Blood of the Snake Review by Gary Hill Derek Sherinian always seems to be looking for new ways to stretch out musically and this time around he's brought a lot of friends on board to help him in that process. The end result is Blood of the Snake, a disc that is arguably his most diverse. It also might well be his strongest album ever.
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With this CD Sherinian continues his tradition of creating hard edged prog that is quite firmly rooted in fusion. The disc succeeds very well in creating an energetic and considerably potent instrumental mode that sends the listener on a major journey.
Molecular Heinosity Review by Gary Hill I’ve been a big fan of Derek Sherinian for years and it seems like every album he does is a climb above the one that preceded it.
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Planet X Review by Gary Hill This one really comes as a surprise to many. Coming from such gigs as Alice Cooper`s band and Kiss, when Sherinian joined Dream Theater, he was perceived as more the rock and roll type of style, and less prog.
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Ayreon - - 01011001 – Special Edition CD and DVD Review by Gary Hill Ayreon is Arjen Luccassen. He creates magnificent rock operas under that name and manages to bring in some of the most impressive musicians in the business to work with him on these projects.
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Explorer's Club - Age of Impact Review by Gary Hill This album could well be the most important progressive disc of the decade for two reasons. Firstly, by the sheer magnitude of performers on this CD.
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I have to say that for my money Planet X was (and I say "was" because I doubt they'll ever do any music again, but I'd love to be proven wrong) one of the best instrumental acts ever.
Kevin Shirley’s inspiration to bring together Glenn Hughes, vocals and bass, and Joe Bonamassa, lead guitar and vocals has provided one of the best rock/blues bands and albums of the year.
This is an intriguing disc from Dream Theater. It consists of one awesome 20 minute plus epic that’s a pure roller coaster ride and a series of cover tunes recorded live.
Various Artists - Drum Nation Vol. 2 Review by Gary Hill The concept is simple but unique: put together a number of tracks from various artists showcasing influential and potent drummers. This was the concept for Magna Carta's first drum nation CD, and they continue it here - why mess up a good thing?
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Various Artists - Encores, Legends and Paradoxes Review by Gary Hill With a cast of players that reads like a prog "who`s who", this ELP tribute takes the classics and makes them fresh and new again. The result is an incredibly listenable piece of music that really entertains.
Dream Theater - Falling Into Infinity Review by Gary Hill There are those who feel that Dream Theater is not a progressive rock band. However, this album contains many factors indigenous to progressive rock.
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Platypus - Ice Cycles Review by Gary Hill The second release from Platypus, this is good fun prog with a classic rock edge. At times it is Floydish, at times Dregsish, but all with this particular group's style all over it.
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Dream Theater - Live at the Marcus Amphitheater-August 24th, 1998 Review by Gary Hill Dream Theater proved that, even as an opening act, they are to be taken seriously in the prog world. In fact, they made a very strong argument for deserving to be placed at a higher point on the bill, meaning no disrespect to the other bands that performed at the show.
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Planet X - Live From Oz Review by Gary Hill Oz in this case is Australia, not the land of that fabled wizard or the prison show. The album was recorded live on June 13th, 2001 at the Corner Hotel, Richmond, Victoria, Australia.
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I’d never seen Billy Idol perform live before. I had, however, recently seen a live DVD that made me interested in catching a live performance from Idol. Well, the man did not disappoint.
Since Black Country Communion arrived on the scene, still less than a year ago, they have managed two studio CD releases, and to top it off they have produced what is an absolute state of the art video, and it's tailor made for the Blu-ray experience.
It is still pretty early in the year, but I'll be surprised if this release doesn't make my "best of 2020" list. The mix of sounds here includes metal, good solid hard rock and plenty of progressive rock.
Dream Theater - Once In A Livetime Review by Sean Faust For the past 9 years, progressive virtuosos Dream Theater (currently Mike Portnoy, John Petrucci, John Myung, James LaBrie and Derek Sherinian) have been blessing the music world with their highly textured (and sometimes ethereal) music and thought-provoking lyrics.
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Planet X - Quantum Review by Gary Hill I have to say that when I heard Alan Holdsworth was going to be featured on this disc, my interest skyrocketed. Don't get me wrong, I love everything Derek Sherinian has ever done.
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Alice Cooper - The Last Temptation Review by Gary Hill This album is show biz from Cooper. It really feels like much of the high entertainment of `70`s era Cooper, while bringing a new intensity and power to them. This one has plenty of spooky moments along with humor.
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Various Artists - To Cry You A Song: A Collection of Tull Tales Review by Gary Hill One of the first tribute albums ever done by Magna Carta, this one includes some intriguing arrangements of Jethro Tull songs. There are some definite winners here (witness Aqualung, To Cry You a Song, and Locomotive Breath) and no real losers.
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Planet X - Universe Review by Gary Hill Building on styles started on the first Planet X disc, this is a strong prog outing that includes a jazzy sort of texture. This one comes across a bit more hard rocking than the previous.
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Platypus - When Pus Comes To Shove Review by Gary Hill Combining elements of many `70`s styles, including prog, in a fresh mode, When Pus Comes To Shove is a strong work that should really hold up to the test of time.
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