For those who favor fire-breathing fusion as their progressive music of choice, Derek Sherinian’s newest offering nicely fits the bill. On Vortex, the onetime Dream Theater member and current Sons of Apollo keyboardist enlists the help of a rotating crew of guitarists to flesh out the sound created by his bevy of keyboards and the drums of co-star Simon Phillips.
Throughout the recording, Phillips and bassist Tony Franklin keep things grounded – no mean feat considering the often frenetic, flashy playing of Derek Sherinian and his raft of axe-slingers. Both get their turns in the spotlight – Phillips with his frequent polyrhythms and cymbal splashes, and Franklin on “Scorpion,” among other places.
Compositionally, some of the tracks sound like they could be from the rockier of Jeff Beck’s releases. “Key Lime Blues,” for instance, features the twin guitars of Steve Lukather and Sherinian’s ex-Black Country Communion bandmate Joe Bonnamassa. At times, Sherinian even delves into some of the same keyboard textures favored by Max Middleton and Tony Hymas back in the day.
That’s not to say that the music is in any way derivative – just that if you enjoyed Beck’s Wired or the more keyboard-centric music of outfits like the Dixie Dregs or, well, Dream Theater, you’ll find much here to enjoy.
The list of shredders – Bonamassa, Lukather, Steve Stevens, Nuno Bettencourt, Michael Schenker, and the rest – is impressive. Even more so is their playing. Mike Stern unleashes his chops of doom on “Nomad’s Land,” his seemingly effortless riffing pushing things along while Sherinian plays off his lines and matches him stride for stride. In fact, throughout Vortex, Sherinian gives as good as he gets.
The concluding “Aurora Australis” offers a bit of a respite, with Derek Sherinian’s piano supporting Bumblefoot’s fluid guitar. Even though it gets heavy in places, its subdued tempo makes this a standout track – though all the tunes on Vortex are worthy at worst, and rocking at best.
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