This Derek Sherinian disc is just getting the reissue treatment. It’s one that, for one reason or another, didn’t get covered first time around at Music Street Journal. So, that makes this the perfect opportunity to get this reviewed. It’s a killer set, but then again, all Sherinian albums are. It runs from metallic sounds to fusion and progressive rock, but mostly lands in the prog zone. Sherinian has assembled quite a cast of musicians here including: Zakk Wylde, Steve Stevens, Allan Holdsworth, Steve Lukater, Tony Franklin, Marco Mendoza, Jerry Goodman and Simon Phillips. This comes highly recommended.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2014  Volume 2 at lulu.com/strangesound.

The keyboard sound that starts this could be described as “mean.” As the rest of the musicians join this pounds out into a jam that combines a modern metal approach with something like a proggy version of Deep Purple. It’s a screamer that’s very classy. After the three minute mark it slows down and gets mellower. Yet, it’s still mean and heavy in a lot of ways. We’re taken into some great melodic explorations as this continues. There are hints of world music and symphonic elements that are brought into the mix. Then around the five minute mark everything but the guitar drops away and we’re taken into thrash territory. That gets shifted more towards fusion, but keeps on screaming, from there. It keeps shifting and changing as it continues. There is a nearly full-on metal section further down the musical road, but then the keyboards bring more of that Deep Purple reference. Then it gets into fusion-like territory again.

A real change, this is a very Black Sabbath / Black Label Society kind of song. It’s got vocals and is a real metal stomper. Of course, given that the song was co-written by Zakk Wylde who provides the vocals, that BLS comparison makes perfect sense.