INTO THE ELECTRIC CASTLE

Arjen Lucassen is a master of the Sci-Fi concept journey of the mind, and this album is the perfect example of his greatness. The music is superb, the lyrics are suberb, the concept, while a bit disjointed, is interesting and keeps the listener enthralled. It's all a perfect combination that created a stellar and breakthrough work.

Fish does a stellar job in the role as the Highlander, and the lyrics that he provided only prove more that he is a master of the art of lyric writing. Clive Nolan is superb as the keyboardist, his synth solos are breathtaking and flow smoothly with the music. Arjen Lucassen is also at the top of his game, with smooth and rich guitar solos, and incredible acoustic phrases. The sitar is used tastefully and well, as it creates many tones and moods in the songs that it is featured in. The flute is also superb, mixing with the powerful guitar much like in the Human Equation. The vocalists are also all incredible, the most notable ones being the two female vocalists, Sharon Den Adel and Anneke van Giersbergen.

The concept is what Lucassen calls an, "over-the-top-tongue-in-cheek science fiction story with exaggerated cliche characters." And he accomplishes this with precision and perfection. The story combines all different types of characters from different eras in time, and pits them towards challenges in an 'Electric Castle', where if they complete the tasks, they return to their times. Certain characters leave the story during certain songs, leaving the rest of the characters to fend for themselves.

Overall, this is a must-have album with few flaws. I recommend this to any fan of Progressive Metal. 4/5.