy metal inspired release. Although most of his releases have an obvious metal tinge, he primarily releases jazz-based albums. This album, however, is primarily a heavy, ass-kicking, brutal experience, with some fantastic jazzy dynamics thrown in for good measure. This album is certainly my favorite Sherinian album, and it certainly shows his great capability as a band leader.

The entire album is a rollercoaster joy ride that takes you up into the sweeping grandeur of the Monster Lead, down into the mellow pits of melodic breakdowns, and through the funky spits of Sherinain's jazzy roots. Through crushing prog metal tracks like Czar of Steel (in which we hear John Petrucci shredding away at the frets) and brutal heavy metal tracks like Man with No Name (in which Zakk Wylde takes no trouble in ripping apart your ear lobes with intense riffing and soloing), to funky jazz fusion rides like Phantom Shuffle and mellow melodic melancholy relaxing passages of bliss like On the Moon, Sherinian has no trouble in laying down the dynamics for this album. As a composer, he shows his genius with fantastic contrasts and harmonies and as a band leader he shows his genius with his fantastic control over the parts and the genius of the arrangements. On top of this, the keyboardist himself shows incredible talent, ripping away at his keys like there's no tomorrow. Obviously as a heavy metal keyboardist he is no stranger to the shred, and he utilizes this skill very well throughout the compositions, on top of his more tender and careful work on the keyboard. This album is certainly one of the more diverse metal albums I've heard in a while, and it's certainly not a bad one!

Although some of the intense riffing and shred soloing can get a little dry by the end of the album, there is no doubt that this album is a superb effort by this man. Ending with the lighthearted carefree cover of Mugo Jerry's classic track In the Summertime, these guys certainly have little worry that their work will go far. They certainly were right. A collection of 10 top notch compositions, Blood of the Snake is certainly a classic heavy metal/jazz fusion album by Mr. Sherinian. Filled with numerous memorable moments, metallic and melodic, intense and placid, and a huge sundry of other feels, themes, and genres, the album presents one of the more varied displays of music seen recently. In the end, this album is simply fantastic, and is recommended to most fans of jazz rock and heavy metal. 4+ stars.