Entry 282 - Ayreon - The Universal Migrator Part II: Flight of the Migrator

 

I can't just listen to the first part can I? These two albums are two parts of the same coin. Part 1 is the more methodical and contained of the two. Part II is far more varied and dynamic... yet somehow ends up being less interesting than part I.

It's not really that the album is bad, I think I just prefer the slower more deliberate pace of the first part. This one has a much more progressive/power feel to it which normally is not my thing.

The difference is felt right off the bat with Chaos. This track alone has more speed than any part of The Dream Sequencer. It's a fun ride of double bass drum and dueling guitars.

The upbeat pace continues throughout most of the album, and while I'm not the biggest fan of it most of the time I can't help but bob my head at certain points. There is one glaring exception to all of this though. The single greatest song in all of the Universal Migrator albums: Into the Black Hole.

Why is this song so great? Well for one the Pink Floyd mannerisms of the first album are combined with the power and dynamic song writing of the second. The song is also well over 10 minutes long giving it a lot of time to explore different ideas fully. Oh and this one guy named Bruce Fucking Dickenson is on lead vocals... don't know if you've ever heard of him but he's ok.

Thus ends the Universal Migrator duo of albums. Are these the best albums that Ayreon has put out? Probably not. They are pretty damn good though and I'm glad to finally have some Ayreon on wax. I missed the first round of pressings on these albums, happy to have them in my home.