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"Without reaching the level of Arjen Lucassen's major works, "Star One - Revel In Time" remains a beautiful lesson of know-how, with some very nice moments."
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4/5
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It is Arjen Anthony Lucassen who has, from the beginning, best qualified the style of his project Star One: "space metal". Faithful to his strategy which gathers - in Star One, Ambeon or Ayreon - musicians of various horizons, he returns to his more metallic loves with a "Revel in Time" where we note with greed the presence of prestigious guests, among whom Steve Vai, Ross Jennings or Jeff Scott Soto.
The global recipe is known: by pressing on the aggressive side of the guitars, on the more "cosmic" sounds of the synths, on the higher tones of the singers, on the power of the drums (and its double-pedal), on the percussive riffs, by relying on an impeccable, dynamic and precise production, and by counting on the know-how of all the interpreters, Arjen Lucassen is sure of his business. The result is frighteningly efficient and delivers a collection of remarkable tracks... but often expected. Whether the tone is speed ('Fate of Man'), hard ('Black to The Past'), or almost heavy ('28 Days'), the tracks ensure but struggle to surprise, despite a science of break and vocal harmonies never taken in default.
But those who know Lucassen's productions know that, just as Arjen has always introduced metal in his progressive works (cf. Ayreon's "Flight of the Migrator"), he also likes to slip some progressive into his metal. And it is in these moments that the best of "Revel in Time" lies. In 'Prescient', which its creator says is "the most progressive track on the album", with the prominence of keyboards, a folk-tinged passage and a marked use of choirs and choral harmonies in dialogue that sets it apart. In 'Today Is Yesterday', when the title plays on the choral oppositions and caricatures the metal rhythmic, until the solo which plays with the codes in a rather delightful way. And in the ultimate 'Lost Children of the Universe': at the beginning the style revives at times with a grandiloquent epic choral style almost forgotten since "Actual Fantasy" and the opening of 'Abbey of Sin', then after the break, Steve Vai delivers a guitar solo which without being in the demonstration, is of a dazzling feeling.
Coming after a disappointing Ayreon's "Transitus", "Revel in Time" is a return to more conventional but safer values. Without reaching the level of the major works of the Dutch giant, it remains a beautiful lesson of know-how, enamelled with very nice moments. Note that the album is presented as a double CD, the second one offering alternative versions mainly marked by the change of singer. - Official website
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TRACK LISTING:
01. Fate of Man - 5:29 02. 28 Days (Till the End of Time) - 7:21 03. Prescient - 6:34 04. Back from the Past - 4:50 05. Revel in Time - 4:38 06. The Year of ’41 - 6:20 07. Bridge of Life - 5:14 08. Today is Yesterday - 5:46 09. A Hand on the Clock - 5:52 10. Beyond the Edge of it All - 4:52 11. Lost Children of the Universe - 9:46
LINEUP:
Arjen Lucassen: Guitares / Basse / Claviers Ed Warby: Batterie Erik Van Ittersum: Claviers Joost Van Den Broek: Claviers / Hammond Adrian Vandenberg: Guitares / Invité Alessandro Del Vecchio: Chant / Claviers / Invité Brittney Slayes: Chant / Invité Dan Swanö: Chant / Invité Jeff Scott Soto: Chant / Invité Joel Hoekstra: Guitares / Invité Marcel Singor: Guitares / Invité Michael Romeo: Guitares / Invité Micheal Mills: Chant / Invité Mike Andersson: Chant / Invité Ross Jennings : Chant / Invité Steve Vai: Guitares / Invité Will Shaw: Chant / Invité
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(0) MIND(S) FROM OUR READERS
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Top of the page
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(1) COMMENT(S)
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READERS
4/5 (3 view(s))
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STAFF:
3.5/5 (4 view(s))
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IN RELATION WITH ARJEN ANTHONY LUCASSEN
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OTHER REVIEWS
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OTHER(S) REVIEWS ABOUT ARJEN ANTHONY LUCASSEN
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