QUANTUM

Another awe-inspiring piece of technical demonstration is Planet X's third studio CD and as with their previous work, the facility and ambition shown is remarkable. Not much new territory is explored on 'Quantum' but on the other hand, in their realm no one comes close to this gladiator of a band, to be feared by all competitors and opponents, abundantly gifted and quietly, carefully taking over the galaxy. A musical phenom that confounds and often bores half the audience it was meant for, all the while leaving most other rock, jazz, metal, prog and fusion groups in the dust. New members Brett Garsed on guitar and bassist Jimmy Johnson are fine additions, Garsed a major talent showing the chops of former member Tony MacAlpine with the taste and restraint of a Steve Hackett. And drummer Virgil Donati, who amazingly composes most of the material, does a fine job leading alongside keyboard whiz Derek Sherinian. The race car 'Alien Hip Hop' cuts tight corners, slowing now and then for a nice guitar solo showing Garsed's finesse and range, Donati's drumlines tempting the Devil with continually altered beats and theatrics. 'Desert Girl' rocks the hard jazz and features Allan Holdsworth, 'Matrix Gate' spits mean chunks, wild polymorphs and great twisted counterpoint. 'The Thinking Stone' keeps the ball rolling with a neat drum/guitar break, 'Space Foam' and 'Poland' are both up to par, and a bit of space in 'Snuff'. The ominous 'Kingdom of Dreams' and explosive 'Quantum Factor' at seven minutes finishes a strong session.

Not really comparable to anyone though sometimes it sounds like the ghost of Gentle Giant has possessed the mind of Mahavishnu and the body of Metallica. I can imagine those who say "If you've heard one Planet X number, you've heard'em all". I can only counter by suggesting if you liked one, you'll love the rest. One of the best releases of 2007.