Xenocrony | Johannesburg, Gauteng South Africa | 04/26/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"In a world of rehash rock bands its great to see someone still producing fantastic music.The title track has got some of the spookiest notes I've ever heard,and talk about diversity,(the material ranges from almost pure jeff beck (but better) to UK and ELP plus judicious helpings of Ozzy}These are by no means cheesy ripoffs but stand up in a class all of their own!!The keyboard solos are MORE exciting than Jan Hammer.This is all the best of 70s prog but also very modern,the chord progressions are diverse and interesting(unlike Dream Theatre's two-chord-lets do a thousand different time signatures in E and to hell with the musicality approach).When all the hype of Creed,REM,Pearl Jam etc. plummets,good music will stand the test of time and INERTIA will stand tall.Exeptionally well done,Derek and MSR's Lukather,Wylde and Phillips if this'll be the quality of the material on future releases consider me a permanent fan!!HIGHLY,HIGHLY recommended!!!"
Style, virtuosity, and a great sense of atmosphere
tritoneangel | Brooklyn, NY United States | 10/04/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"What an album! Derek Sherinian shows off his various influences in this gem of an offering, from his cover of the Mingus jazz classic Goodbye Porkpie Hat and the Edgar Winter Group rock anthem Frankenstein, to the thunderous prog-tastic original Evel Knievel. The latter track, along with a few others features guest ex-Ozzy guitarist and legendary madman Zakk Wylde, with an over-the-top style that perfectly fits Sherinan's fiery fingering. All-star axe-man Steve Lukather covers the rest of the guitar duties and seems a perfect fit with Sherinian's more progressive and avant-garde pieces. In total, the album is saturated with the kind of technical brilliance, combined with atmospheric mastery that only Derek Sherinian can offer. I can't get this album out of my CD player. Sherinian rules the keys, with a style all his own, and his music rocks the world with every blinding run. A necessary addition to any true music-lover's collection."
Ex-Dream Theater Keyboardist With All-Star Cast!!!
Ronald Martino | Rochester, New York USA | 04/18/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Ex-Dream Theater keyboardist Derek Sherinian smokes the keys on this CD. He has some help from some serious heavies like Steve Lukather, Simon Phillips, Zakk Wylde, Tony Franklin, Jerry Goodman, Tom Kennedy and Jimmy Johnson. The title track Inertia opens this disc in grand style. If you love Fusion, Hard Rock, and Progresive Rock you will love this CD. Buy it ASAP!!!"
Heavily influenced by Simon Phillips
Sven B. Schreiber | Fürth (Bayern) | 05/04/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"After listening to the first riff of Track 1, it becomes immediately apparent that Simon Phillips has co-written most of the music, and also has co-produced, recorded, and mixed this CD. Actually, this 2nd solo CD by Dream Theater keyboarder Derek Sherinian sound much more like Phillips than like Sherinian's first CD, Planet X. While the latter was a wild and bold mix of fusion and metal, the new CD is written and played in more conventional fusion fashion. It's certainly more melodic than Planet X, but not as powerful and dissonant. Anyway, it's great music, so 5 stars are more than justified."
An Amazing Collaboration
Christopher W. Hager | Bloomfield, New Jersey United States | 04/25/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"As with all truly great releases, this one's taking me a number of listens to really appreciate. I've now broken through, and am hearing the subtelties of this release that make it so incredible. From the opening track, to the very end (don't turn the CD off after the primary music ends on track 10 because there's a little bit more a minute or so later), each song is it's own separate masterwork. To be honest, I bought this because of Simon Phillips and, to a lesser degree, Zakk Wylde and Tony Frankling. I'm also a huge Dream Theater fan, but don't think Sherinian was a part of DT's best music. Well, this release shows that Sherinian belonged in DT, and that his skills are on a par with the other virtuosos Phillips and Wylde. An album of metal, jazz, prog rock, and even a tasteful version of Jeff Beck's "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" (done largely, and beautifully, by Toto's Steve Lukather), are keeping this as my number 1 disc right now. And, I expect that with each successive listen I'm going to continue to hear more and more of what each guy put into each song. If you like any of the work any of these guys has done, you should love this release."