| Vortex | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 1, 2022 | |||
| Genre | Instrumental rock, progressive rock, progressive metal | |||
| Length | 46:46 | |||
| Label | Inside Out Music | |||
| Producer | Derek Sherinian, Simon Phillips | |||
| Derek Sherinian chronology | ||||
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Vortex is the ninth studio album by keyboardist Derek Sherinian, released on 1 July 2022. [1]
Vortex has been critically well received. Dan McHugh gave the album a rating of nine out of ten and stated that it 'is crammed to the rafters with confidence and innovation that shines through on every track'. [2] Kevin McCallum gave the album a rating of seven out of ten and stated that it 'is a good release' containing 'top level musicianship'. [3] Luca Zakk gave the album a rating of ten out of ten and stated that it 'overwhelms mercilessly'. [4] Zakk stated that the first track, The Vortex (featuring Steve Stevens), 'takes your breath away'. [4] He described the second track, Fire Horse, as explosive 'with funky and proggy digressions'. [4] Zakk stated that the third track, Scorpion, contained 'a melodic and rhythmic construction between prog and jazz, with a dizzying chase between piano, bass and drums'. [4] Zakk described the fourth track, Seven Seas, as 'dreamy' and the fifth track, Key Lime Blues, as 'funky'. [4] A reviewer for OltreRock stated that the songs on the album are 'all compelling, never banal, with very different atmospheres, each musician takes us to an alternative dimension with the impression of a journey into a castle of music with many different rooms'. [5]
Bernard Law stated that the album 'is a very strong album, possibly one of Derek's best'. [6] Law commented that 'typically for Derek, the album portrays an enterprising changeable sound that sees him blending rock with elements drawn from funk, progressive rock, and jazz, resulting in a great big slab of an album steeped in 1970's styled fusion'. [6] In Law's view, the music on the album 'is always lively and shifting, multi-voiced and emphatic'. [6] Nonetheless, Law opined that 'for all the album's vicissitudinous...it has a palpable cohesiveness'. [6] According to Law, 'the genres are not domineering but serve a purpose'. [6] Law noted that Scorpion 'is probably as near to jazz as the album gets, a tune full of piano-driven momentum while Key Lime Blues is a funkier danceable tune that moves and shifts'. [6] Law described the opening title track as 'dramatic and portentous' and 'the expansive colourful closer Aurora Australis as 'the closest the tunes come to an epic'. [6] In his review of the album, Doc Rock stated that 'it rocks, it progs and even the blues find their way into the track list'. [7] Doc Rock commented that 'just as Mr. Sherinian sometimes takes centre stage (e.g. on Scorpion), he can also let other musicians and their instruments take precedence'. [7] Doc Rock concluded of the album that 'overall I think it's a strong disc and for being a purely instrumental work, the material comes across as varied and entertaining'. [7]
In his review of the album, Matthias Mineur stated that it contains 'hardly a melody that doesn't whistle around the listener's ears at breathtaking speed, hardly a groove, a time signature in which little gimmicks or highly complex breaks weren't implanted'. [8] Mineur continued that 'all of this would be hard to digest if Sherinian didn't once again celebrate a compositionally astonishingly light-footed mixture of metal, rock, fusion, jazz and blues'. [8] Mineur concluded that 'that's why you can enjoy this disc (almost) continuously, even if it's completely without vocals'. [8] Peter Hollecker described the album as an 'instrumental album with many funk and fusion moments as well as famous guests'. [9] Andreas Schiffmann stated that 'Derek Sherinian's current alliance with guitarists he knows and respects is a stroke of luck for fans of sophisticated but informal instrumental music'. [10]
Bryce Van Patten gave the album a 10 out of 10 rating and stated that it 'has exciting tracks, groovy tracks, wild jazzy tracks, and a whole lot more'. [11] 'All in all', Van Patten concluded, the album 'is a must own for all fans of Dream Theater, Sons of Apollo, Weather Report and 70s Heavy Fusion of every kind. [11] Nikos Katapidis stated that the album contained 'technical impressiveness' and 'essential songs and melodies that will stay with you'. [12] Jani L. stated that 'the sheer versatility and the no-holds-barred sort of creativity oozing from the songs make listening to his trademark shreddings a highly enjoyable experience'. [13] They also stated that Sherinian's 'Hammond grooves resonate strongly with the air of Jon Lord and when he fires on all cylinders, his shredding triggers flashbacks by turns of Steve Vai and Snarky Puppy'. [13] Dave Campbell stated that the album maintains 'the high standard [that] he [Sherinian] has set across his career' and that Sherinian 'lets his guest musicians contribute to the overall sound'. [14]
Zachary Phillip Wylde is an American musician. He is best known as the lead guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne and as the founder, lead guitarist, lead singer, songwriter and producer of the heavy metal band Black Label Society. His signature bulls-eye design appears on many of his guitars and is widely recognized. He was also the lead guitarist and vocalist of Pride & Glory, who released one self-titled album in 1994 before disbanding. As a solo artist, he released the albums Book of Shadows and Book of Shadows II. Wylde joined the reunited Pantera in 2022 as a touring guitarist.
Simon Phillips is a US-based English jazz, fusion and rock drummer, songwriter, and record producer. He worked with rock bands during the 1970s and 1980s and was the drummer for the band Toto from 1992 to 2014.
Mike Varney is an American record producer and music publisher. He is the founder of the Shrapnel Label Group, which includes Shrapnel Records, Tone Center Records, and Blues Bureau International. He also owns 50% of Magna Carta Records, a New York-based label. Varney is often credited for popularizing the mid-1980s shred guitar boom, and has continuously specialized in producing musicians within the genres of instrumental rock, hard rock, jazz, jazz fusion, blues, blues-rock, progressive metal, and speed metal.
Derek Sherinian is an American keyboardist who has toured and recorded for Alice Cooper, Billy Idol, and Joe Bonamassa, among others. He was also a member of Dream Theater from 1994 to 1999, is the founder of Planet X and also one of the founding members of Black Country Communion and Sons of Apollo. He has released nine solo albums that have featured a variety of prominent guest musicians, including guitarists Slash, Yngwie Malmsteen, Allan Holdsworth, Steve Lukather, Joe Bonamassa, Michael Schenker, Steve Vai and Al Di Meola.
Planet X was an instrumental rock supergroup, founded by keyboardist Derek Sherinian and drummer Virgil Donati. They were active for a decade, releasing three studio albums and a live album, each with a variety of guest musicians and oft-changing lineups.
Funk rock is a fusion genre that mixes elements of funk and rock. James Brown and others declared that Little Richard and his mid-1950s road band, The Upsetters, were the first to put the funk in the rock and roll beat, with a biographer stating that their music "spark[ed] the musical transition from fifties rock and roll to sixties funk."
Anthony James Franklin is an English rock musician, best known for his work on the fretless bass guitar with Roy Harper, The Firm, Jimmy Page, Paul Rodgers, John Sykes' Blue Murder, David Gilmour, Kate Bush, Whitesnake, Lou Gramm and most recently with Kenny Wayne Shepherd.
Inertia is the second studio album by keyboardist Derek Sherinian, released in 2001 through Inside Out Music. This album marks the beginning of Sherinian's longtime collaborations with drummer Simon Phillips as well as guitarists Steve Lukather and Zakk Wylde.
Blood of the Snake is the fifth solo album by keyboard player Derek Sherinian. It has contributions from Billy Idol, Zakk Wylde, Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash, John Petrucci of Dream Theater, in addition to previous collaborators Simon Phillips, Yngwie Malmsteen, Tony Franklin, Steve Lukather and Brian Tichy.
Black Utopia is the third solo album by keyboard player Derek Sherinian. In addition to the returning members Zakk Wylde, Simon Phillips and Steve Lukather, three new musicians joined Sherinian: bass guitarist Billy Sheehan and guitarists Yngwie Malmsteen – with whom Sherinian had toured in 2001 – and Al Di Meola. "One of the highlights of my career was flying to Miami to produce Yngwie, and the next day Al Di Meola - all for my record!" The song "Axis Of Evil",, has Zakk Wylde and Yngwie Malmsteen in a guitar duel. Black Utopia was the beginning of an ongoing collaboration with drummer Brian Tichy, and album cover artist Mattias Noren. Black Utopia is Sherinian's best selling solo record to date.
Mythology is the fourth solo album by keyboard player Derek Sherinian. Sherinian again draws upon some of the greatest talent from the worlds of rock and jazz music. Among the artists appearing on Mythology are jazz fusion player Allan Holdsworth, Steve Lukather (Toto), Simon Phillips, Zakk Wylde, Grammy award winner Steve Stevens, Jerry Goodman, and a very rare guest appearance from guitarist John Sykes.
Planet X is the first studio album by keyboardist Derek Sherinian, released on July 13, 1999 through Magna Carta Records. The album was devised after Sherinian left progressive metal band Dream Theater in January 1999. He then joined drummer Virgil Donati in forming a band also named Planet X, which released their own first album Universe in 2000. Guitarist Brett Garsed, who plays on Planet X, would later return on the band Planet X's album Quantum in 2007.
Quantum is the third studio album by instrumental rock/progressive metal supergroup Planet X, released in 2007 through Inside Out Music. Guitarist Allan Holdsworth was originally slated to feature on most tracks, but ended up not finishing the project. As a result, his solos remain only on "Desert Girl" and "The Thinking Stone".
Molecular Heinosity is the sixth studio album by keyboardist Derek Sherinian, released on March 24, 2009 through InsideOut Music.
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Oceana is the seventh studio album by keyboardist Derek Sherinian, released on September 5, 2011 through Music Theories Recordings. After his recording sessions for the album, guitarist Joe Bonamassa posted on his official forum: "This session was one of the most challenging of my career. To be in the studio with Derek Sherinian and Simon Phillips [is] daunting. A huge thanks to both Derek and Simon for getting me through it. I learned a lot. Oceana is a killer record. Highly recommended."
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The Phoenix is the eighth studio album by keyboardist Derek Sherinian, released on 18 September 2020. It is Sherinian's first solo studio album since Oceana, which was released in 2011.
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