Planet X

Planet X - Quantum - 2007 - InsideOut Music

It took Planet X five years to come up with a follow-up to MoonBabies, and the first thing fans are bound to notice is the absence of guitarist Tony MacAlpine. On this, the group's third studio album, Planet X is presented as a duo -- leader/keyboardist Derek Sherinian and drummer Virgil Donati -- rounded up by guest bassists (Jimmy Johnson and Rufus Philpot) and guitarists (mostly Brett Garsed, also fusion legend Allan Holdsworth on two tracks). You may also find the music veering a little more into fusion territory and less into the metal-fusion genre established by the Magna Carta label -- and all for the better. In fact, Quantum is a quantum leap above previous Planet X releases: stronger compositions (tighter and less flashy), more diversity across the album, better-dosed excitement. The resulting music is less in your face but just as satisfying, since it welcomes repeated listens. The fierceness presented as the band's core is its manifesto of sorts ("a band that played so fiercely, it would strike fear..." stated the press release for the group's first album), giving way to a more strategic use of intensity and better-crafted songs, as "Alien Hip Hop" brilliantly illustrates. This album opener simply keeps on building and building over the course of its seven minutes. "Matrix Gate" and "Space Foam" are vintage Planet X tracks -- complex time signatures, jammy feel, and a drummer that just won't quit. On the other hand, you have moodier pieces like "Kingdom of Dreams" or the Holdsworth feature "Desert Girl," laden with jazzy stacked chords and subtler progressions. The only piece that does not quite work out is the closing "Quantum Factor," its stop-start sections failing to form a cohesive whole; here, the band falls back to its early excesses. That minor flaw aside, Quantum is a surprisingly mature album, the kind that could redefine Sherinian's career. Recommended. [Quantum was also released with bonus tracks.] © François Couture © 2013 Rovi Corp | All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/album/quantum-mw0000583173

Complex and technical metal fusion with some of the most bizarre and abstract melodic structures you will ever hear. This is intelligent and brilliantly played progressive instrumental fusion. Virgil Donati and the incomparable Allan Holdsworth, two giants of fusion play on this album. Don’t let the terms “abstract” or "avant-garde music" deter you from listening to music like this. Ok. If you’re into Westlife and One Direction you may probably discount this album, but if you like artists like Wayne Krantz, the late Frank Zappa, The Mars Volta, Michał Urbaniak and other artists who have contributed hugely to the evolution of rock and fusion music, then you may enjoy this album. Listen to the group’s “Universe” album [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 121 Mb]

TRACKS

1.Alien Hip Hop 7:13
2.Desert Girl 6:05
3.Matrix Gate 4:10
4.The Thinking Stone 4:14
5.Space Foam 4:46
6.Poland 5:23
7.Snuff 4:59
8.Kingdom of Dreams 6:48
9.Quantum Factor 7:09

All tracks composed by Virgil Donati except “Space Foam” by Derek Sherinian, Virgil Donati, & Rufus Philpot

MUSICIANS

Brett Garsed - Guitar
Allan Holdsworth - Additional Guitar Solos on Tracks 2, 4
Jimmy Johnson - Bass on Tracks 1-4,6-8
Rufus Philpot - Bass on Tracks 5, 9
Derek Sherinian - Keyboards
Virgil Donati - Drums, Orchestration

BIO (WIKI)

Planet X is an instrumental rock/progressive metal supergroup, founded by keyboardist Derek Sherinian and drummer Virgil Donati. Throughout more than a decade of activity, they have released three studio albums and a live album, each with a variety of guest musicians and oft-changing lineups. After his four-year tenure with progressive metal band Dream Theater, Sherinian released his first solo album entitled Planet X in 1999. This concept was later expanded, in collaboration with drummer Virgil Donati, to form a group of the same name. Universe subsequently became Planet X's first studio album upon its release on June 6, 2000. For this recording, renowned guitarist Tony MacAlpine was brought in to replace Brett Garsed, who had played on Sherinian's original Planet X album. Live from Oz, a live album recorded during their 2002 Australian tour, was released on April 3 of that year. Their second studio album, MoonBabies, was released shortly after on July 29. Five years later, Quantum, their third album, was released on May 18, 2007. This lineup featured two guest appearances from acclaimed jazz fusion guitarist Allan Holdsworth, with Garsed returning for overall guitar duties. On April 18, 2009, an announcement was made on Tony MacAlpine's MySpace profile that he had rejoined the group, with a new album set to be recorded later in the year. However, he later stated in an October 2012 interview that he was no longer a member of the group. The band's style has been described as "metal fusion", with Sherinian stating that his intention upon founding Planet X was "to find musicians that played their instruments so fiercely, it would strike fear in the hearts of other musicians when they played". Their compositions are predominantly instrumental, save for the one-time spoken word by Dick Smothers, Jr. on the fifth track of Universe. Each composition typically comprises numerous and frenetic changes in time signature, with very heavy guitar work (including the use of seven-string guitars) and dense layering of all instruments. The synergy between each musician and their instrument provides a very distinct and unique blend of musical styles. Keyboards usually serve as an introduction and to establish some form of background melody (often using dissonant intervals and chord progressions to create an ominous, space-like atmosphere), although Sherinian's signature keyboard solos are always a prominent feature. rhythm and lead guitars tend to build up and progress independently (usually involving shredding and other advanced soloing techniques), whilst other times they work together with the keyboards in counterpoint and trade-offs, in addition to bass solos. All the while, Donati's drum work is dynamic and makes frequent use of polyrhythms, metric modulation and shifting tempos which fuse the styles of heavy metal, jazz and progressive rock.