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I admit I feel really
stupid writing this. First of all, this album has already been out there
for a while, and almost everyone with at least a few functional neurons
has already bought, borrowed or stolen a copy. Secondly, and perhaps
more importantly, what can I really say that hasn’t already been said
before?
Derek Sherinian needs no introduction. The guy can and has rocked with
everyone from Alice Cooper to Dream Theater. A few years ago, he
released an album called Black Utopia that in a semi-reasonable world
would have been a commercial smash hit. Of course, it remained a
relatively obscure gem that showcased stellar performances from an
all-star team of players, including the ass rippin rhythm section of
Tony Franklin and Simon Phillips plus the fretboard juju of Zakk Wilde,
Yngwie Malmsteen, Al Dimeola and Steve Lukather.
Even more amazing was the fact Sherinian delivered what I thought was
the best heavy fusion guitar album I’d ever heard. That’s right folks,
Sherinian, a keyboardist, demonstrated enough compositional plumage to,
in the words of JB “turn your brain into shit” by churning out a
collection of songs perfectly crafted to showcase every guest guitarist;
a truly timeless cream dream for anyone who likes metal and fusion
guitar.
If you think this is no big deal, perhaps it’s time to extract your head
out of your ass and rejoin the world of those with a penchant for
oxygen.
At any rate, he followed “Black Utopia” with an album every bit as tasty
called “Mythology”, and once again, it featured all the usual Sherinian
suspects with the addition of Mr. Metal Fatigue himself, Allan
Holdsworth, in place of Al Dimeola. “Mythology” is one of the best
modern fusion albums ever made.
So, in an effort to right this wrong, I think it’s about time we tip our
hats to that album as well. If you haven’t heard “Mythology”, just go
out and buy it. Hell, buy a few and hand them out to people in the
subway who seem lonely and in distress. It’s fucking Christmas and you
know what that means: Heavy drinking, over-eating, and casual sex with
farm animals. Better yet, it means it’s time to shop, shop, shop, and
purge the guilt of a long year of guilty excesses.
And while you’re out there, chugging eggnog and getting frisky with the
baby sitter under the mistletoe, order a few copies of Blood Of The
Snake, because believe it or not, it’s even better than “Black Utopia”
and “Mythology”. I would think that’d be enough to convince you, but
here’s an extra incentive: if you buy a T-shirt you get the CD for free.
Don’t believe me, surf over to Derek’s webite, right here:
http://www.dereksherinian.com/index.htm
I only have two
problems with this album. The first is that, after Black Utopia, it’s
impossible to ever be so pleasantly surprised again. This is not meant
to imply I expected Derek’s new album to suck, only to be blown away by
how great it was. It’s just that he’s set the bar so high, I just marvel
at the way he keeps inching it upwards, even if there are no more
compositional quantum leaps.
My second problem is that while almost every song shows impeccable
taste, attention to detail, and just true joy and love of music, the
album closer is a stinker. I mean, it’s OK. It would have been good for
a laugh on a Billy Idol album, but it’s just terribly out of place here.
Think about it: You buy the record, get comfy after work with beers in
hand, throw the headphones on and let it sink in. The journey begins
with the awesome “Czar Of Steel” (featuring the amazing John Petrucci),
and is followed by Zakk Wylde chugging out crunchy eight-note power
chords on B and doing an awesome impression of a younger, less-medicated
Ozzy during the Sabbath-tinged rocker “Man with No Name”. You’ll get
pummeled by the title track where Wylde, Sherinian and Malmsteen trade
solos guaranteed to give you a chubby, even if you’re a girl; you’ll be
further assaulted by the skull-crushing, asphyxiating “Monsoon”, given a
breather with the Arabic (harmonic minoresque) “Prelude to Battle” only
to then take the knock-out punch of Malmsteen unleashed during a song
quite obviously penned for him called “Viking Massacre”. And after all
that glorious ride, you get a fucking Mungo Jerry cover of “In the
Summertime”???? That’s just not right.
I feel like a jackass criticizing a track that as a stand alone single
would have been good. Billy Idol is a great singer and front man and the
whole track has a positive, fun vibe. But come on! As a closer for what
is otherwise a masterpiece of heavy fusion? I’m sorry, but it blows dog.
However, even in this regard Sherinian shows once again his great taste.
It is, after all, the last track on the album; it does not interrupt the
flow of all the other music, so if you don’t like that cover tune at the
end, just hit stop after Viking Massacre and you’ll be fine.
This is another no-brainer. I see no reason this album shouldn’t be an
obligatory addition to any sane music collection. I just hope Sherinian
will one day get the recognition his work truly deserves, and if having
Slash and Billy Idol on the album doing that piece helps shift more
copies, more power to him. I hope they get some FM airplay out of it
too, just to get Sherinian’s name out there.
You can score this however you like, but anything less than 9.5 would be
stupid.
Rating: 9.5 (out of 10)
Reviewer: Luis Nasser
: : Visit the Artist’s Website : :
: : Discography : :
1999 - Planet X
2001 - Inertia
2003 - Black Utopia
2004 - Mythology
2006 - Blood Of The Snake |
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