MOLECULAR HEINOSITY

One of the better heavy albums I've heard as of late(the other being from Iranian/Canadian guitarist AGAH BAHARI...which does feature Derek Sherinian and not yet listed on progarchives.com...Google AGAH BAHARI). Anyway...wow! What an opener on this CD in the metal/jazz _Antarctica/Ascension/Primal Eleven_. It's an insane tighly crafted masterpiece reminding one of the heavier parts on Gongzilla's SUFFER(without the vibraphones, of course). Dark and ominous - a 15 minute masterpiece. After this one though, the album takes a bit of u-turn with the Zakk Wylde guitar tracks on _Wings Of Insanity_(Zakk Wylde - a very talented guitarist, but not my cup of tea most of the time). _Frozen By Fire_ and _The Lone Spaniard_ are standard PLANET X-like instrumentals. Very good. The other minor masterpiece here is the title track _Molecular Heinosity_. Derek describes this one as a Yngwie Malmstein/Meshuggah inspired track. Hard to argue that, but you might want to throw in some Jon Lord too! Just amazing...turn it up to 11. The album concludes with _So Far Gone_. A great vocal track done by Zakk Wylde meets Planet X/Stone Temple Pilots, reminding me that perhaps Derek Sherinian and Zakk Wylde should record an entire album of this kind of material to covert the masses. A solid 4 stars.

Heavy, dark and interesting.

Once again key-wizard Derek Sherinian has managed to churn out an album of excellent instrumental music with a couple of twists and turns. This time the jazz elements are a little bit more shrouded by the more metal side of things, but the ratio of metal to jazz is actually one of the album's strongest points. Combine that with tight playing, some wicked solos, memorable riffs and all around excellent composition and you get quite an album. One may think that this is going to sound exactly like the last Sherinian projects, or maybe even exactly like the Planet X albums, but that is far from the truth. Put to even a direct comparison this album is not simply ''more of the same,'' it's a fresh spin on the writing style of an emerging Jazz/Metal Fusion master.

Sherinian always uses a multitude of guests, and this album is no exception. Zakk Wylde is back once again, laying his heavy hands back on the strings to turn out some of the heaviest riffs imaginable, and also to give voice to the final track. There are some who don't give the man a lot of respect these days, but when you hear him in the context of this album you'll see why Sherinian uses him time and time again. Also appearing on the album is Planet X counterpart, Virgil Donati, (which is probably why talks to reunite that band have sprung up) who does a killer job of keeping time, as one can imagine. Many other credits have to be given, but one of the most notable is the collaboration with guitar player Rusty Cooley that produces the excellently heavy and frantic Frozen By Fire, which could very well have been used as a single, where that the purpose of the music on the record.

As said before, one of the best parts about the album is just how heavy it is. If you had a tough time getting into the Planet X albums because they were too light at the core of their songwriting, then this is the album for you. Right off the bat with Antarctica a chugging riff from Zakk Wylde lets you know that this is not going to be any kind of joyride. The song punches along for a moment before bursting into full speed. This tune is linked with the next two in a kind of suite thanks to the brief Ascension that acts as an intro to the lengthy Primal Eleven. The next group of songs are all a bit shorter, but perhaps more memorable than the openers - the fury of Wings Of Insanity with its blistering guitar solos and riff that just won't give up, the previously mentioned Frozen By Fire, another song with a killer set of guitar and keyboard wizardry. The album only comes to a brief slowness to allow the mournful The Lone Spaniard to play out before it takes off again at full speed with the title cut, Molecular Heinosity. Wrap it all up with the only song on the album with vocals in the form of So Far Gone and you've got yourself a very memorable disc. The final track is actually a very welcome addition, it breaks up the monotony of simply having an all instrumental disc, without breaking the momentum that the other tracks build up.

The cover art and production are another nice thing to note. While the art really nothing to do with the music the molecular construction of skulls is quite an appealing way to start your time with the album, and it really sets up well for how the album is going to sound. The production, as can be expected, is top notch and helps to add to the imminent darkness of the album.

If you've held off on Sherinian's solo work or have never made the effort to hear anything he's done since Dream Theater then now would be a good time to start. This is an excellent disc that deserves repeated listens. If you want to hear virtuosic playing toned down to a level of listenability for us 'mere mortals' put to some of the heaviest riffs you've ever heard then give this one a shot. 4 stars for a killer album.

Derek Sherinian was kicked out of Dream Theater? Their loss. This album to me is bettar than any Dream Theater release.

On this release, Sherinian plays with different guitarists throughout the album, all formidable shredders. Zakk Wylde gets a mention on the outer sleeve of the disk, and while is does a great job on his two tracks, he is outshined by the other three guitarists. Sherinian burns up the keyboards himself, playing with more emotion than you can usually hear squeezed out of synthesizers, easily blending in with the raging guitars.

My favorites here are the opening trilogy, Antarctica, Ascension, and Primal Eleven, where guitarist Brett Guarsed sounds like a heavy metal Allan Holdsworth, and the title track, Molecular Heinosity, a track worthy of its name.

As an album i would rate this one 3.5/5, most of the songs here are really top notch but what lets this one down is the fact that this feels like an album of leftovers or more like an EP and less like a cohesive unit start to finish. The first three tracks are just amazing, they feel like tracks kept out of planet x's quantum because they we too "happy", as usual brett garsed shines here like a diamond would, using is skills to deliver the most amazing crunchy riffs and liquid-fluid solos. Next goes Wings Of Insanity displaying zakk wylde style, that means heavy riffing, amazing screaming harmonics and hugely wide vibrato, a very nice track. Frozen By Fire is the most vulgar track here, it's ok but it doesnt really sound original or overly exciting. The three tracks in wich Taka Minamono plays are nice and make a cool combination between derek's ambient sounds and Taka's yngwie-clone style, again nothing really original but pretty good quality-wise. The album finishes with the pretty dreadful So Far Gone in wih zakk displays his terrible singing.

1. Antarctica (5:26) 5* 2. Ascension (2:14) 5* 3. Primal Eleven (7:56) 5* 4. Wings Of Insanity (3:50) 4.5* 5. Frozen By Fire (5:21) 3.5* 6. The Lone Spaniard (3:08) 4* 7. Molecular Intro (1:03) 4* 8. Molecular Heinosity (3:28) 4* 9. So Far Gone (7:24) 2.5*

Excellent addition to any guitar lover... and yes, it's a keyboard solo project...!!!

Derek Sherinian has been doing maybe more than what it needs since he was kicked off from Dream Theater. His goal is very evident: making the wildest music he can bring out to prove he was on the level of the top musicians of our time. Well, with his 6 solo albums and his 3 Planet X albums he shows us that he wants to be heard and this album is not the exception. A complete legion of wonderful musicians joined him in his most recent work.

The first three songs seem to be a Planet X introduction. The great and underrated drum player Virgil Donati rejoined with guitarrist Brett Garsed and brings out three complex, dynamic, heavy songs with a lot of soloing going on. The jazz fusion elements and groove parts leads to a great mood in the overall. But from the song 4 it really starts, the metal thing. The heavy riffing is courtesy from the master Zack Wilde who really reigns in the songs he is involved. It's and avalanche of solos and unisons from keys and guitars. Just great. Frozen by Fire is maybe the most catchy and heavy song at the same time. The songs flow very well from one to another. There's a piano ballad to relax a little bit the mood of the album and then becomes the main song of the album Molecular Heinosity, a great track, entertaining, acrobatic, moody. The last song is a very dark one, even singed by Wilde with his trademark dramatic and very metal voice.

This album is for those who enjoy metal and instrumental music in the style of Planet X or Liquid Tension Experiment. The difference with the latter is that this album has a better taste in songwriting and less soloing and improvisation, but, don't be wrong, there's a lot of show off hear... it's just that is very tasty and focus. The solos works for the songs and everything sound quite well together. The production is great and the cover, well, Sherinian has a lot with the purple tonalities, all his albums are like that. The material is short, not more than 40 minutes, which is OK for and instrumental album. I'm still waiting for an album from him with complete songwriting, I mean, instrumental albums are great but it would be nice to have lyrics on it and maybe he will gain the respect as a complete songwriter.

Don't ignore this album, this is one of the best musicians in the last decade, very prolific and quite underrated. I know anyone who enjoys metal and jazz fusion can appreciate this kind of work. 4 stars... it's and excellent addition to any album collection.

This might be the best thing Derek has created so far. I love how heavy this album is, absolutely killer ! As usual he has many guests helping out including some of the usual suspects (haha). For a keyboardist he sure doesn't dominate the sound,quite the contrary actually, and that I appreciate.

The first three tracks are a trilogy much in the PLANET X style, in fact the lineup for these three tunes is the same one that is featured on PLANET X's "Quantum" album. Garsed on guitar, Donati on drums and Johnson on bass along with Sherinian of course. "Antarctica" opens with spacey synths as outbursts of heaviness come and go until it kicks in before a minute. Each time it kicks in it sounds like the band ONE SHOT. Nice. Check out the guitar before 3 minutes then later at 4 minutes. It ends with synths washing in as it blends into "Ascension". The guitar from Garsen is crying out. It blends into "Primal Eleven" where drums join in and build. It gets heavy before 2 minutes and I love the synths that follow. It settles before 3 1/2 minutes as the guitar solos. Riffs 5 minutes in then those synths I like are back after 6 1/2 minutes.

"Wings Of Insanity" features Zakk Wylde on guitar, Brian Tichy on drums and Rob Mules on bass. Derek mentions in the liner notes that he thinks this is probably the "sickest" drum track Brian has recorded to date. It's dark to open as the guitar comes in. It picks up before a minute. Kicking ass ! The guitar is ripping it up. Great track. "Frozen By Fire" has Mules and Tichy back once again but this time Rusty Cooley is on guitar. How good does this sound ! A heavy beat as the guitar solos over top with synths from Sherinian washing in and out. Cooley is on fire after 4 1/2 minutes. "The Lone Spaniard" features a new guitarist in Taka Minamono who Derek gushes about for good reason. Tony Franklin on Fretless bass and Tina Guo on cello. This was an unfinished piece from the previous album "Blood Of The Snake" .Originally written for Yngwie's guitar Taka takes the role with some blistering and fast solos. Piano to open before the guitar joins in tastefully before becoming intense.

"Molecular Intro" is Derek by himself with synths making experimental sounds. "Molecular Heinosity" has Taka back on guitar along with Mules and Tichy. Derek says this song is very Swedish in that the inspirations for it are from Yngwie and MESHUGGAH. Heavy drums as the guitar comes in on fire after a minute. The tempo picks up. "So Far Gone" is unusual in that there are vocals. Zakk sings and he sounds like a cross between Ozzy and the late Slaney from ALICE IN CHAINS. Tina is back on cello with Tichy on drums and Franklin on bass. This is haunting with church bells and lot of atmosphere. It's spooky as Zakk comes in vocally. It's building. Here we go ! Contrasts continue. Cello after 2 minutes. An all out assault 3 1/2 minutes in. More cello 5 1/2 minutes in and 7 minutes in. In the liner notes Derek says he gets goosebumps eveytime he hears this one. Amazing track.

A must for Metal fans out there.4.5 stars.

His lates album to date Molecular heinosity is an super fusion album, very profesional in sound with some fantastic arrangements. Line up as always top notch, omni present Zakk is here again doing the best guitar parts since his working with Sherinian. Sherininan's keys has the most jazz fusion sound since Planet X Moon babies, to my ears very catchy and interluded perfectly with the rest of the instruments. Very complex album, never seams this way at first listening but after a 3-4 spins you get the idea what is going one, the passages, the more fusion ones are almost perfect, extremly tight arrangements, very well developed with some fantastic parts. Zakk appear on So Far Gone with vocals who sounds to me like a cross between Alice in Chains with Ozzy, very catchy voice that fits perfect in this context. 4 stars to this album, among his best releases together with Mythology.