UMUR "Space Metal" is debut full-length studio album by Ayreon mainman Arjen Anthony Lucassen´s sci-fi progressive metal project Star One. The album was released through InsideOut Music in May 2002.

The music on "Space Metal" is unmistakably in the sound and style of Arjen Anthony Lucassen. The man has a distinct sound and an original songwriting style which is recognisable regardless of project or band name. The music on "Space Metal" is inspired by seventies and eighties symphonic and epic heavy metal. The spacy synth sounds which remind me sligthly of Hawkwind are a bit different from the usual Ayreon sound and all lyrics are influenced by different science fiction movies, but it´s really only the choice of lyrical theme and the spacy synth sounds that set Star One apart from Ayreon. Most tracks on the album are in the heavy mid paced and epic symphonic style that we know so well from Ayreon, while the last song "Starchild" is more epic and slow building. The material are generally of a high standard.

What is always exciting about Lucassen´s projects is his choice of guest vocalists and "Space Metal" is no exception. There are four different vocalists on the album. Russell Allen (Symphony X), Damian Wilson (Ayreon, Threshold, Headspace), Dan Swanö (Edge of Sanity, Nightingale, Bloodbath, Maceration, Unicorn, Second Sky, Pan- thy-monium...among others) and the young female vocalist Floor Jansen (After Forever). They all sing different parts in the songs and in that way play different characters from the movies that the lyrics are about. This means that Russell Allen might sing the first vers of a song while Dan Swanö sings the chorus and Damian Wilson sings the second verse. This approach works brilliantly and and helps along the diversity of the album. The tracks are vers/chorus structured most of the time which gives them a somewhat formulaic sound. A few more experiments with that rather rigid formula could have worked wonders IMO.

Arjen Anthony Lucassen as usual plays all guitars, basses and keyboards except for a few guest appearences by people like Jens Johansson (Yngwie Malmsteen, Stratovarius) on keyboards and Gary Wehrkamp (Shadow Gallery) on guitar. The drums are as always on Lucassen´s projects played by Ed Warby (Gorefest).

The sound production is massive, heavy and clear.

From an objective point of view, there is not doubt "Space Metal" is a quality release, but personally it has always left me a bit cold. I hear brilliant vocal performances, professional instrumental performances and a detailed and professional sounding production but it´s the formulaic song structures that drags my rating down. Throw in a few surprises and "Space Metal" would have been a much more interesting album. Still a 3.5 star (70%) rating is fully deserved.

Bonus CD:

The special Edition of "Space Metal" features an extra CD with six tracks. Two of those tracks are alternate versions of "Starchild" and "Spaced Out". The other four bonus tracks are two outtakes, which are "Spaced Out" and "Inseperable Enemies" (both tracks are of equal quality to the tracks on the original album), while the last two tracks are a Hawkwind medley which includes among others "Silver Machine" and guest vocals by Dave Brock and "Space Oddity" by David Bowie. The Hawkwind medley is the most interesting extra feature on the bonus CD IMO but overall it´s a nice limited edition bonus CD which won´t change my overall rating though.

AtomicCrimsonRush Science Fiction themes and incredible metal make a formidable combination! Star One’s “Space Metal” is Ayreon’s pet project that never disappoints with incredible compositions based on sci fi themes from novels, TV and movies. There are some genuinely masterful metal riffs, some played at blinding speeds, others breathing melancholy ambience. I love the way the songs are based on well known sci fi themes, and one listen to the lyrics makes it obvious to the average sci fi freak, such as myself. It is a pleasant surprise when one discovers what the songs are about, which are usually excellent sci fi films. Part of the fun is finding within the lyrics the references to specific sci fi icons. The players are icons of prog metal including on vocals Russell Allen from Symphony X, Damian Wilson, Floor Jansen from after Forever, Irene Jansen of Karma, and Robert Soeterboek, as well as guest Dave Brock of Hawkwind. Arjen Anthony Lucassen is the main lead guitarist, joined by After Forever’s keyboardist Joost van den Broek, Peter Vink on bass, and Ed Warby on drums from Gorefest.

‘Lift-Off’ is a nice intro with spacey elements leading to ‘Set Your Controls’, a fast chugging riffer with awesome Ayreon style vocals. Manic keyboard wizardry, and cranking metal riffs drive this. The lead break is amazing, and this is one of the best album openers for Ayreon. Thematically it could be based on just about any saga where a spacecraft lifts off for an alien planet. Actually it is based on “Doctor Who” though you will have to listen carefully to pick up the references as I missed it and had to look it up.

‘High Moon’ has Deep Purple style grinding organ and the crawling metal riffs are awesome. The sound is huge with deep crunching riffs and slow vocals. It is all based on the movie “Outland” and certainly works as a tribute to the Sean Connery movie of the 70s. It follows the plot closely, the drugs, the deaths and the final shoot out in space. I love it.

‘Songs Of The Ocean’ has the trademark female and male voices working together that permeates the Ayreon albums. This one is based on “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home” where the whales are transmitting important messages that cannot be interpreted or answered when whales are extinct in the future. So the Enterprise has to go back in time to the 80s when whales existed. It is in interesting idea and Star One capitalises on this “we survived the human race, but don’t know the words to the songs of the ocean.” It is a memorable melody and has some nice submarine effects. It segues seamlessly into ‘Master Of Darkness’.

The next song is quite heavy with emotional deep vocals trading off with higher register vocals very effectively. Who is the master of darkness? Definitely based on the evil villain of just about any sci fi story. However this one is based on “Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back” though is not as blatant lyrically which is perhaps a good thing as it may have sounded corny if it had mentioned Luke or Darth Vader. ‘The Eye Of Ra’ is a longer song at 7:34, based on a traveller from another galaxy, finding a comet, gaining powers and finding a gateway to the stars; “Stargate” anyone? I am not a fan of the series but it definitely rings of the Egyptian themes in that saga. The song is great in any case, atmospheric and powerful, with great majestic vocals that are mixed to the front at the end but are a bit too bombastic really.

‘Sandrider’ must be based on “Dune” I speculated before I heard it, and I was right, Frank Herbert’s classic novel is given the Star One treatment with admirable guitar ferocity and some fantastic keyboards. The low vocals are effective; “I had seen places man has never seen, am I the one to fulfil the prophecy on the desert planet in our galaxy.” The Arabian style melodies enhance the atmosphere, as well as that brilliant lead guitar.

‘Perfect Survivor’ had me stumped for a while as to what is was based on until I heard the lyrics; “my secret mission brings me back to reality, I had to bring it back alive,” thus it is from the point of view of robot Ash in “Alien”. Other lyrics that indicate this include, “you should know that you all are expendable, I have been programmed to put you out of action.” The riffs in this track are killer and very dark and it is a definite highlight of the album. The odd time sigs are augmented by powerful lead breaks and the harmonies are great too.

‘Intergalactic Space Crusaders’ begins with shimmering organ and a steady chugging metal riff. The lyrics are about a prison in space, and a man who has had his memory blanked, innocent dying, and 7 people fighting against the Federation’s system, okay it is definitely “Blakes 7”. The lyrics “dominator, Liberator” make it even more blatant. Now that I have ascertained what it is about I can enjoy the lyrics even more. I love how Star One are using sci fi themes from my favourite movies and TV shows. This has a strong melodic chorus and delightful keyboard solos. A fantastic song, and incidentally the title of the ‘Star One’ name is lifted directly from an episode title in the “Blakes 7” series.

‘Starchild’ is a 9 minute progressive track based on “2001: A Space Odyssey” of course. I knew that before it even started and then hearing the atmospheric opening with spacey vocal chorus and weird lyrics; “touch me now and feel my force”, indicate the Monolith is speaking. Then we hear a different style of vocal singing, “something strange I feel confused I don’t know why, I’ve been designed to tell the truth, I cannot lie,” and it is obvious that HAL is speaking. It is interesting to hear from the computers POV here. It is one of my all time favourite movies so to hear it in song form is a compelling experience. Star One really captures the awe and mystery of Kubrick’s classic, and the lead break soars beautifully. The lyrics even touch on the trip through the stargate, the all-seeing eye and the transformation of Bowman to the Starchild.

Disc 2 is a great bonus on the Limited Edition running for only 41 minutes but well worth it for a couple of masterpieces. One of these is ‘Hawkwind Medley’ an awesome Hawkwind feast of memorable melodies clocking 9:40. It is made all the better as legendary Dave Brock is on vocals and this is a must for all Hawkwind fanatics. A simply brilliant tribute to the band and very heavy. We have a terrific medley of such classics as ‘Master of the Universe’, ‘Silver Machine’, ’Brainstorm’, ‘Assault and Battery’, ‘The War I Survived’, ‘Spirit of the Age’ among others. They blend together well and are an absolute delight to the ears.

‘Spaced Out’ is the next track of note, with a heavy riff and fast pace. The lyrics indicate that this is based on John Carpenter’s iconic debut movie “Dark Star”; “emergency override, information overload, we are all about to explode.” The keyboards on this are incredible and this rocks harder than a lot of stuff on CD 1.

‘Inseparable Enemies’ has a cool squealing riff driving it. The song is about the end of a war and coming to the realisation “that we are not alone”. The “fortress in space” with men dying in a blood red sky could be based on many sci fi films or TV shows I have seen, such as “Babylon 5” or “Fortress” for that matter. “The birth of a brand new race, the turning of a new page” gave it away, as this is actually based on “Enemy Mine”, though I had no idea till I looked that up. The music is a steady tempo and some accomplished vocals trading off enhance it.

‘Space Oddity’ is a darker amazing cover of Bowie’s well known classic. The vocals have a Bowie-esque flavour but this is way different musically, with low droning synths and keyboard pads. The bridge is atmospheric with echo vocals, and the crescendo is a blast of really heavy distorted crunching riffs, then a clean guitar takes over beautifully. The result is a stunning cover version enhancing the rather sparse original on every level.

There is also a cover version of Donovan’s ‘Intergalactic Laxative’, which works as a curio with some hilarious lyrics about the interminable problems of pooping in space. Moving on. ‘Starchild’ Mixed In Dolby Pro-Logic) is the same as the Disc 1 version apart from remastered mixing making it crisp and sharp. ‘Spaced Out’ (Alternative Version) is rather the same musically but the vocals are slightly different. Overall the bonus disc is worth getting for at least the cover versions.

Overall, the album is not the masterpiece of the follow up “Victims of the Modern Age” but this is still quality prog metal and has some fantastic songs and awesome sci fi themes to revel in.

bonnek Overkill. That could summarize this album in one word for me. There are some really good tunes here, great musicians, extraordinary vocalists and a pleasant mix of Electric Castle era Ayreon with vintage hard rock/space metal but it’s just too much. I would say it is even more overstated then its very fitting album art, and yet I find myself banging away at its catchy grooves and pathos laden vocals.

In fact, the album is saved by two factors. First of all, within the musical boundaries chosen for this album (70’s Rainbow and 80’s Hawkwind come to mind), most songs are really good hard-rock tunes. Secondly, the quality of Damien Wilson, Floor Jansen and Dan Swanö’s voices save the project from being just empty epic pathos. The music is professional but as with all Ayreon music it is rather studied and clinical. It lacks organic feel and emotive power. The great singers here compensate for this defect.

Almost 4 stars.

adg211288 Space Metal is actually a progressive metal album but with lyrics based around science fiction films and TV shows. It sounds cheesy on paper but it works really well. The debut album by the project which is led by Arjen Lucassen of Ayreon fame, it manages not to sound like Ayreon mark II however. Both may be progressive metal but this album provides a refreshing change to Lucassen’s huge concept albums. The only thing that is like Ayreon on here is the fact that there is more than one singer, four to be exact.

And what a four they are. First we have Symphony X’s Russell Allen, who in my opinion has one of the best voices for this sort of music. He provides the power behind the songs as well as some more gentle tones. His standouts on Space Metal are The Eye of Ra and Intergalactic Space Crusaders.

Secondly we have Damian Wilson of Threshold fame. He and Allen share the majority of the vocals on Space Metal, and they balance each other out well as there are no similarities between their voices. The duet between Wilson and Allen in Intergalactic Space Crusaders is essential listening.

Providing female vocals on the album is After Forever’s Floor Jansen. Although she has a great voice she is actually my only complaint about Space Metal, although through no fault of her own. She has simply been under-used, with her voice being very rarely heard in these songs. I find that a shame.

Last but not least is Dan Swano of Nightingale, whose voice is the only one not previously heard on an Ayreon album. I’d only heard him growling previously and his voice came as quite a surprise as he’s really versatile, and often opens up the songs on Space Metal. His haunting vocals in Starchild are amazing, I’d say that’s his standout point on the album.

Song wise the album is really strong too. Lucassen has opted to add an intro type track that sounds as if it could easily be a part of the first proper song, Set Your Controls. Tracks of this kind always seem like a stupid idea to me, although saying that, this one (titled Lift Off) is at least a piece of proper music, unlike some intro tracks I’ve heard. What bugs me the most about it is that the last chord doesn’t actually finish until Set Your Controls starts. It’s a perfect example of why I think Intro type tracks are generally a bad idea and should be avoided.

As I said, the songs on Space Metal are really strong, but I’ll give special mention to The Eye of Ra, Intergalactic Space Crusaders and Starchild. The Eye of Ra because it is the best song that uses the skills of all four of the singers. Intergalactic Space Crusaders because the vocal argument between Russell Allen and Damian Wilson. And Starchild mainly because of Dan Swano’s vocals and its progressive versatility.

But I have to give extra special mention to Perfect Survivor, which is based on Alien, solely because of how well thee film has been interrupted into song lyrics. I never used to like the song so much as some of the others but after many listens its become one of my favourites from the album. Damian's vocals are quite addictive here and it is actually the only song from Space Metal that I usually feel inclined to play on repeat.

All in all a very solid album. Not Lucassen's best but another solid addition to any fan's Lucassen/prog/metal collection.

(Originally written for Heavy Metal Haven)