Warthur As I mentioned in my review of the other half of this divided double album, this one is the more metal side of the Universal Migrator concept - but, as with the first one, I feel that overall the experience would be improved had Arjen Lucassen trimmed down the songs to the absolute best ones so that he could put out a single really great album with proggy and metal moments in balance. You may slightly prefer this one if you prefer the metal side of Ayreon, but for my part I think it suffers just as much from filler as its other half.

Pelata Judging by the names of the musicians on the back of this CD case, someone would have to try really hard to make this a bad album. I mean, how could you go wrong with Russell Allen (Symphony X), Ralf Scheepers (Primal Fear), Ian Parry (Elegy), and (my god!) Bruce Dickinson (like you don’t know what band he’s from’) all on the same record! Throw in musical performances by the likes of Michael Romeo (guitar, Symphony X), Ed Warby (drums, Elegy, Gorefest), Gary Wehrkamp (keyboards, Shadow Gallery), and Erik Norlander (keyboards, Lana Lane) and the hair on the back of your neck should stand on end.

Ayreon is the brainchild of multi-instrumentalist Arjen Anthony Lucassen, former guitarist of Dutch hard rockers Vengeance. What he has done here is assemble some of the top names in the fields of power and progressive metal to help him perform a sort of ‘metal opera,’ following a science fiction, time travel storyline. The music, all written by Lucassen, is majestic, symphonic, progressive power metal at it’s absolute finest! Lead off track ‘Chaos’ is an adrenaline-charged instrumental fireball! The guitars, drums and keys all come together in a swirling maelstrom of sound, setting the tone for the rest of the album.

To go into every track individually would result in a four and a half page review, so I’ll just touch on the hot spots. ‘Dawn of a Million Souls’ begins the story in impeccable fashion. Russell Allen is in fine form vocally, giving a gutsy, soulful performance reminiscent of Headless Cross-era Tony Martin. The song itself is a powerful, majestic epic. Norlander’s Hammond organ gives it bottomless depth, while guest guitarist Michael Romeo shines almost blindingly on the solo. Its anthem-like chorus should stir the blood of power metal fans everywhere. Bruce Dickinson’s voice is in superb form on ‘Into the Black Hole.’ The song finds him singing in a soft, almost ballad-like voice over the atmospheric keyboards and liquidy guitar tone of the verses, then shifting into full ‘air raid siren’ mode on the chorus. He once again proves why he is a legend in the metal universe. ‘The New Migrator’ showcases the vocal talents of Elegy’s Ian Parry, as well as his penchant for well-written lyrics on part b) ‘Sleeper Awake’. The searing voice of Lana Lane permeates almost every song’s backing and harmony vocals. Most notably her chorus parts on ‘To The Quasar,’ where she shares the mic with Helloween’s Andi Deris, are almost guaranteed to get your fists in the air! ‘Into the Wormhole,’ featuring Rhapsody wailer Fabio Lione, is a Deep Purple-ish, upbeat groove rocker on the verses, with a rousing chorus. Ralf Scheepers’ trademark voice is a fine as I’ve ever heard it. It’s interesting to hear him singing over keyboard parts instead of Primal Fear’s massive guitars. Ed Warby, the lone drummer here, keeps all four limbs very busy throughout the duration of the disc. He proves his worth with great double kicks, tasteful fills, and impressive cymbal work. Lucassen’s production is, basically, flawless. The guitars are heavy and present, the keys are lush, the drums are tight and punchy, and the vocals are crystal-clear. It was co-mixed by Lucassen and Oscar Holleman, which I can’t fault Lucassen for seeing as how the mix is great.

There is so much music here, that it will take a few spins to soak it all in, but it’s well worth the time! To sum it all up, for a fan of prog power metal this record is a must have!

adg211288 Flight of the Migrator is the continuation of Ayreon's Universal Migrator album, but where the first part, The Dream Sequencer was light, progressive and atmospheric, and not at all metal this second half brings the metal back with a vengeance. I actual think The Dream Sequencer has the better songs of the two, but we've still got a pretty solid offering here. It’s still progressive but this is aimed at metal fans first and foremost. There isn’t a lot of light music to be had here, though there is noticeably more light stuff than there was heavy on The Dream Sequencer.

Vocal wise we have again one singer per song, one song each sort of thing. And we have some great vocalists from the metal scene here. Symphony X’s Russell Allen on Dawn of a Million Souls, Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson on Into the Black Hole, Rhapsody of Fire’s Fabio Lione on Through the Wormhole and Stratovarius’s Timo Kotipelto on Out of the White Hole. We also get the return of Robert Soeterboek and Ian Parry who once again provide great performances but once again get over-shadowed by the Ayreon newcomers.

Fittingly it is the songs that have the best singers that are also the best on the album. The best I have to say is Into the Black Hole. Dickinson’s vocals soar over great heavy metal riffs and the most progressive song structure on the album. Dawn of a Million Souls is a close second though. This and Through the Wormhole, Out of the White Hole and The New Migrator are far more rocking songs fit for head banging to. Chaos is also a great instrumental (aside from the spoken intro which is a part of the concept) intro for the album that defines the metal side of Ayreon. I normally detest intro songs but this one showcases what a talented musician Arjen Lucassen is with an excellent display of progressive lead guitar.

The only reason that I’m not giving this album a higher score is because of the fact that I just didn’t enjoy it as much as I’d have liked to. Not every song is a masterpiece and I prefer a bit more variety in my progressive metal albums, but overall I’d recommend it. Power metal fans will likely appreciate it the most because of the host of singers from the genre on Flight of the Migrator. As for me, part 1 is the better half. Solid album though, but on the lower end of the greatness of Ayreon's discography.

(Originally written for Heavy Metal Haven)

arcane-beautiful Ok, second part, the metal side.

In the last review when I said I would pick a favourite, I'm sad to say, that I slightly prefer the first part. I know this is almost blasphemous coming from quite a big metal fan, but to be honest, I thought the material and atmosphere just beat this album by a hair.

I though the line up of vocalists was better this time around and their wasn't any songs that I disliked, but it's one of those weird decisions that doesn't make sense, and to be honest it was a bit of a head scratcher.

Concept wise, the story goes beyond space and time, to the beginning of the universe, and the amazing Ayreon sound really does bring forth quite a bright imagination.

1. Chaos - Introduction, bit like the intro of the last album.Amazing progressive metal instrumental. Mesmerizing. 10/10

2. Dawn Of A Million Souls - Wow, what amazing vocals. The chorus is one of the best Ayreon chorus' I have ever heard. 10/10

3. Journey On The Waves Of Time - Some odd but cool arrangements. Killer vocals. 8/10

4. To The Quasar - The first part is pretty cool and well done. The main riff in the 2nd part is mammothly heavy. The chorus is pure cheese. 9/10

5. Into The Black Hole - How the hell did Arjen get Bruce Dickinson. We'll never know really. Quite dramatic. Great vocal performance. 9/10

6. Through The Wormhole - Musically it sounds like Steve Vai. Pretty cool vocals, although Fabian can do way better. 8/10

7. Out Of The White Hole - Great chorus and some kick ass guitar and organ work. Great vocals from Timo. 10/10

8. To The Solar System - Nice wee chorus, but a wee bit forgetful. 8/10

9. The New Migrator - Pretty epic ending. Great vocals and some kick ass riffs. 9/10

CONCLUSION: 2 albums are great, but this one is just a wee bit weaker. Both are worth the price, especially because you get 2 for the price of one, imagine that.

Conor Fynes 'Flight Of The Migrator' - Ayreon (71%)

This is a very cool, very psychedelic album. Theres a real feeling of travelling through space, and Arjen puts to use many cool effects. The musicianship on the album is also great. The intense instrumental opener 'Chaos' is probably the most technical effort Ayreon has ever done, and ever will do. Arjen even said himself that he needed to practice his guitar a few months before mastering the song! There are some great singers on this singer, most notably Fabio Leone (of Rhapsody Of Fire) and Bruce Dickenson (hailing from Iron Maiden fame.) The singers are for the most part used very well.

But why only 3 stars?

The album feels very one tracked; stuck to a single sound. It can get boring after an album, and from an artist like Ayreon, I'm really expecting more. Musically, it doesn't compare to the other albums in Ayreon's discography. This album's counterpart, 'The Dream Sequencer' highly overshadowed this release in terms of quality, but I can certainly see why someone would love this album. It's just not for me... Theres a real emotional lack to the musical craft, and while some songs really work well, others like the Dickenson track 'Into The Black Hole' can get really boring, and hurt the album.

The songwriting is good, and the atmospherics are FANTASTIC and are probably the album's high point. I just have never found a great amount of enjoyment in this album. There's nothing wrong with it, but besides 'Chaos,' there really aren't that many moments that stand out on this album.

Well done, but Ayreon's done much, much better.

AtomicCrimsonRush Universal Migrator is an intriguing concept epic album from the masterful Ayreon project. As usual this Cd features incredible vocal performances from all involved and has some low lights and some highlights but it all blends seamlessly into one great package. I purchased this with the special 2 CD package with part one and 2 together and when heard together this is the stronger of the 2. Heavier and featuring blistering compositions such as the magnifique 'Into the Black Hole' - Bruce Dickinson's contribution. Chaos is also a strong track that rings of the best Ayreon has produced. 'Dawn of a Million Souls' features Sympony X singer and is absolutely brilliant.

CD 2 features the second part to the saga and this is where the double album really takes off if you have that version. It is a much heavier album and features great chunky riffs and soaring lead guitar solos. There are some very riff heavy tracks and these are balanced by quieter moments. The booklet for both CDs is colourful and features iconic imagery. The sprawling concept is bookended on both CDs with the computer program effects. Overall I recommend getting hold of the double CD version that features parts 1 and 2 as it adds incredible depth to the concept. Part 2 is definitely the best in terms of a metal sound and great melodies throughout but they are both part of the whole and one cannot really exist without the other. The album is not as good as 'The Human Equation' but it certainly is one of the best Ayreon CDs. 4 stars.