Derek Sherinian interview (excerpt)

20 years ago, your first full album with Dream Theater, Falling Into Infinity, was released. What moments on that record are you most proud of?

I am proud of “Lines In The Sand”. That was the first musical idea that I brought into the band, and many Dream Theater fans to this day agree that it is not only the best song on that record, but one of the best in their catalog.

You mentioned in an interview that moving on from Dream Theater ended up being a blessing for you. Could you explain a little more about this?

The dream was to always be in a cool rock band, not a prog rock band. DT was a great vehicle for me to gain international recognition, but I never envisioned myself growing old with those guys…ok, maybe Portnoy  John found his cyborg soulmate in Jordan, and now Mike and I have Sons Of Apollo- everyone wins in the end!

Planet X, to me, is some of the most interesting and forward thinking fusion I have heard. How did Planet X come about?

Planet X was the result of me getting fired from DT, and wanting to form a technically superior band to stick it in their ass!!  The problem, is that the music got so technical, that it was completely not enjoyable for me to play. Planet X broke harmonic and rhythmic ground for sure. To this day, I haven’t heard anything sicker instrumentally.