Into The Electric Castle (Ayreon)

After releasing a few albums on a more obscure scale, Ayreon (Aka Arjen A. Lucassen) finally reached a new level of success with the release of his third effort. Musically, this album is the standard Ayreon mix of light and heavy constrasts with multiple vocalists and a few eclectic experiments along the way. Lyrically, the album tells the story of eight different souls of Earth that are taken from their respective time periods by a mysterious alien and forced to go through with his little research project. Kinda like a trippy sci-fi version of Saw. . .

Welcome to the New Dimension: Our journey begins with the usual ambient opening meant to build up some atmosphere. This particular bit is made memorable by spooky keyboards, crashing guitar chords towards the climax, and an unsettling spoken segment performed by Kaleidoscope/Fairfield Parlour vocalist Peter Daltery as the mysterious alien. A pretty decent start.
7 out of 10

Isis and Osiris: Now we come to the album's first real track, an eleven minute four part epic. The first part ("Let the Journey Begin") features vocal trade-offs between the Highlander (Played by the legendary Marillion vocalist Fish) and the Indian (Within Temptation vocalist Sharon den Adel) with some sweet accoustic backing and the Knight (Rick Wakeman/Threshold vocalist Damian Wilson) coming in towards the end, the second part ("The Hall Of Isis and Osiris") features more aggressive but exotic riffs backing a more commanding duet between the Roman (Omega vocalist Edwin Balogh) and the Egyptian (The Gathering vocalist Anneke van Giersbergen), the third part ("Strange Constellations") features a quieter spoken bit performed by Fish followed by some keyboard heavy jamming, and the final part ("Reprise") returns the song to its original style. A pretty awesome track that may be my favorite on the album.
10 out of 10

Amazing Flight: The alien's second spoken segment opens this song in a foreboding style, the first part of the song ("Amazing Flight In Space") features soulful trade-offs between the Barbarian (Bodine vocalist Jay van Feggelen) and the Hippie (Arjen himself. Leave it to Arjen to give himself the most amusing role. . .) backed by an unusual but welcome bluesy rhythm, and the other two parts of the song ("Stardance" and "Flying Colours") feature spacy keyboards and jazz flute, bass heavy guitar playing, and wordless vocals performed by the Indian. Another great tune, even though I still think the choice for Barbarian was quite an unusual one. Feggelen is certainly an awesome crooner, but he might not be as savage as the lyrics require. . .
10 out of 10

Time Beyond Time: We are now introduced to the remaining Earthling, who is none other than the Futureman (Kayak vocalist Edward Reeker). The song itself is a fairly mellow track that features gentle accoustic strums; subtle keyboards; vocals by the Futureman, the Knight, and the Roman; and another spacy solo section. Not as powerful as the songs before it, but still pretty good.
8 out of 10

The Decision Tree (We're Alive): The alien's third spoken segment opens this tune in a haunting fashion, the verses continue with a duet between the Barbarian and the Highlander backed by accoustic guitars and a bouncy rhythm, the chorus features more uplifting guitars and backing vocals performed by the other members of the cast with the Highlander in the lead, and the solo seciton brings in a heavier crunch. Another great addition.
9 out of 10

Tunnel Of Light: Another spoken bit opens this song; the verses continue with more somber accoustic guitar playing and melancholic vocals by the Highlander in his final song; the chorus provides more pleasant vocals courtesy of the Egyptian, the Knight, and the Roman. Not quite depressing, but an effective way to kill off Fish. Of course, I can't help but wonder why they terminated the most popular singer on here so quickly. . .
9 out of 10

Across The Rainbow Bridge: Dripping sounds and another spoken part open this song's introduction in a particularly dark fashion, the verses feature spooky guitars and mournful vocals by the Knight, the chorus features heavier riffs and vocals performed by the Roman, the bridge features soft/heavy riff trade-offs and amusing vocal lines performed by the Hippie ("I must be dead/Or stoned out of my head") followed by a spoken bit by the Alien that reminds me of a showman, and the song closes out on a heavier climax and a catchy duet between the Knight and the Roman. A pretty great close of the first act.
9 out of 10

The Garden of Emotions: After the sixth spoken segment, we go into another strong ten minute epic. The first part ("In The Garden Of Emotions") features a duet between the Hippie and the Egyptian backed by soft guitars/keyboards, a haunting chorus, and a few symphonic outbursts in between; the second part ("Voices In The Sky") brings in more menacing guitar chugs, trade-offs between the Barbarian and the Roman during the verses, and a keyboard heavy chorus sung by the Indian; and the third segment ("The Aggression Factor") comes to a quietly tense style dominated by the Indian, the Knight, and the Futureman; and the solos in between offer cool guitar and keyboard parts. Not as commanding as the first disc's main epic, but a great track.
9 out of 10

Valley of the Queens: One of the few solo tracks on the album. This song features melancholic guitars, nicely complementing keyboards and strings, a smooth flute solo, dark roars towards the end meant to symbolize Death, and soaring vocals performed by the Egyptian in her final song.
9 out of 10

The Castle Hall: Roars from the previous track mix with the alien's spoken parts during this song's introduction before a heavier Rush-esque riff opens the actual song, the verses and choruses continue in a haunting style with vocals contributed by the Barbarian and the Knight, and the instrumental sections throw in a mix of heavy and soft elements. Another neat track, though it would've been even better if a little more aggression thrown in.
9 out of 10

Tower Of Hope: As evidenced by the title, this may be the most upbeat track on the album. The dark sound of the previous track persists during the spoken introduction, the verses and choruses continue with a heavy but pleasant mid-tempo chug and a duet between the Hippie and the Futureman, and the solo section features some gritty guitar/keyboard trade-offs with a nice bass line underneath.
9 out of 10

Cosmic Fusion: Foreboding winds effects and spooky guitars/keyboards open the first part of the song ("I Soar On the Breeze") with haunting vocals by the Indian in control; the second part of the song ("Death's Grunt") suddenly takes the song into a more menacing direction and features the personification of Death (Within Temptation guitarist/vocalist Robert Westerholt and Orphanage vocalist George Oosthoek) in his/their sole performance, effectively killing off the Indian; and the final part ("The Passing Of An Eagle") is an instrumental bit that features shredding keyboards and guitars that remind me of Pink Floyd. Both of the women are now dead; anyone else thinking what I'm thinking?
8 out of 10

The Mirror Maze: Now we come to what may the album's most somber track. Yet another spoken bit opens this song in the usual haunting fashion, the first half ("Inside The Mirror Maze") continues with melancholic piano and echoing vocals courtesy of the Hippie (Wow, the one time he isn't the comic relief. . .) and the Futureman, and the second part ("Through The Mirror") features a heavier climax and catchy vocals provided by the Knight and the Roman. Where's the Barbarian? This song would've been quite fitting for him considering his less than favorable character. . .
10 out of 10

Evil Devolution: Another solo song with the Futureman performing the lead role. The song features bubbling sounds and the usual speech during the introduction, building keyboards and desperate croons during the verses, the chorus features some neat strings and nicely echoing vocals, and the solo section finally brings some crashing guitar riffs and haunting keyboard solos. Not as powerful as it could be, but a spooky addition.
8 out of 10

The Two Gates: The introduction of this song brings in the usual before going into some interesting keyboard parts, the verses continue with some strange vocal/keyboard harmonies dominated by the Barbarian, the chorus features backing vocals and heavier riffs accompanying the Roman's wails, the bridge features quieter keyboards and echoing vocals performed by the Barbarian in his final role, and the Knight closes out the final verse. Not as epic as it could've been, but a cool scene that would inspire a good deal of cheering if it was converted into a film. . .
8 out of 10

Forever of the Stars: Like the opening introduction, this song is completely dominated by the alien's particularly robotic spoken vocals (Revealing himself to be a mystic entity known as Forever Of The Stars) and more ambient keyboards. Another unsettling addition, though not quite a musical stand-out.
7 out of 10

Another Time, Another Space: More unsettling guitars and keyboards open this song nicely, the first set of verses continue with segments sung by the Hippie and the Futureman, the chorus is sung by both with heavier riffs thrown in, the second set are dominated by the Knight and the Roman with more uplifting piano and guitars joining in, the solo section features even heavier guitars/keyboard and echoing parts from previous songs, and Forever closes the song out with a single quotation. An unusual closer.
8 out of 10

Overall, this album gets 147 out of 170, 86%, and 4 stars. Like most Ayreon albums, its two disc format can be a lot to take in and the vocalists can be hit or miss at times. However, this album may be his best effort and is a strong example of an excellent rock/metal opera. It's probably be a good first purchase for a potential fan.