AYREON — Actual Fantasy (review)

Album · 1996 · Progressive Metal

4/5 · 2011-03-06
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Actual Fantasy is the second album from Arjen Lucassen as a part of his Ayreon project. The album was originally released in 1996. A new version, Actual Fantasy Revisited, was released in 2004. There are some significant differences between both such as the computerised instruments being removed in favour of real ones (the first version of the album did not even have proper drums on it) and some changes in the actual music here and there, basically the parts that Arjen Lucassen did not like about the original have now been corrected. There is also an extra track, The Dawn of Man, which although featured on a 1998 reissue of the album, did not appear on the original 1996 version.

Ayreon began as progressive metal with the first album of what is commonly known as the ‘metal opera’ genre. Arjen Lucassen used many different singers are came up with an elaborate plot to make an amazing concept album. This is the follow-up to that ground breaking album and it is a huge departure in nearly every way possible. It’s still progressive metal of course, but with the compositions being perhaps more progressively inclined than on the previous album. There are also less singers. Only three to be exact with Arjen Lucassen making a single vocal appearance in Forevermore. But what a three they are. Returning to Ayreon is Edward Reekers and Robert Soeterboek and also appearing is Okkie Huysdens in his first and to date only appearance with Ayreon. What we have here is three men whose voice are all different from each other and it is easy to tell them from each other. This more than makes up for the small amount of vocalists.

Lyrically this has nothing to do with the concept behind the other Ayreon albums. Instead we find a selection of short stories but with songs that are anything but short. Excluding the title track which serves as an intro to the album the shortest song on here is 6:31 with an average of over seven minutes for most of the album. The trouble that there are a couple of moments in the songs that could use a bit of trimming down. Some songs are good but just that bit too long and they move into slightly boring territories. It’s not a major fault because it's only on a few rare occasions that I feel like this, but it is really the one thing that is keeping Actual Fantasy’s score lower than what I would give the other Ayreon albums. There’s not really anything else to complain about other than that, aside that it is not what I would have expected of an Ayreon album and therefore I just don’t enjoy it so much. But it has good guitar playing and some great lyrics and progressive elements.

Overall Actual Fantasy is probably the weakest of Arjen Lucassen's Ayreon discography, but it' still a nice solid album that betters many albums by other artists and as always a worthy addition to anyone's Lucassen collection.

(Originally written for Heavy Metal Haven)