UNIVERSAL MIGRATOR, PART 1: THE DREAM SEQUENCER

The storyline in part 1 is a journey through time, as opposed to its sequel, which is a journey through space. The story is less exciting than that of the Final Experiment and the Electric castle, and more just a few episodes of things that one man experiences while dreaming in a futuristic sci fi machine on planet mars.

Storywise, it also picks up from Final Experiment, which adds continuity to Arjen's story, while at the same time not making it a direct sequel. During the album, Arjen plucks several events from different time periods in history and sets the main character in the POV of a person from that time period.

Music wise, it splits Ayreon's then defined sound into its two main roots-progressive rock and heavy metal. This album deals with the progressive rock side of Ayreon. It is similar to Ambeon in that it's very melodic and surreal sounding, with lots of keyboards and it features lots of electronic sounds, which mix interestingly well with the ancient and historical imagery of the album.

The first and last songs of the album have a very Pink Floydish feel... that's certainly a plus for me, as they are my favourite band. It has many good melodies, both from instruments and from vocals. The vocalists each sing on one song rather than in many like in Electric Castle. And all the singers and magnificent.

I will admit that this album can take some getting used to, as it is very atmospheric and slow and quiet, and it honestly may put some people to sleep, or come across as boring. The best way to listen to this (and any) Ayreon album is from beginning to end without stopping.

Overall the album features a lot of electronic sounds and keyboards with beautiful voices. The album isn't very heavy, but if you don't like that, buy the sequel, which is a star powered progressive metal adventure through space!

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