Top 10 Planet X Songs

Feature Photo: Vtpeters, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

The great progressive rock fusion band Planet X was formed by former Dream Theater keyboardist Derek Sherinian in 1999. Sherinian wanted a band built around musicians who could play with an almost frightening intensity, and Planet X quickly became a favorite among serious players. In the spirit of bands like Steely Dan and artists like Frank Zappa, the music demanded players who could handle difficult arrangements without losing feel. Drummer Virgil Donati became Sherinian’s constant partner, while Tony MacAlpine gave the early records their explosive guitar voice. Over the years, Planet X also worked with musicians including Allan Holdsworth, Brett Garsed, Billy Sheehan, Tom Kennedy, Jimmy Johnson, Dave LaRue, Rufus Philpot, and others.

Planet X released Universe in 2000, followed by the live album Live From Oz and the studio album MoonBabies in 2002. The band returned in 2007 with Quantum, which brought Brett Garsed into the guitar role and featured Allan Holdsworth on two tracks. That album remains Planet X’s final studio release. In 2023, Planet X Records issued the four-disc Anthology, collecting the studio catalog along with Live From Oz. The band may not have released much material, but what they did release contains some extraordinary playing. We hope this Top 10 Planet X Songs list turns more listeners on to one of the most technically impressive progressive fusion bands of the 2000s.

# 10 – Her Animal

“Her Animal” comes from Planet X’s 2000 debut album, Universe, and immediately shows what this band was built to do. Tony MacAlpine’s guitar attacks the track with speed and precision while Derek Sherinian fills the spaces with dark keyboard textures. Virgil Donati’s drumming is just as important, constantly shifting the rhythmic ground without making the song collapse under its own complexity. The piece moves between aggressive progressive metal and jazz-fusion ideas while still keeping a recognizable central drive. Planet X later brought “Her Animal” into the live set, where its difficult passages became even more explosive. It is a perfect opening choice because it captures the early trio sounding fearless and completely locked together.

# 9 – Quantum Factor

“Quantum Factor” is the closing track on Planet X’s 2007 album Quantum, not MoonBabies. The song is driven by Virgil Donati’s rhythmic design, with Derek Sherinian’s keyboards and Brett Garsed’s guitar moving through a series of tense, rapidly changing sections. Rufus Philpot handles the bass, giving the lower end enough movement to keep up with the constantly shifting arrangement. The composition feels heavy without locking into one metal groove, which is one reason Quantum sounds different from the earlier Planet X records. Garsed brings a more fluid fusion approach than Tony MacAlpine, but the technical intensity remains completely intact. “Quantum Factor” closes the album with exactly the kind of controlled chaos that made Planet X so much fun to hear.

# 8 – The Noble Savage

“The Noble Savage” appears on 2002’s MoonBabies and is one of the album’s strongest examples of the chemistry between Tony MacAlpine, Derek Sherinian, and Virgil Donati. MacAlpine moves easily between heavy riffing and fusion-style lead work, giving the song both aggression and color. Sherinian answers him with keyboards that can sound atmospheric one moment and almost percussive the next. Donati keeps changing the rhythmic shape underneath them, which gives the composition a restless feeling from beginning to end. The track is complicated, but the best moments never sound like technique for technique’s sake. “The Noble Savage” works because three highly technical musicians are still listening to one another while everything around them keeps moving.

# 7 – Alien Hip Hop

“Alien Hip Hop” opens Quantum with one of the most dramatic pieces Planet X ever recorded. Virgil Donati drives the composition with complex rhythmic figures while Derek Sherinian’s keyboards create a cold, futuristic atmosphere around the groove. Brett Garsed handles the guitar work, replacing Tony MacAlpine on the album and bringing a different kind of fluidity to the band’s sound. Jimmy Johnson’s bass gives the track a strong foundation even as the rhythms keep turning in unexpected directions. The title sounds playful, but the performance is anything but casual because every section demands absolute precision. “Alien Hip Hop” is a brilliant introduction to the final Planet X studio album and one of the clearest examples of the band sounding both heavy and genuinely strange.

# 6 – Ignotus Per Ignotium

“Ignotus Per Ignotium” closes MoonBabies with nearly ten minutes of some of the most intense music Planet X ever recorded. Virgil Donati composed the track and uses its length to move through heavy riffs, atmospheric passages, and constantly changing rhythmic ideas. Tony MacAlpine’s guitar gives the song much of its edge, while Derek Sherinian’s keyboards add the darker colors that make the piece feel almost cinematic. Tom Kennedy provides the bass foundation as the arrangement moves from one difficult section to the next. The title roughly suggests approaching the unknown through the unknown, which fits music that never seems interested in taking the obvious route. As an album closer, “Ignotus Per Ignotium” leaves the listener with Planet X at its most demanding and adventurous.

# 5 – Matrix Gate

“Matrix Gate” is one of the most atmospheric tracks on Quantum. Derek Sherinian opens the piece with piano and keyboard figures that build tension before Virgil Donati and the rest of the band push the music into heavier territory. Brett Garsed’s guitar adds melodic detail and enough bite to keep the softer passages from becoming too comfortable. Jimmy Johnson’s bass locks into Donati’s changing patterns while the keyboards and guitar move around them. The song repeatedly shifts between open space and tightly controlled intensity, making the quieter moments just as important as the louder ones. “Matrix Gate” proves Planet X could create atmosphere and suspense without giving up any of the technical firepower that defined the band.

# 4 – Space Foam

“Space Foam” comes from Quantum and gives Brett Garsed plenty of room to show why he was such a strong fit for the final Planet X studio album. His guitar playing is fluid and melodic, but it can turn sharp and aggressive whenever the arrangement needs more force. Derek Sherinian’s keyboard lines give the song its futuristic character, while Virgil Donati keeps the rhythm moving through patterns that never settle for long. Rufus Philpot handles bass on the track and helps give the piece a deeper fusion groove beneath all the complexity. The song moves naturally between muscular progressive rock and lighter jazz-fusion passages without sounding like two different bands. “Space Foam” is one of the best examples of Quantum balancing technical brilliance with an actual sense of motion and space.

# 3 – Dog Boots

“Dog Boots” is one of the strongest tracks from Planet X’s debut album, Universe. Virgil Donati’s drumming immediately gives the song a hard, restless pulse, and Tony MacAlpine responds with some of the sharpest guitar work on the record. Derek Sherinian fills out the arrangement with keyboards that move between melodic lines, strange textures, and rhythmic punches. The trio constantly changes direction, but the song never loses the aggressive groove that holds everything together. Planet X also performed “Dog Boots” live, where the composition became an even more obvious showcase for the chemistry between the three musicians. This is the early Planet X sound in concentrated form: heavy, technical, unpredictable, and played with ridiculous precision.

# 2 – The Thinking Stone

“The Thinking Stone” is one of the highlights of Quantum because it brings Allan Holdsworth into the Planet X world without forcing him to sound like anybody else. Brett Garsed handles the album’s main guitar work, while Holdsworth contributes the featured solo that gives this track its unmistakable voice. Derek Sherinian’s keyboards and Virgil Donati’s drumming create a shifting framework that leaves enough space for Holdsworth’s fluid phrasing to breathe. Jimmy Johnson supplies the bass foundation while the music moves between fusion and progressive metal. The result is technical without sounding stiff, especially when Holdsworth begins bending the harmony around the rhythm section. “The Thinking Stone” is one of those rare tracks where an already intimidating band manages to sound even more adventurous because of the guest musician.

# 1 – Desert Girl

“Desert Girl” takes the number one spot because it brings together the atmosphere of Quantum with one of Allan Holdsworth’s great guest appearances. The track features Brett Garsed’s guitar work across the arrangement while Holdsworth adds the distinctive guitar lines and solo that make the piece immediately stand apart. Derek Sherinian creates a spacious keyboard backdrop, and Virgil Donati uses restraint as effectively as complexity while the song develops. Jimmy Johnson’s bass gives the piece enough weight to keep its floating sections connected to the groove. The music feels open and almost cinematic, which gives Holdsworth room to stretch without turning the track into a simple solo showcase. “Desert Girl” is Planet X at its most musical, balancing virtuosity, atmosphere, and emotion in a way that earns it the top position on this list.