Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Sherinian, Derek
Label: Inside Out Records
Release: 2009
Length: 39:50
Rating: 3/5
Derek Sherinian is a name that needs no lengthy introduction. These days there are precious few keyboardists on the international scene who enjoy as much recognition and clout as the former member of American prog-metal elite Dream Theater and collaborator of names like Alice Cooper, Billy Idol and Kiss. Ever since Mr. Sherinian launched his own project Planet X in 1999, he’s also found time for records released under his own name.
“Molecular Heinosity” is his sixth consecutive solo album. Pretty much as expected, it brings nothing earth-shattering, let alone innovative, because Sherinian once again sticks to the same tried-and-true recipe from his earlier records, where his prog-metal heritage, the hard-rock influences of his collaborators and a jazz-minded musical discipline all collide through intense guitar shredding, his own ego-trip keyboard exhibitions and cataclysmic bursts of drum fire.
No doubt the reasons why this American virtuoso with well-oiled fingers and a hugely inflated ego sticks to the tested prog-metal formula can also be found in his crew of collaborators, made up of proven hands like guitarist/vocalist Zakk Wylde (Black Label Society, Ozzy Osbourne), British bassist and keyboardist Tony Franklin (Blue Murder, Jimmy Page) and drummers Virgil Donati (Steve Vai, Steve Walsh, etc.) and Brian Tichy (Billy Idol, Foreigner, Glenn Hughes, etc.). Sherinian picks his collaborators much the way a film agent casts actors – he hires proven, hassle-free pros who are used to seasonal work. You can tell the guy is a rocker at heart, so he gives his buddies plenty of room within the individual compositions to show off their own virtuoso chops, but he keeps a watchful eye that they don’t overshadow his keyboard kingdom for even a second. Especially with his favorite Wylde, he grants full sonic parity with the keyboards in the production, and sometimes even the upper hand.
“Molecular Heinosity” is an instrumental album, with the exception of the closing burlesque “So Far Gone”, where an aging Wylde brings his worn-out “Ozzy-wanna-be” vocals. “Antarctica” embodies the typical mix of Sherinian’s neo-classical keyboarding paired with Wylde’s brutal guitar shredding and wild drum eruptions. Sherinian, with his frenzied keyboard assaults, which he has more than obviously caught from greats like Keith Emerson and Jan Hammer, somehow holds up the central melody, which doesn’t evoke a frozen landscape in the slightest. “Ascension” mainly serves to pump up Wylde’s soloing ego against a backdrop of ambient curtains. “Primal Eleven” embodies Sherinian’s Dream Theater legacy, with no shortage of beastly improvisations, neurotic guitar shredding and unexpected rhythmic intervals while everyone proves their virtuoso skills. Most of the keyboard passages here too draw heavily and unabashedly from the prog rock classics. For fans of musical technicalities this track is manna from heaven, while sincere custodians of prog rock relics won’t be anywhere near as thrilled.
“Wings of Insanity” is a track of punchy, almost brutal moves with bristling guitar riffing, double-bass-pedal pounding on the drums and a slew of soloing orgies. It’ll have its four minutes of glory mostly among fans of the heavier side of prog metal. “Frozen Fire” is an almost clichéd hybrid of hard-rock neo-classicism and metal on which Wylde does his level best to impersonate Sherinian’s former collaborator Yngwie Malmsteen. Especially in the solos, the listener often gets the feeling the Swedish guitar egomaniac is in the room, which once again proves Wylde’s greatness as the perfect guitar emulator, but also points to his own stylistic blandness. A total virtuosity party, but pure compositional pathos. “The Lone Spaniard” is cut from similar cloth, except that Sherinian at least tries to bring a pinch of subtlety through calm piano passages, which Wylde’s overbearing soloing wrecks completely. From the title track at least you’d expect more emphasis on structure and memorable melodies, but that’s wishful thinking, since it soon degenerates into a crazed contest of soloing and conquering scales. The aforementioned closer “So Far Gone” is the only composition with a head and tail, but sadly it’ll only win over the most diehard followers of Wylde’s favorite employer, whom he faithfully follows on the vocal front too. Compared with what Ozzy usually puts out these days, it would even be one of his better efforts, since it draws faithfully on elements of doom metal and symphonic stuff.
“Molecular Heinosity” is yet another record that will easily sate all lovers of highly virtuosic instrument abuse, especially insolently fast guitar shredding, but with it the keyboard master of honed fingers hasn’t said a single new thing. You can’t really talk about artistic stagnation either, since Sherinian sticks firmly to the characteristic compositional and performance approaches in which he’s always been at his best and which earned him universal clout. From a strictly technical-musical angle of demonstrating instrumental ability, the album shines in every respect, but it sadly suffers from a chronic lack of expressive depth and subtlety that would effectively hook those music gourmets who also care about atmospheric expression and the musical heart of individual compositions. Sherinian and his crew don’t overdo the academic scale-running and Dream Theater-style soloing ejaculations beyond the bounds of good taste, but their generic fusion of prog metal, neo-classical hard rock and, to a lesser degree, jazz fusion is a far cry from the days when every form of progressive rock was played with heart and soul.
Lineup
Derek Sherinian – keyboards
Zakk Wylde – guitar, vocals (9)
Tony Franklin – bass guitar
Virgil Donati – drums
Brian Tichy – drums, guitar
Production
Deek Sherinian
Tracklist
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
