Planet X (band)
Encyclopedia
Planet X is an instrumental rock
/progressive metal
supergroup
, founded by keyboardist
Derek Sherinian
and drummer
Virgil Donati
. Throughout a decade of activity, they have released three studio album
s and one live album
, each with a variety of guest musicians and oft-changing lineups.
, Sherinian released his first solo album entitled Planet X
in 1999. This concept was later expanded, in collaboration with drummer
Virgil Donati
, to form a group of the same name. Universe
subsequently became Planet X's first studio album upon its release on June 6, 2000. For this recording, renowned guitarist
Tony MacAlpine
was brought in to replace Brett Garsed
, who had played on Sherinian's original Planet X album.
Live from Oz
, a live album recorded during their 2002 Australian tour, was released on April 3 of that year. Their second studio album, MoonBabies
, was released shortly after on July 29. Five years later, Quantum
, their third album, was released on May 18, 2007. This lineup featured two guest appearances from acclaimed jazz fusion
guitarist Allan Holdsworth
, with Garsed returning for overall guitar duties.
On April 18, 2009, an announcement was made on Tony MacAlpine's MySpace
profile that he had rejoined the group, with a new album set to be recorded later in the year.
, save for the one-time spoken word
by Dick Smothers, Jr.
on the fifth track of Universe. Each composition typically comprises numerous and frenetic changes in time signature
, with very heavy
guitar work (including the use of seven-string guitar
s) and dense layering of all instruments.
The synergy between each musician and their instrument provides a very distinct and unique blend of musical styles. Keyboards usually serve as an introduction and to establish some form of background melody
(often using dissonant
intervals
and chord progression
s to create an ominous, space
-like atmosphere), although Sherinian's signature keyboard solos
are always a prominent feature. Rhythm
and lead guitar
s tend to build up and progress independently (usually involving shredding
and other advanced soloing techniques), whilst other times they work together with the keyboards in counterpoint
and trade-offs, in addition to bass solos. All the while, Donati's drum work is dynamic and makes frequent use of polyrhythm
s, metric modulation
and shifting tempo
s which fuse the styles of heavy metal, jazz
and progressive rock
.
Instrumental rock
Instrumental rock is a type of rock music which emphasizes musical instruments, and which features very little or no singing.Examples of instrumental rock can be found in practically every subgenre of rock, often from musicians who specialize in the style, most notably Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Link...
/progressive metal
Progressive metal
Progressive metal is a subgenre of heavy metal originating in the United Kingdom and North America in the late 1980s...
supergroup
Supergroup (music)
In the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe "a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups"....
, founded by keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
Derek Sherinian
Derek Sherinian
Derek Sherinian is a rock keyboardist who has toured and recorded for Alice Cooper, Billy Idol, Yngwie Malmsteen, Kiss, and Alice In Chains. He was also a member of Dream Theater and is the founder of the instrumental metal-fusion band Planet X...
and drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Virgil Donati
Virgil Donati
Virgil Donati is an Australian drummer, frequent drum clinician and a producer. He is currently playing with the band Planet X and Seven the Hardway among other projects. Virgil is perhaps most well known for his fast, highly technical drumming skills...
. Throughout a decade of activity, they have released three studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
s and one live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
, each with a variety of guest musicians and oft-changing lineups.
Background
After his four-year tenure with progressive metal band Dream TheaterDream Theater
Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung, and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out of their studies to further concentrate on the band that would...
, Sherinian released his first solo album entitled Planet X
Planet X (album)
Planet X is the first studio album by keyboardist Derek Sherinian, released in 1999 through Magna Carta Records. The album was co-written by Sherinian and drummer Virgil Donati on the recommendation of Shrapnel Records founder Mike Varney...
in 1999. This concept was later expanded, in collaboration with drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Virgil Donati
Virgil Donati
Virgil Donati is an Australian drummer, frequent drum clinician and a producer. He is currently playing with the band Planet X and Seven the Hardway among other projects. Virgil is perhaps most well known for his fast, highly technical drumming skills...
, to form a group of the same name. Universe
Universe (Planet X album)
Universe is the first studio album by Planet X, released on June 6, 2000 through InsideOut Music. It is essentially a continuation of keyboardist Derek Sherinian's first solo album, Planet X , but this time as a full band effort.-Track listing:...
subsequently became Planet X's first studio album upon its release on June 6, 2000. For this recording, renowned guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Tony MacAlpine
Tony MacAlpine
Tony Jeff MacAlpine is an American guitarist and keyboardist. Having released ten studio albums over a career spanning more than two decades, he is best known as an instrumental solo guitarist, although he has worked with many different bands and musicians in the form of guest appearances and...
was brought in to replace Brett Garsed
Brett Garsed
Brett Garsed is an Australian guitar player. He plays with, among others, John Farnham and T. J. Helmerich and is a former member of the band Nelson...
, who had played on Sherinian's original Planet X album.
Live from Oz
Live From Oz
-Personnel:*Tony MacAlpine – electric guitar, production*Derek Sherinian – keyboard, production*Virgil Donati – drums, production*Dave LaRue – bass guitar*Albert Law – engineering*Simon Phillips – mixing*Brad Vance – mastering-Release history:...
, a live album recorded during their 2002 Australian tour, was released on April 3 of that year. Their second studio album, MoonBabies
MoonBabies
- Personnel :* Tony MacAlpine – electric guitar* Derek Sherinian – keyboard* Virgil Donati – drums* Tom Kennedy – bass guitar * Billy Sheehan – bass guitar * Jimmy Johnson – bass guitar...
, was released shortly after on July 29. Five years later, Quantum
Quantum (album)
-Personnel:*Brett Garsed – electric guitar, production*Allan Holdsworth – additional guitar solos *Derek Sherinian – keyboard, production*Virgil Donati – drums, orchestration, production*Jimmy Johnson – bass guitar...
, their third album, was released on May 18, 2007. This lineup featured two guest appearances from acclaimed jazz fusion
Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...
guitarist Allan Holdsworth
Allan Holdsworth
Allan Holdsworth is an English guitarist and composer. He has released twelve studio albums as a solo artist and played many different styles of music over a period of four decades, but first drew attention for his work in jazz fusion...
, with Garsed returning for overall guitar duties.
On April 18, 2009, an announcement was made on Tony MacAlpine's MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
profile that he had rejoined the group, with a new album set to be recorded later in the year.
Compositions and style
Sherinian has said that his intention upon founding Planet X was "to find musicians that played their instruments so fiercely, it would strike fear in the hearts of other musicians when they played". The band's sound is predominantly instrumentalInstrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
, save for the one-time spoken word
Spoken word
Spoken word is a form of poetry that often uses alliterated prose or verse and occasionally uses metered verse to express social commentary. Traditionally it is in the first person, is from the poet’s point of view and is themed in current events....
by Dick Smothers, Jr.
Dick Smothers, Jr.
Dick Smothers, Jr. is a former American pornographic actor. He the eldest of three children born to comedian Dick Smothers and his first wife, Linda.-Biography:...
on the fifth track of Universe. Each composition typically comprises numerous and frenetic changes in time signature
Time signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
, with very heavy
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
guitar work (including the use of seven-string guitar
Seven-string guitar
A seven-string guitar is a guitar with seven strings instead of the usual six. Some types of seven-string guitars are specific to certain cultures . The standard 7-string guitar tuning is BEADGbe...
s) and dense layering of all instruments.
The synergy between each musician and their instrument provides a very distinct and unique blend of musical styles. Keyboards usually serve as an introduction and to establish some form of background melody
Melody
A melody , also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones which is perceived as a single entity...
(often using dissonant
Consonance and dissonance
In music, a consonance is a harmony, chord, or interval considered stable, as opposed to a dissonance , which is considered to be unstable...
intervals
Interval (music)
In music theory, an interval is a combination of two notes, or the ratio between their frequencies. Two-note combinations are also called dyads...
and chord progression
Chord progression
A chord progression is a series of musical chords, or chord changes that "aims for a definite goal" of establishing a tonality founded on a key, root or tonic chord. In other words, the succession of root relationships...
s to create an ominous, space
Outer space
Outer space is the void that exists between celestial bodies, including the Earth. It is not completely empty, but consists of a hard vacuum containing a low density of particles: predominantly a plasma of hydrogen and helium, as well as electromagnetic radiation, magnetic fields, and neutrinos....
-like atmosphere), although Sherinian's signature keyboard solos
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
are always a prominent feature. Rhythm
Rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
and lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
s tend to build up and progress independently (usually involving shredding
Shred guitar
Shred guitar or shredding is lead electric guitar playing that relies heavily on fast guitar solos. While some critics argue that shred guitar is associated with "... sweep-picked arpeggios, diminished and harmonic minor scales, finger-tapping and ... whammy-bar abuse", several guitar...
and other advanced soloing techniques), whilst other times they work together with the keyboards in counterpoint
Counterpoint
In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more voices that are independent in contour and rhythm and are harmonically interdependent . It has been most commonly identified in classical music, developing strongly during the Renaissance and in much of the common practice period,...
and trade-offs, in addition to bass solos. All the while, Donati's drum work is dynamic and makes frequent use of polyrhythm
Polyrhythm
Polyrhythm is the simultaneous sounding of two or more independent rhythms.Polyrhythm in general is a nonspecific term for the simultaneous occurrence of two or more conflicting rhythms, of which cross-rhythm is a specific and definable subset.—Novotney Polyrhythms can be distinguished from...
s, metric modulation
Metric modulation
In music a metric modulation is a change from one time signature/tempo to another, wherein a note value from the first is made equivalent to a note value in the second, like a pivot...
and shifting tempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
s which fuse the styles of heavy metal, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
.
Discography
- 2000: UniverseUniverse (Planet X album)Universe is the first studio album by Planet X, released on June 6, 2000 through InsideOut Music. It is essentially a continuation of keyboardist Derek Sherinian's first solo album, Planet X , but this time as a full band effort.-Track listing:...
- 2002: Live from OzLive From Oz-Personnel:*Tony MacAlpine – electric guitar, production*Derek Sherinian – keyboard, production*Virgil Donati – drums, production*Dave LaRue – bass guitar*Albert Law – engineering*Simon Phillips – mixing*Brad Vance – mastering-Release history:...
(live album) - 2002: MoonBabiesMoonBabies- Personnel :* Tony MacAlpine – electric guitar* Derek Sherinian – keyboard* Virgil Donati – drums* Tom Kennedy – bass guitar * Billy Sheehan – bass guitar * Jimmy Johnson – bass guitar...
- 2007: QuantumQuantum (album)-Personnel:*Brett Garsed – electric guitar, production*Allan Holdsworth – additional guitar solos *Derek Sherinian – keyboard, production*Virgil Donati – drums, orchestration, production*Jimmy Johnson – bass guitar...
Current members
- Derek SherinianDerek SherinianDerek Sherinian is a rock keyboardist who has toured and recorded for Alice Cooper, Billy Idol, Yngwie Malmsteen, Kiss, and Alice In Chains. He was also a member of Dream Theater and is the founder of the instrumental metal-fusion band Planet X...
– keyboardKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments... - Tony MacAlpineTony MacAlpineTony Jeff MacAlpine is an American guitarist and keyboardist. Having released ten studio albums over a career spanning more than two decades, he is best known as an instrumental solo guitarist, although he has worked with many different bands and musicians in the form of guest appearances and...
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - Virgil DonatiVirgil DonatiVirgil Donati is an Australian drummer, frequent drum clinician and a producer. He is currently playing with the band Planet X and Seven the Hardway among other projects. Virgil is perhaps most well known for his fast, highly technical drumming skills...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Doug Shreeve – bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
Former members and guests
- Brett GarsedBrett GarsedBrett Garsed is an Australian guitar player. He plays with, among others, John Farnham and T. J. Helmerich and is a former member of the band Nelson...
– guitar - Alex MachacekAlex MachacekAlex Machacek is an Austrian jazz fusion guitarist best known for his 1999 debut album Featuring Ourselves and the acclaimed follow-up Delete and Roll with the band BPM...
– guitar - T. J. HelmerichT. J. HelmerichT.J. Helmerich is an American electric guitarist/vocalist and audio engineer, known for developing a unique "8 finger" style of playing his instrument. He has played/toured with, among many others: Dweezil Zappa , Planet X , Autograph , Paul Gilbert, and Eddie Jobson...
– guitar - Allan HoldsworthAllan HoldsworthAllan Holdsworth is an English guitarist and composer. He has released twelve studio albums as a solo artist and played many different styles of music over a period of four decades, but first drew attention for his work in jazz fusion...
– guitar - Tom Kennedy – bass guitar
- Dave LaRueDave LaRueDave LaRue is a bassist who has performed with the Dixie Dregs since 1988 and with the Steve Morse Band since 1989. He also has worked with Dream Theater's John Petrucci, Mike Portnoy and Jordan Rudess...
– bass guitar - Jimmy JohnsonJimmy Johnson (bassist)Jimmy Johnson is an American bass guitarist best known for his work with James Taylor, Allan Holdsworth, Lee Ritenour and Flim & the BB's...
– bass guitar - Billy SheehanBilly SheehanWilliam "Billy" Sheehan is an American bassist known for his work with Talas, Steve Vai, David Lee Roth, Mr. Big, and Niacin. Sheehan has won the "Best Rock Bass Player" readers' poll from Guitar Player Magazine five times for his "lead bass" playing style...
– bass guitar - Ric FierabracciRic FierabracciRic Fierabracci, is an American bass guitarist who has toured and/or recorded with such artists as Frank Gambale, Chick Corea, Sir Tom Jones, Dave Weckl, Bradley Joseph, Shakira, Nancy Sinatra, Planet X, The 5th Dimension, The Beach Boys, and Yanni...
– bass guitar - Philip BynoePhilip BynoeThree-time Grammy nominee and Emmy Award-winning bassist Philip Earl Bynoe is a prolific recording and touring musician. Though best known for his work with virtuoso guitarist Steve Vai, Philip has played everything from heavy metal to R&B to classical, and has worked with the likes of Kevin...
– bass guitar - Rufus Philpot – bass guitar