Universal Migrator, Pt. 1: The Dream Sequencer - Ayreon

Part one of The Universal Migrator, entitled The Dream Sequencer benefits from a much lessened aggression and a more electronic based direction than its sequel would have, and for me this better suits the 'space age' concept of the album. The opening track, The Dream Sequencer is a fantastic piece in which the voice of a computer programme (The Migrator) outlines someone's attempt to travel back in time, and in doing so the listener is thrown straight into an original sci-fi rock opera! One of the best tracks on the album is the female sung ballad 2084 which for me summed up everything Ayreon were trying to achieve with the album. It's difficult ...  Read the complete review

Arjen Lucassen's follow-up to his intricate rock opera 'Into the Electric Castle' is no less ambitious, but takes a much different approach. The two albums that comprise the 'Universal Migrator' were released independently in 2000 (more recently re-released and combined as an equally valid two-disc set), and although the project once again recruits talented vocalists to act out a voyage through time and space, each song across the two albums is presented as a self-contained segment led by a distinct vocalist, rather than an ensemble performance of characters throughout. More deviant still, the first album 'The Dream Sequencer' abandons Ayreon's heavy metal roots ...  Read the complete review