Lucassen's Star One, Arjen Anthony - Space Metal

Year of Release: 2002
Label: InsideOut
Catalog Number: IOMLTDCD 099
Format: CD
Total Time: 96:49:00

Let me say this right from the start, this is one of the premier progressive rock albums that you will hear this year, and it's probably one of the top ten albums of the past five years. Star One is Arjen Lucassen's latest mega multi-artist project. There are two CDs full of high energy rockin' music dedicated to all of Lucassen's favorite celluloid that had to do with space, the final frontier. This is definitely Metal, and nothing like his previous releases under the name Ayreon. It somehow didn't feel right to him to record all of this music under that name so he thought of an appropriate title and it stuck. Amongst the many guests that have made an appearance here are Dave Brock (Hawkwind), Gary Wehrkamp (Shadow Gallery), Russell Allen (Symphony X), Damian Wilson (x-Threshold), Floor Jansen (After Forever), and Jens Johansson (Yngwie Malmsteen, Dio, Stratovarius). A star studded cast indeed, and it no doubt helped to make this album a special experience for Lucassen and for all of his listeners.

This is the limited edition package with a bonus disc containing 10 tracks. The oddity is that there are actually six tracks listed and the other four are not. A real keeper is Bowie's "Space Oddity;" I never heard that song done electrically and it sounds magnificent. Grab this edition before they disappear. There were actually a very limited number of promos available for review so I feel fortunate that I was chosen to receive one.

Every song has something new to offer. A different guitar player or singer shows up for just about every song. Diversity and excellence are the operative words here, and there are ample amounts of both. There are layers of heavy metal guitars, stand up vocals, and whirling and chirping synthesizers to fill that yearning you have for the vast expanse that is space. Whatever places your head may be in or wander off to; this is music that fills the void. And its space rock performed the right way. You won't find many more prog-rock albums this good on the shelf this year, well, at least until the Flower Kings release their new masterpiece in the fall. Lucassen has reached a creative apex on this recording and deserves to be recognized for his incredible creative efforts. He will be looked upon as one of those that blazed the path for prog-rock for many years to come. From beginning to end this is an exceptional recording.

Also was released as a single disc (disc 1) edition (IOMCD 099) and released in North America by the now defunct InsideOut Music America (IOMACD 2036)

Tracklisting:
Disc One: Lift-Off (1:13) / Set Your Controls (6:01) / High Moon (5:36) / Songs Of The Ocean (5:23) / Master Of Darkness (514) / The Eye Of Ra (7:34) / Sandrider (5:31) / Perfect Survivor (4:46) / Intergalactic Space Crusaders (5:22) / Starchild (9:04)

Disc Two: Hawkwind Medley (9:46) / Spaced Out (4:53) / Inseperable Enemies (4:15) / Space Oddity (4:59) / Starchild Mixed In Dolby Pro-Logic) (9:31) / Spaced Out (Alternative Version) (4:55)

Musicians:
Arjen Lucassen - guitars, keyboards, vocals, bass, mellotron, synths, Solina strings
Ed Warby - drums
Jens Johansson - keyboards
Erik Norlander - keyboards
Gary Wehrkamp - guitar solos

Russell Allen - vocals
Damian Wilson - vocals
Dan Swanö - vocals
Floor Jansen - vocals
Robert Soeterboek - backing vocals

Discography:
Ayreon - The Final Experiment (1995)
Ayreon - Actual Fantasy (1996)
Ayreon - Into The Electric Castle (1998)
Ayreon - The Univeral Migrator Part 1: The Dream Sequencer (2000)
Ayreon - The Universal Migrator Part 2: Flight Of The Migrator (2000)
Ayreon - Ayreonnauts Only
Ambeon - Fate Of A Dreamer (2001)
Arjen Anthony Lucassen's Star One - Space Metal (2002)
Arjen Anthony Lucassen's Star One - Live On Earth (2003)
Ayreon - The Human Equation (2004)
Ayreon - Actual Fantasy Revisited (2004)
Ayreon - The Final Experiment - Special Edition (2005)
Ayreon - 01011001 (2008)
Arjen Lucassen's Guilt Machine - Arjen Lucassen's Guilt Machine (2009)
Arjen Anthony Lucassen's Star One - Victims Of The Modern Age (2010)
Arjen Anthony Lucassen - Lost In The New Real (2012)

Genre: Progressive-Power Metal

Origin VA

Added: June 2nd 2002
Reviewer: Keith "Muzikman" Hannaleck
Score:
Artist website: www.ayreon.com/starone/so_index.html
Hits: 2149
Language: english