LIVE ON EARTH (CD/DVD)

When I first heard Star One's Space Metal (Limited Edition) at my dad's, we sort of immediately went off to buy the DVD. I don't remember clearly how it went, but I'm sure glad it happened.

'Tis a rare chance nowadays seeing Arjen live, and unfortunately I didn't start going to gigs until 2003 (Star One tour was 2002...and I didn't like metal back then.), so again a good reason for being glad it was recorded. :)

Space rock...you either love it or hate it, I guess. It's cool with me in any way. What we have here is a spacey blueish progmetal band that consists of some very very talented people who obviously have a lot of fun together. Just mix Joost van den Broek (ex-SUN CAGED, AFTER FOREVER), Peter Vink (ex-Q65, ex-FINCH), Ed Warby (ex- GOREFEST), Arjen Lucassen (ex-BODINE, ex-VENGEANCE, AYREON), Russell Allen (SYMPHONY X), Floor Jansen (AFTER FOREVER), Irene Jansen (ex-KARMA), Ewa Albering (ex-QUIDAM), Damian Wilson (ex-THRESHOLD, ex-LANDMARQ, ex-RICK WAKEMAN), and Robert Soeterboek (COTTON SOETERBOEK BAND, ex-WICKED SENSATION), and you get this amazing concert. Unfortunately Dan Swano couldn't make it, so Robert replaces him. He sung on albums like Space Metal and Actual Fantasy anyway.

It definately has a live feeling to it. Lots of special effects, neat lighting... some songs sound different, but equally good, if not better, than on the studio albums. Songs are played from "The Final Experiment", "Into The Electric Castle", "The Dream Sequencer", "Flight of the Migrator" and "Space Metal". "Actual Fantasy" is only represented with the title song, an acoustic 2 minute nothing, unfortunately.

Of course there's loads of Arjen songs I'm dying to hear live, but fortunately there's quite a good collection of them here. From more acoustic ones such as 'Isis and Osiris" (with Ewa on flute), to metally such as "Dawn of a Million Souls" and "Into The Black Hole".

The extras include "Space Truckin' ", "Dreamtime" sung by Edward Reekers (KAYAK), and various other stuff. The two audio CD's contain everything but the keyboard and bass solos the DVD has, and that's just fine.

Funny note: My bass teacher actually knows Peter Vink in person, and told me Peter's technique of letting notes repeat is taken from one of his idols, Jaco Pastorius. ;)

The conclusion? A very memorable concert from the Mastermind of Metal. There is very very little I dislike on this DVD. If you like Ayreon and/or Star One, you'll be making a good purchase with this DVD box. My rating? It's rare, but...5 stars. I can't give anything else.

Yours, Tailscent

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