A concept about science fiction? This is what Arjen Anthony Lucassen (Ayreon) has put together in a new band called
Star One. All 10 songs are based on science fiction movies, and the overall style is Symphonic Metal with progressive elements.
Arjen handles most of the music himself, accompanied by some special guests and Ed Warnby on drums. The main singers consist of Russel Allen, Damian Wilson, Floor Jansen and Dan Swansö.
In the following I will comet on some chosen songs that should describe the album pretty well.
Set Your Controls is a brilliant up-tempo power track. The extremely tight rhythm guitar rules, perfectly accompanied by a melodic keyboard tune. The singers function together in great harmony. The solid bass and technical drums are creating a great basic ground for the track. Clearly one of the best songs on the album.
High Moon begins with a dreaming atmospheric keyboard; it then goes into a really tight and solid rhythm with a powerful guitar riff. The chorus sounds solid and fits well into the grooving drums. This is a solid song but without the really genius stuff, that goes for quite a lot of the tracks on the album.
The Eye Of Ra has a very mystic feel to it. The enchanting vocal parts are working really well, creating a great mood. The calmness in the start of the song is broken by a grooving hard rhythm, which fades quickly. These shifting passages contribute in making this a monster song. The middle-section vocal parts are amazing and full of bombastic energy. The guitar lead is very melodic and well played, and the bass has a cool grooving edge to it.
The start of
Sandrider displays some strange keyboard tunes, but they work pretty well. The song is a mid-tempo track with some for me too strange vocal parts. The chorus is not that interesting and used too many times. The rhythm section is tight and solid. A song with successful passages, but also elements that are not that exiting.
Intergalactic Space Crusaders is a straight-ahead song. The intense vocals function really well, creating a lot if energy. The chorus is very melodic but also a bit stretched out. The slower vocal part in the song is quite good and fits nicely into the flow. The main rhythm of the song is a bit basic and lacks something really interesting. Even though it's above standard I still don't think that this is such an interesting song.
The dreaming atmosphere of
Starchild is a big plus on the record as a whole. But again when something really cool is going on something not that great happens. Here it is the strange distorted vocal passages I don't find that fitting or good. The acoustic guitar rhythm is working well with the brilliant background keyboard elements. The sudden break of a harmonious guitar solo is an interesting passage. The different changes in pace makes the song very interesting. The main rhythm is very tight and grooving, and overall this is very good and highly atmospheric track.
The vocals are a big plus for the overall impression of the album. They work very well together in creating some melodic and intense passages. The solid drums and heavy bass lay a very tight fundament. I find the raw and well played rhythm guitar of high importance for the record. The keyboard solos make some melodic and varied appearances here and there. The guitar solos are fitting in, but do not display something really fantastic.
The lyrical universe is pretty much laid down by the theme of the songs. I find them pretty good, although some can seem a bit distant and strange. Each song has it's own theme, like Alien, Dune and so on. So we are talking strange encounters, high tech machines, mystic wisdom and other interesting stories. The lyrics are split between different characters, and this is cool and interesting aspect.
The production is extremely good. I have few times heard such a grooving and tight sound. The balance is perfect, and the vocals are perfectly balanced.
CD 2 contains a couple of pretty good extra
Star One songs, a covertrack and a cover medley, and alternative mix of Starchild plus some fun!
All in all a very atmospheric and solid release.
Written by
Tommy Monday, March 17, 2003
Show all reviews by TommyRatingsTommy: 7.5/10Members: 8.5/10 - Average of 2 ratings.
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 | Steen (Staff)
Rating: 8.5/10
No no no Tommy, you're all wrong about Intergalactic Space Crusaders. The... · Read more · |
 | juice307
Rating: 8.5/10
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