Ayreon - Universal Migrator Pt2 Flight Universal Migrator (9 tracks) +Album Reviews

The adventure continues...

Lord Chimp | Monkey World | 10/15/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Flight of the Migrator is part II of Arjen Lucassen's two-CD release The Universal Migrator. Continuing the story of part I, The Dream Sequencer, the Mars colonist has decided to "preincarnate" to beyond the beginning of the human race. There, he encounters the Universal Migrator, a spirit-like entity whose essence divides and creates human souls (assuming I understand what's happening). The colonist joins the Migrator on its quest through space, in search of the planet Earth. They check out a plethora of cosmic phenomena on their quest for the "blue planet."Where part I was musically ambient, beautiful, and melodic, part II adopts a symphonic metal approach for the journey through space and time. It's still heavily laced with keyboards (listen to the neoclassical-tinged keyboard/guitar interplay of "Chaos." Wow!), but it's definitely a metal album. If you've heard the other Ayreon work Into the Electric Castle, consider the occasional metal riffs from that album indicative of what you'll find here. The important difference is that Lucassen has assembled a bunch of metal vocalists to perform here. Big names include Bruce Dickinson (if you don't know what he's from you aren't cool), Russell Allen (Symphony X), Fabio Lione (Rhapsody), Timo Koltipelto (Stratovarius), and a bunch more. The awesome Lana Lane also makes a few appearances, only as a background singer though (unfortunately). The all-star performance is excellent and Lucassen's songwriting mostly good, if not great.I think the album suffers a few hang-ups though. Rhythms are often stiff, lacking enough groove to really get the songs rocking (a problem sometimes counteracted by striving vocal melodies). The chugging riffs are often constrained, stilted, and inflexible. Also, the lyrics are even more emotionally hollow than they were on The Dream Sequencer, but what's worse is that the words here don't create the same beautiful images as they did on Part I. If you ask me, a journey through space doesn't evoke the same kind of visions as a journey through history. One doesn't really relate to this kind of thing. I'm a chump though. I feel bad criticizing Ayreon albums because I admire all the work that goes into them. Full of ambition and a bunch of great musicians, each Ayreon work is a different and rewarding listen. Anyway, unless you have an adversity to metal, Flight of the Migrator is a good symphonic metal album and a good companion to your copy of The Dream Sequencer."

Heavy album from Ayreon with an all-star guest list

R. Gorham | 02/09/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"THE BAND: Arjen Lucassen (guitars, bass, synthesizers, Mellotron, Hammond/keyboards), Erik Norlander (synthesizers & keyboards), Ed Warby (drums & percussion). Along with the main players, there is a host of guest performers lending their talents here - Russel Allen and Michael Romeo (both from Symphony X), Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden), Damian Wilson (Threshold, Landmarq), Ralf Sheepers (Primar Fear), Clive Nolan (Arena, Shadowland), Andi Deris (Helloween), Gary Wehrkamp (Shadow Gallery), Erik Norlander (Lana Lane, Rocket Scientists), Fabio Lione (Athena, Labyrinth, Rhapsody Of Fire), Timo Kotipelto (Stratovarius), Ian Parry (Elegy), Oscar Holleman (guitars and engineering) and Robert Soeterboek (vocals).

THE DISC: (2000) 9 tracks clocking in at approximately 66 minutes. Included with the disc is a 20-page booklet containing band photos (as well as small photos of all the guest performers), song titles/credits/times, song lyrics, and thank you's. All music and lyrics written by Lucassen - except on subsections "Planet Of Blue" (Soeterboek) and "Sleeper Awake" (Parry). Recorded at the Electric Castle (Holland). Label - Transmission Records.

COMMENTS: This "Universal Migrator - Part 2 - Flight Of The Navigator" is much different than its predecessor (Part 1 - "The Dream Sequencer") released earlier in the same year. "Part 1" is more atmospheric- some heavy moments, but mostly laid back instrumentals, softer and very melodic in tone, reminiscent of some of Pink Floyd's 1970's material. "Part 2" is more of a progressive rock/metal opera of an album. "Flight Of The Navigator" subject matter focuses on astronomy, light, energy, radiation and the Big Bang Theory... it is indeed a trip for the aural senses. Track 1 straps you into your space ship and immediately takes you on a fast-paced instrumental (for me, reminds me of old Spock's Beard). Some great guitar work here rivaled by keyboards and some incredible drumming. "Dawn Of A Million Souls" introduces Symphony X's vocalist Russel Allen and guitar wizard Michael Romeo (a nicely arranged mid-tempo song, with several ups and downs - and orchestra strings). Ralf Sheepers sings on track 3 - "Journey On The Waves Of Time" (highlights being the keyboard/Hammond solo)... and Sheepers can still hit the high notes. "To The Quasar" (track 4) is the 2nd longest song on the disc at 8+ minutes. The song is divided into 2 sections - the first part being fairly subdued and includes some great acoustic guitar, the 2nd half being pretty heavy - highlighted by Deris' vocals, some cool synth sound effects and a heavy chugging rhythm guitar. Track 5, "Into The Black Hole" is divided into 3 sections and is the longest track at over 10 minutes... this is Bruce Dickinson's song from start to finish. There are so many great songs on "Flight Of The Navigator", but this 5th song is my favorite here. Being a huge Iron Maiden my have something to do with it - but, the melody is simply outstanding (several peaks and valleys) and the guitars are ultra heavy. "Through The Worm Hole" is a good song (featuring Lione on vocals) though probably my least favorite on the disc. "Out Of The White Hole" (also divided into 3 sections) sung by Timo Kotipelto, is perhaps my 2nd favorite track here. Another wonderfully written song featuring fast and slow sections, great vocals, perfect keyboards and heavy guitars. Track 8 is a good progressive song as well, featuring Robert Soeterboek on vocals. The album closes with an anthem-like tune that starts out slow and finishes fast (Ian Parry sings while Lucassen's guitar shreds in the background). There are only a couple of weak tracks here, but it's overall a very solid listen. There are so many intriguing things here - the song writing, Lucassen's amazing guitars, some great keyboards, and the quality of guest performers. Ayreon has several albums - with each release seeming to lean in a slightly different direction. The mood of the listener is the key. This "Flight Of The Navigator" is definitely a progressive album, with many dashes of heavy metal infused throughout. Want a lighter/softer listen - go with "Part 1". Want a rougher ride to get your blood moving, go with this "Part 2" (4.5 stars)."

Awesome, and then some

D. Crain | NJ United States | 12/25/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've had the migrator for a year or so now, and I've listened to it quite a bit. I've just listened to it for the first time in several months, and I just realized how totally awesome it is. I've been listening to things like Cairo, Flower Kings, UK, Liquid Tension, etc. And I just decided to spin this one and I remembered how totally amazing it is. So much complex music, written and organized with lots of proficient musicians, with a story to tell. Great metal passages, lots of pounding rythms, great metal vocals (usually a weak spot), no whining. I love Ayreons other works just as much. This one just rocks. Dream Sequencer is another eclectic assemblage of musos and complex writing (at least Lana Lane actually sings on that one.,..) But don't be fooled, this one stands on its own as a great work. No, its not perfect, but think of what this guy does... He gathers lots of progressive and progmetal people together, gives them things to play, then assembles it into a coherent collection of tunes, then he actually sells the stuff.Thanks for keeping the music coming and can't wait till theres more"

Universal Migrator Part 2: Flight of the Migrator

Murat Batmaz | Istanbul, Turkey | 10/31/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Flight of the Migrator is the second part of Ayreon's Universal Migrator double album; but it has another significance in Arjen Lucassen's almost 25-year long career. This is Ayreon's breakthrough album in prog metal, especially because of its unimaginable line-up of vocalists. Some of these singers are (in order of appearance on the album) Russel Allen from Symphony X, Damian Wilson from both previous Ayreon albums and Threshold, Ralf Scheepers from Primal Fear, Andi Deris from Helloween, Bruce Dickinson from Iron Maiden and Timo Kotipelto from Stratovarius. The list of musicians on the record are equally impressive: Erik Norlander and Clive Nolan on keyboards, Michael Romeo (Symphony X) and Gary Wehrkamp (Shadow Gallery) on guitars, and long-time 'godly' drummer Ed Warby. Needless to say, the prog community was taken by storm when they heard the involvement of all these talented musicians, and thus, 5 years after its inception, Ayreon finally made its name known throughout the world. While this record wouldn't make my favourites list, I believe there are some amazing moments and songs here that may easily surpass most bands' best works.

FOTM is the heavier part of the concept. Please note that, when I say 'heavy', I mean that by Ayreon's standards. If you check this out, you may think it isn't all that heavy compared to some of your favourite prog bands, but within the Ayreon catalog, it certainly has its own place in terms of the heaviness factor, particularly if you pop this disc in after listening to The Dream Sequencer. Arjen Lucassen's music has never been about being technically efficient or musically heavy, he has always, in his long career, strived for making 'good' compositions and finding relevant melodies to the highly creative concepts he comes up with. "Chaos" kicks things off with a spoken intro similar to that on TDS; the somewhat neoclassical arrangement is impressive indeed, but what really blows my mind every time I play this tune is Ed Warby's fascinating drumming -- TWICE!! Yes, he puts down a significant solo somewhere in the middle of the song and before you can regain your composure he lays down another one, only more wicked, proving that he is a terribly overlooked talent indeed. "Dawn of a Million Souls" is one of the most known tracks off this record; Russel Allen's vocal performance needs no explanation. The guy is out of this world. He recorded the song in his home studio and sent the copy to Arjen. I remember Arjen saying his eyes filled with tears when he first heard the song on the phone. Allen's bandmate Michael Romeo also performs in this track. He as always plays with melody and virtuosity. The chromatic riff in the solo is technically almost impossible.

Despite the Symphony X guys' killer performance, my favourite song on this CD is the 10 plus minute epic "Into the Black Hole" sung by none other than the godly Bruce Dickinson. I know it took Arjen a very long time to get Bruce to sing on the record, but once they joined forces, they created nothing short of a masterpiece. Structurally the song has an eerily dark intro with a brooding tone. Clive Nolan performs the keys here and it adds to the atmosphere. Bruce Dickinson did this track in only three takes but his performance puts most of his work with Maiden to shame. Arjen has given him a lot of room to showcase his talents as a singer as opposed to cramming lyrics in the scale. This song also contains one of his best screams ever recorded. It saddens me to think that the Star One project never happened with Bruce. After performing on this track, Bruce Dickinson was so pleased with Arjen's songwriting that he decided to have him compose the music for his upcoming solo record. The project, however, never took off the ground because of Bruce Dickinson's management and thus turned into the Star One - Space Metal disc with four other fantastic vocalists.

Unfortunately there are some weaker moments on this disc as well. With the inclusion of Power Metal vocalists Fabio Lione, Ralf Scheepers and Timo Kotipelto, I believe some of the songs fell a certain distance off the mark. No offense to Lione or Kotipelto, they're no doubt amazing singers, but they have more fitting vocal styles for the Power Metal genre. They are simply not as versatile as the others. Of the three I mostly enjoy Ralf Scheepers delivery because he sings out of his role in his former band Gamma Ray and Primal Fear and his song contains a beautiful jazzy interlude similar to the stuff you'd hear on Dream Theater's SFAM. The Fabio Lione-sung "Through the Wormhole" features a terrific guitar solo by Gary Wehrkamp. It is playful, fast and dangerously melodic. It's no wonder why Arjen worked with him again in Star One.

Like I said, FOTM is far from being my favourite Ayreon album. Still it's a very solid release overall with some killer moments both musically and vocal-wise. Getting over 135 minutes of music for the price of a single CD is a chance you shouldn't miss. I know the Universal Migrator records were poorly distributed because of Arjen's previous label, so here is Inside Out's offer progheads shouldn't turn down."

Prog With A Metal Edge

Sven B. Schreiber | Fürth (Bayern) | 11/18/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Dutch guitarist, bassist, keyboarder, and composer Arjen Anthony Lucassen is an interesting musician: Each CD he publishes sounds different from all of his previous ones, but each one is a masterpiece in its own right. Part II of the epic deep-space opera "Universal Migrator", titled "Flight Of The Migrator", musically describes the flight and return of the "Migrator" to Mother Earth. Contrary to Part I of the saga, which had a definite "New Age" feeling, Part II is very loud, hard, and heavy. It features many guest stars from today's leading ProgRock bands, like Keiko Kumagai (Ars Nova), Clive Nolan (Pendragon, Shadowland, Arena, Stangers On A Train), Michael Romeo (Symphony X), Gary Wehrkamp (Shadow Gallery), Damian Wilson (Landmarq), and many more. This is clearly one of the most outstanding albums of the year 2000!"

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