Derek Sherinian
Molecular Heinosity SPV

by Matthew Hoffman
Staff Writer

Comments: Derek Sherinian's (Kiss, Billy Idol, Alice Cooper, Dream Theatre) latest effort, his sixth solo CD is entitled Molecular Heinosity and is more of the same quality material progressive metal fans have come to expect from the keyboard maestro. This CD is a follow-up the successful 2006 album Blood of the Snake where Sherinian brought in Yngwie Malmsteen among others.

The cast of characters includes the crazy Zakk Wylde (Black Label Society, Ozzy Osbourne) and Rusty Cooley on axe, Tony Franklin (Whitesnake, Blue Murder, and Jimmy Page) on fretless bass guitar and Brian Tichy (Foreigner, Billy Idol) on the drum set

Sherinian has become the standard bearer of the keyboard solo artist which includes sees the exceptionally talented likes of Jordan Rudess (Dream Theatre, David Bowie) and Vitalij Kuprij (Artension, Ring of Fire).

He states "I hand pick the musicians for the albums like a casting agent picks actors for a movie." In this facet Derek Sherinian not only brings in the best of the best but he writes the music for these extremely talented individuals and then allows them to emotionally expand upon the songs, showcasing the artists unique styles with his own.

A perfect example is the fifth song on this new CD entitled "Frozen by Fire," here he uses axe shredder Rusty Cooley's Mach 12 note barrages combined with his own insane keyboard soloing to create a symphony that should only be played within the walls of Progressive Metal Heaven.

On the ninth cut "So Far gone" when he allows the massive style of Zakk Wylde to sledgehammer riffs and leads like a maniac. He also uses the vocal prowess of the Black Label Society front man to maximum effect on this powerful track.

Sherinian uses the best of people's abilities letting them soar while always directing the pieces into a tight clean mixture.

He also avoids making the mistake of over using a guest artist like many solo artists often do.

Molecular Heinosity is a wonderful CD that mixes heavy metal elements with progressive metal formats in a unique way. This is aan early candidate for album of the year for 2009.

It obviously is highly recommended for purchase!

Band Members:
Derek Sherinian- Keyboards
Zakk Wylde - Vocals, Guitar
Tony Franklin- Fretless Bass
Jimmy Johnson - Bass
Virgil Donati- Drums
Brian Tichy- Drums, Guitar
Rob Mules- Bass
Tina Guo- Cello
Taka Minamono- Guitar
Brett Garsed- Guitar

Track Listing:
1. Antarctica
2. Ascension
3. Primal Eleven
4. Wings Of Insanity
5. Frozen By Fire
6. The Lone Spaniard
7. Molecular Intro
8. Molecular Heinosity
9. So Far Gone

Hardrock Haven rating: 8.3/10