Derek Sherinian has certainly had an illustrious career, playing with some of the most star- studded bands & musicians over the years, including Dream Theater, Billy Idol, Alice Cooper, KISS, Black Country Communion, Yngwie Malmsteen, Joe Bonamassa, Planet X, Black Label Society, and many others. Armoury Records is now reissuing some of the keyboard wizards early solo albums, each one fantastic in its own right, and this one, Inertia, was released in 2001 on InsideOut Records.
The list of guest artists on any Sherinian solo album is usually an all-star collection of heavyweights from the prog, metal, and fusion worlds, and here on Inertia he assembled guitarists Zakk Wylde (Black Label Society/Ozzy) & Steve Lukather (Toto), violinist Jerry Goodman (Mahavishnu Orchestra/Dixie Dregs), drummer Simon Phillips, and bassists Tony Franklin (The Firm, Blue Murder), Tom Kennedy, and Jimmy Johnson (Allan Holdsworth, Planet X). Most of the material here fluctuates between bone crunching metal with a prog touch, and tasty jazz-fusion, and he's got Wylde for the former and Lukather to help out on the latter. Some of the highlights include the warm, melodic take on the Charles Mingus classic "Goodbye Porkpie Hat" (with some superb Lukather lead guitar), a raging, metallic version of Edgar Winter's "Frankenstein" featuring a lethal Wylde, the supersonic fusion romp "Astroglide", complete with soaring Goodman violin flights & wild Sherinian synth blasts, and a completely crushing "Mata Hari", with Wylde laying down massive riffs and scorching solos, of which Derek keeps up with every step of the way. Zakk & Steve both show up together on the emotional "What a Shame", a dark, atmospheric metal/fusion burner complete with some searing solos. Throughout the whole album, Phillips gives his always superhuman performance, proving once again why he is one of the most respected drummers on the planet. And Sherinian, well, he's just a jack of all trades, delivering shredding synth & Hammond organ solos with plenty of chops and flash, but also in spots churning out gentle, melodic piano melodies that show off his jazzier sensibilities.
Inertia really holds up well, now 13 years since its initial release. If you want to explain to someone what Derek Sherinian is all about, just let them hear "Inertia" or "Rhapsody in Black" and they'll instantly get his whole passion for metallic, proggy jazz-fusion, steeped in melody but with plenty of scary chops. This is a great introduction to this master keyboard player, and if you didn't scoop this one up back in 2001, now's your chance.
Track Listing
1 Inertia 4:21
2 Frankenstein 3:31
3 Mata Hari 6:21
4 Evel Knievel 3:17
5 La Pera Loca 5:06
6 Goodbye Porkpie Hat 6:24
7 Astroglide 4:36
8 What a Shame 5:01
9 Rhapsody Intro 1:41
10 Rhapsody in Black 6:40
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