LIVE FROM OZ

Live From Oz' is the second album from Planet X and contains material reaching back as far as Derek Sherinian's 1999 solo album (somewhat confusingly called 'Planet X') and forward to 'Moonbabies'. Recorded in Melbourne, on the final gig of the 2001 tour, the band were joined by Dave La Rue on bass (Dixie Dregs/Steve Morse). Planet X are an instrumental band comprising Derek Sherinian (keys, ex-Dream Theater, Alice Cooper etc), Virgil Donati (drums, Steve Vai etc) and Tony MacAlpine (guitar).

This is all about music played in very strange time signatures, that is extremely intricate and always at risk of falling over due to sheer note density. It is not easy to listen to and in many ways has more in common with jazz than it has with much of the progressive rock music that is around at present. That all of the band are masters of their instruments is never in doubt, but trying to follow the thread of the melody can be slightly more difficult.

The fact that three of the fourteen tracks are solos for each of the band does also lay them open to the claim of being somewhat narcissistic and self-indulgent, but what saves them each time is that they are just so good at what they do. They are so tight that one cannot help but be impressed. The trick is to listen to this in a darkened room and just let the music sweep over you, particularly on the "Atlantis" suite which is seventeen minutes long

originally appeared in Feedback #69, Aug 02