Ayreon
Universal Migrator I, The Dream Sequencer
CD with Booklet

On June 20th, Arjen Lucassen gave us Universal Migrator Part I, The Dream Sequencer. On July 20th, 2000, Part II, Flight of the Migrator, followed, which was reviewed by me here. A total of 6 albums form a long narrative thread and each gets its own review. The Dream Sequencer is the third album.

In short: Ayreon makes progressive, metal rock music. Concept albums to which Arjen invites lots of guest musicians. Johan Edlund, Floor Jansen, Lana Lane, Clive Nolan, Neal Morse, Damian Wilson…

The last colonist on Mars enters a kind of dream machine called The Dream Sequencer. The Earth was destroyed in a nuclear war in 2084. The protagonist doesn't just dream, The Dream Sequencer reincarnates him into historical figures, right up to the first human on Earth. He experiences the war of 2084, the first flight to the moon, Rembrandt's hunting party, Queen Elizabeth I, druids at Stonehenge and the first human on Earth. Each of the exquisitely made songs is about one of these eras. Spacey, story-driven, progressive rock music, in contrast to the second album, which is much harder. This album is like a film, it "generates" images through music as you listen. That is Arjen Lucassen's great strength.

Highlights? The whole album is a highlight. "The Dream Sequencer" and "My House on Mars" are great. Atmospheric, incredibly spacey in their feel. "Dragon on the Sea", I see myself standing next to Elizabeth I, facing the Spanish Armada. Brilliantly sung by Lana Lane. Or "And the Druids turn to Stone", also brilliantly sung by Damian Wilson. Everything is just right here. The music, the singers. Mixing and mastering. The quality of the CD. If anyone doesn't like this album, then I can't help them.

Order of the albums of the “Forever” cycle, as I call it.
1995 The Final Experiment
1998 Into the Electric Castle
2000 Universal Migrator Part I „The Dream Sequencer“
2000 Universal Migrator Part II „Flight of the Migrator“
2004 The Human Equation
2008 0101100I

All images are from my Transmission promo CD. The rights to all motifs, logos, texts and fonts that can be seen in the photos are of course owned by the copyright holder.