Universal Migrator
Mark Sander - DPRP
May 2000
Right at the start of this review, I should point out that I've been of a fan of Arjen Lucassen's Ayreon projects from the first CD in 1995. I consider his previous album, Into The Electric Castle the best CD of 1998 and would include it in any top ten list. So consider yourself warned about me being a little biased in favour of Mr. Lucassen's work. Having said that I should also point out that I've had some doubts about the idea of releasing two Ayreon CDs on which the quieter, atmospheric songs would be crammed on one CD and the rougher tracks on another. I've always felt it was the diversity between songs that made the Ayreon CDs outstanding. So let's see if Lucassen and collaborator Oscar Holleman have got away with it.
The first CD opens with The Dream Sequencer, a very good instrumental track, mixing elements of Alan Parsons with Gilmoresque guitar-style, before the typical Ayreon synths are mixed in.
Whether or not you will truly like My House On Mars depends for a very large part on your appreciation of the vocals of Johan Edlund (Tiamat). Though his style fits the melancholy mood of the song, I can't say this is the case for me. The instrumental section is quite good, though.
The comments concerning vocals on the previous track fit 2084 as well. To put it bluntly, I fail to be impressed by Lana Lane until the very last part of the track, where she manages to add some emotion to her performance. Great to have Clive Nolan back on an Ayreon CD, but his contribution is limited here, as is his appearance on the second CD. This is not a bad track, but it doesn't stand out either. Again the instrumentalists come off best.
The intro of One Small Step reminded me instantly of the Alan Parsons's Apollo, which is of course all the more striking, seeing as both pieces have the same subject matter. Edward Reekers has been my favourite Ayreon vocalist since The Final Experiment and it's only fitting that Lucassen has included him in the line up for this latest project. This track retains a subtle quiet throughout, until its climax.
The vocals of Mouse (Tuesday Child) on The Shooting Company Of Captain Francis B. Cocq sound eerily like Lucassen's own on previous Ayreon album, somewhat distorted, but very fitting in the overall Ayreon stable. Not a complex track, but I found it had immediate appeal. Maybe it's the subject matter...
Lana Lane is the only vocalist with a second track as lead singer. Dragon On The Sea is perhaps the better of her two songs, but I found myself still somewhat uncomfortable with her vocals. The easy going acoustic guitar fits perfectly with synths and keyboards. Drums are conspicuously absent and might have added a bit more edge to this track.
The choice of Temple Of The Cat for release as a single seems somewhat strange to me. Jacqueline Govaert's perfomance (Krezip) is in my view the best female appearance on the Universal Migrator project in this relaxed song. But the second CD does appear to have some tracks that would seem to have far greater commercial potential, even when they would obviously have to be edited for airplay. The most obvious choice would have to be Into The Black Hole with Bruce Dickinson, my overall favourite song from these CDs anyway.
Lucassen has only one song as lead singer on the Universal Migrator CDs in Carried By The Wind and it is striking that this time he hasn't distorted his own vocals in production as much as on other CDs. I've heard some derogatory remarks from friends about his earlier vocal performances (especially on Into The Electric Castle), but I've always enjoyed him in this role. This performance should silence those who felt that he couldn't sing.
And The Druids Turn To Stone is another favourite track on The Dream Sequencer, thanks in large part to Damian Wilson, one of the best singers around, who with Threshold got me interested again in progressive music with Psychedelicatessen back in '94, when I'd all but despaired at the entire genre. Maybe the track could have profited from some added energy.
The final song The First Man On Earth is perhaps the best on this album. Neal Morse's involvement is sure to attract new audiences to the Ayreon project, especially as he gives a convincing performance. In a way this track provides an ideal bridge to the second CD as it has an added harshness, absent from the previous material on this first album, with good electric guitar and drums.
The Dream Sequencer is not the best of the Universal Migrator CDs. It has some very good tracks, but lacks the cohesiveness of the second CD by letting most songs tell a story all of their own. In this way it's closer to Actual Fantasy than to Lucassen's previous concept albums. Most of the best songs are saved for last on this album, with Wilson and, especially, Morse giving good performances. I do feel justified in my initial unease about the division of melodic, atmospheric tracks and harsher material on two CDs. It backfires somewhat on The Dream Sequencer as it never reaches a real climax. The admittedly very good material here might have benefited from some powerhousing, even if only as instrumental parts. On the other hand, you have to applaud Lucassen for having the guts to go at it this way. I hope it works out for him.
There's really no reason not to recommend this album. Instrumentally it lives up to the quality I've come to expect on an Ayreon project. If some of the singers can't really make impress me, this is counterweighted by the good performances of others. The production value is high and sound quality is very good. There is just one "but" to add to this recommendation, though... Flight Of The Migrator is better.
Conclusion: 8 out of 10.