This seriously has to be an instrumental guitar lovers wet dream of a disc. Not only does it include such stellar players like Steve Lukather, Yngwie Malmsteen, Al DiMeola, and Zakk Wylde (yup, OZZY's axe-wielding, beer guzzling sidekick), but this disc boasts some seriously intense tunes.
Black Utopia is a slight departure from Sherinian's previous works, namely last years Inertia CD, because of the overall heavier and darker vibe in
the songs this time out. Each track is blistering and intense, and yet never ventures into self-indulgent noodling or over the top displays of pyrotechnics
which tend to become a force of habit amongst these types of releases (believe me, I speak from experience). The disc opens with the appropriately
titled 'The Fury' and the first thing you hear is the ominous keyboard pad with none other than the legendary Yngwie Malmsteen literally ripping the frets
out off his guitar (can the guy get any faster?). This intro sets the tone for most of what's to follow: "The Sons of Anu" is a brutal tour-de-force of intense
interplay between all the players with Yngwie and jazz-shredder Al DiMeola simply burning the house down. The disc takes a slightly mellower, but no less intense vibe with 'Stony Days', 'Star Cycle', and 'Sweet Lament', which all feature the incredibly fluid and gorgeous guitar stylings of Steve Lukather. This guy simply gets better and better with each album and his playing on this disc is stellar and note worthy. Zakk Wylde contributes quite a bit on this disc, with his heavier then hell metal wail and power riffs that simply beckon you to raise the horns in the air and salute the metal gods.
Let us not forget that this is Derek Sherinian's disc and he is simply one of the best keyboard players out there and has such an intense sound that his keys often sound like ripping guitars. He has a keen sense of writing style and which demonstrates his ability to craft memorable tunes without loosing the listeners interest. The production of the disc is terrific, provided by stellar drummer/producer Simon Phillips, who shines throughout the disc both behind the kit or behind the mixing console. My only small gripes with this disc are: It's a bit short, two the tracks are under 2 minutes and are counted as actual 'tracks' (I hate that) and the other thing is, Yngwie's guitar signal seems to have some serious ground hum happening. Not the coolest thing to have on a professional recording. My suggestion: Invest in a 'Hush' unit or noise gate and this problem with disappear. Other than that, this disc is top notch.
