10 Greatest Keyboardists In Hard Rock
6. Derek Sherinian - Dream Theater
Note: Should Be Jordan Ruddess....NOT DEREK SHERINIAN
Metal as a whole is the one genre that really should be devoid of any over the top piano solos. For as soft as some of Metallica's ballads may have seemed at the turn of the '90s, the use of a piano never really fit in with the sludgy riffs coming from their amplifiers. However, sometimes the music world can find a few exceptions if you look to the progressive world.
As Dream Theater starting to make waves in the '90s, most of the jaw-dropping piano work didn't click into high gear until they had Jordan Ruddess in the fold. Compared to Derek Sherinian's amazing lines, Ruddess is every bit the rock star as his fellow bandmates like John Petrucci and Mike Portnoy, with massive scale runs that could leave any other aspiring keyboardist in shambles. It's not just a bunch of musical flexing though, as Ruddess knows just where to put the more slow and heartfelt moments into his solo crafting.
The best moments of his career though have come by playing off of his contemporaries. Take a song like Panic Attack for instance, as Ruddess's lines line up perfectly with Petrucci's complex riffage, almost like they are in some sort of artistic duel with each other. Compared to the other piano lines in hard rock, this is the place to go after you've done your musical homework.