DEREK SHERINIAN Reflects on His New Solo Album “The Phoenix” and The Philosophy Behind it: “We Kept Things Very Vintage Throughout the Recording Process”

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It’s no secret that we at Sonic Perspectives are big fans of keyboardist extraordinaire Derek Sherinian. He was kind enough to give us the details of the first Sons of Apollo album when it came out, and also spoke at length with us during an interview addressing all of his career. Known by his versatility, and aggressive “guitaristic” approach to his keyboard style, the progressive rock world got to know Sherinian when he joined Dream Theater, however, he already had a rich history in music when these American prog metal giants brought him in. Derek had toured with Alice Cooper, Kiss and Jimi Hendrix‘ drummer Buddy Miles, and his career has continued to expand consistently after his tenure with the prog-metal giants.  Known for his distinctively heavy keyboard sound, he has developed a solo career with albums featuring a myriad of collaborations with names like Allan Holdsworth, Steve Vai, John Petrucci, Yngwie Malmsteen, Zakk Wylde and many more.

In addition to his solo efforts, Derek was a founding member of Planet X, Black Country Communion, and more recently he formed Sons of Apollo, with his fellow Dream Theater partner-in-crime Mike Portnoy (drums), Billy Sheehan (bass), Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal (guitars) and Jeff Scott Soto (vocals), and the band as of now have released two studio albums and a live offering with an orchestra.

Between the busy schedule of Sons of Apollo and his session work for other musicians, Derek found time to write and record a new solo album, the first since 2011’s “Oceana”. Entitled “The Phoenix”, it once again has the renowned Simon Phillips wearing the production hat and the drummer’s seat, and an all-star cast of players: Bumblefoot, Billy Sheehan, Steve Vai, Zakk Wylde and Kiko Loureiro, to name a few.

With such an eclectic guest list, it would be easy for an album like that to be a heterogeneous effort, but Derek and Simon managed to maintain a unified sound throughout the whole record. “The Phoenix” holds no punches and showcases the talents of all players through its eight tracks, exploring unique avenues with a clear direction. Once again Rodrigo Altaf had the chance to catch up with Derek, and they discussed the the upcoming album track by track and pretty much everything else happening on Sherinian‘s universe nowadays.

Listen to their chat in the links below, and remember that for more interviews and other daily content, Sonic Perspectives is on Facebook, Flipboard, Twitter and YouTube, where you can be notified about new interviews and contents we publish on a daily basis.

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