Arjen Lucassen’s Ayreon is a band quite unlike anything else out there. Pure, musical escapism, Into the Electric Castle, played here in full, is the closest thing yet to Star Trek The Musical (and no, Picard singing Gilbert and Sullivan in Insurrection doesn’t count), a connection further reinforced by the appearance of The Next Generation’s John ‘Q’ De Lancie. Returning to Tilburg’s 013 venue (the setting for 2017’s epic Universe set), Ayreon’s unique blend of music and theatre is highlighted as a massive cast (including Damian Wilson, Anneke Van Giersbergen, Simone Simons, Thijis Van Leer and Fish) perform a fable that sees eight characters transported to a mysterious realm by an all-powerful prankster. Broadly, Into The Electric Castle recalls Star Trek episode The Squire Of Gothos, as well as various Next Generation episodes and, whilst there is an inescapable sense of fun, the subtle element of danger that De Lancie always bought to his role on screen, is no less present here; making for a rewarding and musically sublime journey.
Voiced by De Lancie, the narrator has all ears upon him as he welcomes an enthusiastic audience to The New Dimension. His performance falls between exhilarating and camp, and, as with the mischievous Q, De Lancie plays the role with a twinkle in his eye. It sets the scene for the band to enter with the mammoth Isis And Osiris, a track that veers wildly between classic prog and the effervescent rock of Devin Townsend (a connection further cemented by the sublime Anneke Van Giersbergen). More characters are introduced on the funky Amazing Flight – Deep Purple filtered through hippie-era Pink Floyd – which sees a crunchy riff and bravura vocal performance contrasted against the trippy chorus. De Lancie returns to introduce Future Man for the Floyd-esque Time Beyond Time, a mesmerising, multi-layered piece that just seems to keep expanding but, as fans of the album will know, De Lancie’s trickery is never far away, and the synth-driven epic of The Decision Tree sees The Highlander (Fish) doomed to die before the journey can continue. It leaves the remaining wanderers heading through the Tunnel Of Light and Across The Rainbow Bridge towards the titular castle, where more will perish before the game is done.
With Forever gloating over the trapping of the mortals by the collapse of The Rainbow Bridge, the story progresses towards another tragedy as Anneke’s Egyptian loses her way in The Garden Of Emotions and, whilst Forever lends his pity to the character amidst the pastoral beauty of Valley Of The Queens, he’s less forgiving towards the remaining six, whose task is now to enter The Castle Hall, a haunted arena populated by suitably threatening demons. A lively highlight of the album, The Castle Hall is full of over-the-top metallic bluster and soaring vocals from the massed cast. Past The Tower Of Hope the heroes travel, before Forever plunges them into Cosmic Fusion, a three-part mini-epic that offers some of the album’s heaviest riffing.
The brief piano interlude Robby Valentine (not on the original album and exquisitely played by the titular pianist) leads us to The Mirror Maze and, with the number of mortals now reduced to five following the demise of Sharon den Adel’s The Indian, the stakes are higher than ever. Future Man (Edward Reekers) gets a chance to shine on Evil Devolution, a blazing piece complete with electric violin and a storming chorus, before the final test of The Two Gates offers a sinister choice in the vein of Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade. It’s built around a storming riff and, following a short revelation from Forever Of The Stars, the album comes to a conclusion with the whole cast on stage for Another Time, Another Space. It brings the whole to an immensely satisfying conclusion, not least as De Lancie prompts the entire crowd to “remember Forever!”
Not content with offering the original album in full, band and cast put on a remarkable encore, featuring a number of cuts from across Lucassen’s projects including: Stream Of Passion, The Gentle Storm, Ambeon, Guilt Machine, Star One and even a very special Marillion cover. These tracks, not personal favourites of Arjen’s, but rather those he thought would fit the concept, provide the perfect encore to the show (totalling nearly forty minutes of additional music in a generous gesture towards the fans). A listener’s favourite track will almost certainly hinge on their favourite Lucassen side project, but it’s certainly a pleasure to see Anneke get her teeth into Shores Of India (The Gentle Storm), whilst Guilt Machine’s Twisted Coil is a breath taking, atmospheric epic that proves darkly compelling and, in its latter stages, furious in its delivery. Although some might question the wisdom of the band tackling Marillion’s Kayleigh, there’s no doubting the power of hearing Fish deliver a track he’s not sung in decades, and if it sits awkwardly between Twisted Coil and the gonzo weirdness of Pink Beatles In A Purple Zeppelin, at least it’s a chance for fans to hear a classic sung by its original author for the first time in years. The show ends with the fast-paced Songs Of The Oceans, a well-chosen finale that sees the whole cast back on stage and the audience damn near cave the roof in on the venue with their appreciation. It brings this wide-eyed fantasia to a fine conclusion and a sense of fun pervades the whole that is utterly irresistible.
If the show weren’t enough, the visual formats (the show is available on both DVD and Blu Ray), which are exquisitely filmed, offer a whopping two hours or so of additional interviews and behind-the-scenes content for fans to get their teeth into. It’s too much, in all honesty, for anyone to get through in one setting; but that’s the joy and the myriad interviews are a pleasure to dip into when the mood takes you.
Unquestionably a progressive masterpiece, Into The Electric Castle takes on new life with this vibrant live version. The exquisite musicianship, astonishing cast and wonderfully family atmosphere that encompasses both band and audience, is both thrilling and heart-warming in equal measure and it makes for an unmissable show perfectly captured for the home audience. 9.5
