Star One - Space Metal (2002)^{Release ID: 11552}

Back during the early days of Ayreon when it's place was a bit stranger than it was today, there was Actual Fantasy, an album, rather than a concept album, took inspiration from various bits of media. (I struck to say sci-fi, because it's half Lucassen's dreams and half non-genre fiction) While this is wildly considered the worst Ayreon album, Lucassen's desire to explore the same general ideas as on that album, the usual knock-off of fantastical media, and Blake's 7.
There are four vocalists on this album, and they more or less appear on every song. Russell Allen of Symphony X, Dan Swano, Floor Jensen and Damian Wilson of Threshold and Arena. The problem here is that this album is like a later Symphony X album with a different keyboardist for half the songs. Allen dominates the album, sometimes to the detriment of the songs. But I must admit, Symphony X would at least have the guitar serve a purpose beyond half-hearted following along the keyboards. It's mildly annoying/amusing that a prog band treats the guitar as a bass and the bass as mostly non-existent.
This gives the impression I don't like the album, which is fair, but Lucassen rarely has much to criticize in the meat of his work. You either like his skills at the keyboard or you don't. The other three vocalists are impeccably chosen and the little keyboard flourishes are all very nice. There's just a certain amount of laziness that prevents me from fully loving the album. There's even this distinct habit for a bridge/chorus to go, someone singing/keyboard noodling/Floor sings, usually the title of the song. No manner how good the melodies are, once you notice that, you're going to notice it.
Expanded versions of the album add a few tracks, of note is a Hawkwind medley which has vocals from Dave Brock himself. It's a neat thing to hear, but gosh is it ever brief on the songs it covers. All in all a pretty good album.

You gotta admit, Arjen Lucassen is a true talented space metal genius. He can make a song with just a couple riffs and transform it into something beyond belief. I was once a fan of Ayreon and remembered the mind-blowing status of his albums. I suppose one day I can check out some of his former projects that I missed out on like Stream of Passion, but for now, let's escape into a wonderous dimension of progressive space metal!

Musically, Star One's debut picks up where Ayreon left off in Flight of the Migrator, including that album's heavier D-tuned sound. This time, only one of the two discs is the main album, and there are 4 vocalists in every song; Russell Allen, Floor Jansen, Damien Wilson, and Dan Swano. The music speaks in loud fury while in spacey beauty.

Beginning the album with mellow keyboards is the intro "Lift-Off" which is the perfect title in this space metal album. The upbeat heaviness ignites in "Set Your Controls". The deep synth/guitar momentum adds more heaviness to this song than any other Lucassen has made before then. Allen and Jansen's vocals stand out in "High Moon". With mid-tempo guitar heaviness, that song and the faster previous one are the best way to summarize what's next for the rest of the album. "Songs of the Ocean" is pretty good, though it sounds closer to the earlier hard rock of Deep Purple. Next track "Master of Darkness" is based on Star Wars. Being the Star Wars fan I am, I give the song a thumbs-up for that and the best Stratovarius-like guitar/keyboard soloing battle that greatly alternates with the climax lyrically based on the Skywalker father-son battle.

The ballad-ish 3-part epic "The Eye of Ra" breaks the earlier mid-tempo/fast pace and is so majestic, especially in the epic ending where all 4 vocalists plus background vocalist Robert Soeterboek sing in perfect harmony. "Sandrider" is a bit choppy in the riffing, but the pace is kept steady. Catchy strong vocals are performed by Swano and Jansen. "Perfect Survivor" is another slow track. It's not perfect but still solid. "Intergalactic Space Crusaders" is another brilliant highlight, as the keyboards, guitars, and vocals take you on a d*mn smooth galactic ride. Based on 2001: A Space Odyssey, "Starchild" is another long slow 3-part epic. However, unlike that other epic, the choir sounds a little annoying and pompous. The ballad-ish pace here is just too cheesy, though the song ends better than it began. Probably the weakest track here, but strong enough to maintain the 4.5-star rating for this album, or at least the standard edition...

The limited edition bonus disc starts with the kick-A "Hawkwind Medley" consisting of 9 different Hawkwind sections, with Dave Brock himself leading the vocal pack. "Spaced Out" is just straight-on rock. "Inseparable Enemies" has better guitar/synth harmonies. "Space Oddity" is a delightful cover of the David Bowie hit, sung by Lucassen himself. "Starchild" is given a slightly longer Dolby Pro-Logic remix, but it doesn't really improve much. Then there's a differently vocal-arranged version of "Spaced Out". The humorous hidden track "Intergalactic Laxative" (originally by Donovan) doesn't add much. Still most other limited edition bonus tracks are worth going that extra lightyear.

Having taken a break from my daily dose of metalcore/deathcore to check out a piece of Arjen Lucassen's prolific career, holy sh*t, I can still hear his amazing space magic! This Ayreon spin-off project of progressive metal with the speed of power metal and the cosmic vibe of Hawkwind is something not to miss out on. This man's a true genius!

Favorites: "Set Your Controls", "High Moon", "Master of Darkness", "The Eye of Ra", "Intergalactic Space Crusaders", "Hawkwind Medley", "Inseparable Enemies", "Space Oddity" (David Bowie cover)