SPACE METAL

Arjen's appropriately titled side-project is a tongue-in-cheek (I hope) album of straight-head progish metal music bearing many similarities to the excellent Ayreon; however, it lacks the sophistication, variability, and musicality of Arjen's much more polished project.

Star One is goofy-- there, I said it. It is so over the top with sci-fi clichés (lyrically and sonically) that it relegates itself to being little more than camp. The songs are mid-length and made dense with layered synth/effects which, when paired with the wailing timbre of Arjen's guitar, have the odd effect of making the listener want to listen to Ayreon, despite the fact that Star One IS Ayreon (from its sound, to its lineup). The songwriting here just isn't up to par, and while there are certainly a few outstanding moments of instrumental shredding, the vocals, melodies, and lyrics are simply boring.

Ultimately, Space Metal is one for those who really, really, like Ayreon-- and just can't get enough of Arjen's numerous double-CD offerings with that more interesting project.

Songwriting: 2 Instrumental Performances: 3 Lyrics/Vocals: 2 Style/Emotion/Replay: 2