Planet X Columbia MD

Planet X

Derek Sherinian

Magna Carta Records, 1999

REVIEW BY: Christopher Thelen

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 07/22/1999

What is the more proper description for Planet X? Is it the first solo album from Derek Sherinian,the former keyboardist for (among other bands) Dream Theater? Or isit the first album from a new group led by Sherinian?

If it's the latter, there's no doubt that the keyboard virtuosohas logged enough time as a sideman (counting among his creditsAlice Cooper and - for a short stint - Kiss) to qualify for leadinghis own group. And judging the way he allows other instruments totake the lead, instead of hogging the limelight as he would haveevery right to do, this feels like more of a new band's birth criesthan the first confident step alone in the musical world.

But for all this, there is something that Planet X is missing: one voice leading the way. Withoutthis, the journey hits a few bumps along a mostly enjoyableroad.

For this project (which, if memory serves me correctly,Sherinian was working on while still officially a member of DreamTheater), guitarist Brett Garsed, bassist Tony Franklin and drummerVirgil Donati augment the group, and each member brings along moretalent than one could imagine. The interplay between Garsed andSherinian is incredible; there are times I honestly couldn't tellwhich one of them was handling the lead. Donati's trap work issimply magnificent, while Franklin's bass lines (which occasionallyget the chance to step out into the spotlight) act as an anchordrawing all the music together.