Actual Fantasy: Revisited

Faruk Ates

25-11-2004

Last weekend I visited the world's largest CD- and Records Fair in Utrecht, the Netherlands, where I was hoping to get an autograph or two from my all-time favorite artist, Ayreon. In this I succeeded, as well as in purchasing his latest album: Actual Fantasy: Revisited. A closer look at this release.

From the moment I held it in my hands, I was excited about it. Any time I get a new Ayreon album, I want to run to my stereo, pop it in and be away from the world for the next few hours. For 12 cd's already has each new release by Arjen Lucassen, the musical genius behind Ayreon, inspired me for writing, designing, dreaming and fantasizing.

So what is Actual Fantasy: Revisited all about? First off, it's a re-recording of the 1996 release, now in a CD and DVD-package with a 5.1 Surround mix on the DVD. More importantly, however, is the re-recording of the drums and bass for all songs. The original release had computer drums, chosen deliberately to give the album an electric feel and a very digital atmosphere. For the 2004 release, Arjen was hesitant about re-recording the drums because of that very reason.

Nevertheless, Ed Warby (ex-Gorefest), who is my personal hero when it comes to anything drumming, was asked to do the drums for the re-release. It turned out that when Ed had first heard the 1996 release, he had said: good album, but they should've let me do the drums - little did he know that 8 years later, he would be doing just that. To spice things up even more, at the risk of losing that highly electric feel of the original release, Arjen asked Peter Vink (ex-Finch) to do the bass guitar for the 2004 edition. Both Ed and Peter have worked for Ayreon projects in the past, with great succes. This all made me incredibly impatient in getting the Revisited album.

When I popped the CD in my surround set at home, I was greeted with a very crisp sounding Actual Fantasy! Promising, I thought. The hour that followed had me in a form of trance, listening closely to every song. Earlier that day, before heading to Utrecht, I had listened to the 1996 Actual Fantasy to have it fresh in my memory for when I would hear the new rendition. I have to say, I've been nothing but impressed by the 2004 release. The electric feel is still very much present, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

The most noticeable thing about Actual Fantasy: Revisited is the incredibly crisp sound of all the songs. The music really comes to life in this new version, with each of the instruments feeling more real, more alive and more powerful than before. Synths, drums, guitars and vocals blend together as a living creature, fighting to be heard and adored. There is spirit in this music: an energy that was mostly absent in the original version, but not noticeably so. It's simply the sheer strength and overwhelming force of the 2004 album that makes one realize that the original is kind of bland, even though it's a good album the way it is.

Where Computer Eyes, which is my favorite track on the album, feels like a musical rendition of the old Disney movie Tron, the new version is more like The Matrix. It features a peaceful buildup with instruments slowly adding themselves to the flavor, each one more fresh and vivid than the other, and all of it wrapped in a shiny modern case. As was to be expected, this is the trend for all songs on the new album. The only difference is that the various songs are more distinct from each other, with each of them getting this whole new layer of depth that puts them far beyond what they used to be, as well as giving them a more unique and lifelike identity.

The DVD that comes with it contains the 5.1 Surround mix of the 2004 release, as well as the 2.0 mix of the original 1996 album. Furthermore, it has the Stranger from Within videoclip that was made by three fans after the original album came out. The most interesting part, however, is the 11-minute Behind the Scenes featurette wherein we learn more about Arjen's recording process, the recruiting of Ed and Peter, and the recording of the songs with real drums and a new bass.

Overall, Actual Fantasy: Revisited is simply more powerful, more clean, more crisp and more complete in sound and feel than the original release. With Ed Warby's excellent drums and Peter Vink's great bass, Arjen's album from 1996 now truly comes to life. Combine this with the bonus DVD (regionfree) which contains both of the releases and more, as well as the pretty low price for the entire package (EUR 18.50, or USD 24,50) and you have a definite must-have for any Ayreon fan, or a must-hear for all fans of rock, metal or electric music in general.