Sherinian doesn't make a difference? I beg to disagree. For me Platypus is a whole different band, sure there are similarities, but songs like Platt Opus, What About The Merch? Partial To The Bean and others don't sound like Jelly Jam. Sherinian doesn't play a lot of flashy keyboards but he makes his impact and probably on the songwriting too.
Well, so the fact is - I donīt like Sherinian. Because those songs you have mentioned I consider the weakest of the group. Of course itīs evident Sherinian had a finger in them (or ten fingers), but they donīt add, in my opinion. If Tabor had recorded keyboards on those Platypus albums, they would be better.
And for me itīs evident Ice Cycles and Jelly Jam are a natural sequence one from other. They are very similar, meaning: the same band. I think they have dropped the name because of Inside Out Music - as Mullmuzzler/James LaBrie, not because Derek left.
But this is, of course, my opinion. And probably the bandīs opinion too, as they donīt seem to miss Sherinian at all. When they annouced that Platypus would change their name to Jelly Jam and carry on without Sherinian, I doubt there were any hunger strikes or angry discussions anywhere.
But, just to make that clear, thatīs my opinion - and, again, I must say Shall We Descent in way above the other albums.