INTO THE ELECTRIC CASTLE

This was the first Ayreon album I bought, and it still remains my favourite. One of the most appealing aspects of Ayreon is the impressive cast assembled for each release, and Into the Electric Castle has a fantastic collection of singers, including Fish, Damian Wilson and Sharon den Adel. Each singer plays a different character, each one with just the right amount of stereotypical features to add the perfect amount of cheese to the proceedings.

If you're a sci-fi fan, you'll love the plot. People from different periods in time all brought together in an alternate dimension in a bizarre experiment, orchestrated by a mysterious distant voice. They must journey into The Electric Castle, where their pasts and repressed emotions will push them to the limit. The first disc is, on the whole, a more light-hearted affair, the characters confusion causing them to argue as they try and get to grips with the situation. Some even begin to enjoy their 'amazing flight in space'. The second disc takes on a darker tone as the characters reach The Electric Castle, where they are truly tested. The music here can be brilliantly emotional as they have to choose between facing their pasts, or death. All the vocalists do a wonderful job, making the plot and music that much more effective.

As always, the music is brilliantly varied, using a whole myriad of styles and instruments, from blues and jazz-styled songs, to straight out metal. This is fused together so well, providing a level of complexity to please any prog-head, while remaining almost instantly accessible. Describing the style of music is difficult, as Ayreon have their own distinctive sound that doesn't completely fall into one genre.

If you're looking for a top-class concept album, this is for you. Arjen Lucassen is undoubtedly a genius, and I have no reservations in giving this the full five stars.