Maximum Metal Rating Legend

From singer Arjen Anthony Lucassen, multi-instrumentalist musician and record producer, this marks his first release with his new label--Mascot Label Group.

As it has become accustomed with other Ayreon albums, this is a concept album. The story of The Source begins six billion years in the past relative to Earth on Planet Alpha, a world in the Andromeda system where computer intelligence has far surpassed that of humanity. The album has strong sci-fi themes of man's reliance on technology and our tendency toward cyclical destruction. This is a prequel to his seventh release, 01011001.

Like others, he assembled an all star cast of guest vocalists to portray the characters across the album, including James LaBrie (Dream Theater), Simone Simons (Epica), Floor Jansen (Nightwish), Hansi Kürsch (Blind Guardian), Tobias Sammet (Edguy, Avantasia), Tommy Karevik (Kamelot, Seventh Wonder), and Russell Allen (Symphony X), Tommy Rogers (Between the Buried and Me). Musicians include Marcel Coenen (Sun Caged), Guthrie Govan (The Aristocrats, ex-Asia) guitar solo, Maaike Peterse (Kingfisher Sky) cello, Joost van den Broek (ex-After Forever) grand piano and electric piano, Mark Kelly (Marillion) synthesizer.

The Source is an eclectic rock opera of progressive music with clean and often dramatic vocals. Musically, this is as clean as it gets both musically as well as production. The album features keyboards and a piano throughout, with very complex styling giving the listener the experience of going through space and time without leaving home. That is the best way to take a long journey. In short, The Source is worth listening to, he didn’t disappoint with his ninth release.