Universal Migrator Part 2: Flight of the Migrator
Encyclopedia
Universal Migrator Part 2: Flight of the Migrator is a progressive metal
album released in 2000 by Dutch multi-instrumentalist Arjen Lucassen
, and is the fifth album of his Ayreon
project.
The musical styles found on Flight of the Migrator contrast its counterpart The Dream Sequencer
, illustrating a wild, raucous journey through the tumultuous and chaotic reaches of outer space. In keeping with the setting of the story, the album's tone is much heavier, exuding a powerful, guitar-driven metal
feel throughout.
Both albums were released simultaneously, sold well and were received positively, with most fans purchasing both separate discs. In 2004, Lucassen moved to a new record label - InsideOut Music
- and with this move came re-issues of all the previous Ayreon releases, including The Dream Sequencer. The special edition re-issue merged both albums into a single release, titled Universal Migrator: Parts I & II.
As Universal Migrator had enough content to form a two-CD album
, Lucassen decided to sell each disc as a separate release. He believed his fans to be fundamentally divided into two groups by genre of choice, being either progressive rock
or heavy metal
fans. The Dream Sequencer was meant to appeal to the prog enthusiasts, and Flight of the Migrator to the metal fans, so that each could simply purchase the album of their choice, if so inclined, and to his surprise both fanbases bought and enjoyed both albums.
, and his decision to go even further back in time. Using the Dream Sequencer machine, he travels all the way back to just before the Universe
was formed, theoretically before the Big Bang
, when there was nothing but chaos. The colonist observes the creation of the very first soul, known as the Universal Migrator. It is from this soul that all others are formed, through a division of the original soul. Each resulting soul then travels off into the Universe to bring life in some form to the planet they inhabit.
The colonist follows the soul bound for Earth, as it travels through countless astronomical entities, such as quasars, pulsars, supernovas, eventually entering a black hole
, traveling through a wormhole
, and coming out the other side through a white hole
directed towards our Solar System
. The colonist's ambitious time travel subsequently overloads the Dream Sequencer, resulting in his death while hypnotized by the machine; however, his eternal self receives a message from the Migrator: "Eternity lies before you. You are the new Migrator!"
Progressive metal
Progressive metal is a subgenre of heavy metal originating in the United Kingdom and North America in the late 1980s...
album released in 2000 by Dutch multi-instrumentalist Arjen Lucassen
Arjen Anthony Lucassen
Arjen Anthony "Oswold Jr." Lucassen is a progressive metal/rock composer, singer and musician from the Netherlands, best known for his long-running progressive opera project titled Ayreon....
, and is the fifth album of his Ayreon
Ayreon
Ayreon is a project by Dutch composer and musician Arjen Anthony Lucassen.Ayreon's musical style derives mostly from heavy metal and progressive rock, but combines them with genres like folk, classical and electronica...
project.
The musical styles found on Flight of the Migrator contrast its counterpart The Dream Sequencer
Universal Migrator Part 1: The Dream Sequencer
Universal Migrator Part 1: The Dream Sequencer is a progressive rock album released in 2000 by Dutch multi-instrumentalist Arjen Lucassen, and is the fourth album of his Ayreon project....
, illustrating a wild, raucous journey through the tumultuous and chaotic reaches of outer space. In keeping with the setting of the story, the album's tone is much heavier, exuding a powerful, guitar-driven metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
feel throughout.
Both albums were released simultaneously, sold well and were received positively, with most fans purchasing both separate discs. In 2004, Lucassen moved to a new record label - InsideOut Music
InsideOut Music
Inside Out Music is a German independent record label based in Kleve, in the North Rhine-Westphalia region, and dedicated to the publication of progressive rock, progressive metal and related styles music albums.-History:...
- and with this move came re-issues of all the previous Ayreon releases, including The Dream Sequencer. The special edition re-issue merged both albums into a single release, titled Universal Migrator: Parts I & II.
As Universal Migrator had enough content to form a two-CD album
Double album
A double album is an audio album which spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically records and compact discs....
, Lucassen decided to sell each disc as a separate release. He believed his fans to be fundamentally divided into two groups by genre of choice, being either progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
or heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
fans. The Dream Sequencer was meant to appeal to the prog enthusiasts, and Flight of the Migrator to the metal fans, so that each could simply purchase the album of their choice, if so inclined, and to his surprise both fanbases bought and enjoyed both albums.
Plot background
Flight of the Migrator continues the story of the final living human being, the colonist on MarsMars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
, and his decision to go even further back in time. Using the Dream Sequencer machine, he travels all the way back to just before the Universe
Universe
The Universe is commonly defined as the totality of everything that exists, including all matter and energy, the planets, stars, galaxies, and the contents of intergalactic space. Definitions and usage vary and similar terms include the cosmos, the world and nature...
was formed, theoretically before the Big Bang
Big Bang
The Big Bang theory is the prevailing cosmological model that explains the early development of the Universe. According to the Big Bang theory, the Universe was once in an extremely hot and dense state which expanded rapidly. This rapid expansion caused the young Universe to cool and resulted in...
, when there was nothing but chaos. The colonist observes the creation of the very first soul, known as the Universal Migrator. It is from this soul that all others are formed, through a division of the original soul. Each resulting soul then travels off into the Universe to bring life in some form to the planet they inhabit.
The colonist follows the soul bound for Earth, as it travels through countless astronomical entities, such as quasars, pulsars, supernovas, eventually entering a black hole
Black hole
A black hole is a region of spacetime from which nothing, not even light, can escape. The theory of general relativity predicts that a sufficiently compact mass will deform spacetime to form a black hole. Around a black hole there is a mathematically defined surface called an event horizon that...
, traveling through a wormhole
Wormhole
In physics, a wormhole is a hypothetical topological feature of spacetime that would be, fundamentally, a "shortcut" through spacetime. For a simple visual explanation of a wormhole, consider spacetime visualized as a two-dimensional surface. If this surface is folded along a third dimension, it...
, and coming out the other side through a white hole
White hole
A white hole, in general relativity, is a hypothetical region of spacetime which cannot be entered from the outside, but from which matter and light may escape. In this sense it is the reverse of a black hole, which can be entered from the outside, but from which nothing, including light, may escape...
directed towards our Solar System
Solar System
The Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...
. The colonist's ambitious time travel subsequently overloads the Dream Sequencer, resulting in his death while hypnotized by the machine; however, his eternal self receives a message from the Migrator: "Eternity lies before you. You are the new Migrator!"
Reception
Allmusic reviewer Glenn Astarita felt that Flight of the Migrator wasn't as good as its counterpart, saying that "Lucassen's applied concepts and compositional acumen fare much better on the highly recommended 'The Dream Sequencer'."Track listing
Vocalists
- Lana LaneLana LaneLana Lane is a North American rock singer. She sings lead in her eponymous band, and has sung backing vocals for the band Rocket Scientists and guest sung on Ayreon and Erik Norlander albums....
- voice on track 1; backing vocals on tracks 4, 5, 6, and 9 - Russell AllenRussell AllenRussell Allen is the singer of the American progressive metal band Symphony X.-Biography:Before working with a rock band, he was a jouster at a Medieval Times Dinner Theater. He was introduced to the band Symphony X by former singer Rod Tyler...
(Symphony XSymphony XSymphony X is an American progressive metal band from Middletown, New Jersey.Founded in 1994 by guitarist Michael Romeo, their albums The Divine Wings of Tragedy and V: The New Mythology Suite have given the band considerable attention within the progressive metal community...
) - track 2 - Damian WilsonDamian WilsonDamian Wilson is a singer known in the progressive rock genre. He is lead singer with the band Headspace along with Adam Wakeman and is lead singer for Threshold....
(ThresholdThreshold (band)Threshold is a progressive metal band, formed in Surrey, UK in the late 1980s.-History:Threshold began their career in 1988, initially playing covers of metal groups like Ratt and Testament. As they continued playing together, they began to write their own songs, and eventually stopped playing...
) - backing vocals on track 2 - Ralf ScheepersRalf ScheepersRalf Scheepers is the current vocalist for German power metal outfit Primal Fear. He has a relatively high-pitched tenor-esque singing voice and sometimes uses a shriek reminiscent of Judas Priest's Rob Halford, although it is his baritone lows which give him a near 4 octave range in the modal...
(Primal FearPrimal Fear (band)Primal Fear is a German power metal and speed metal band formed in 1997 by Ralf Scheepers and Mat Sinner . Sinner & Scheepers formed the band after Ralf was not hired as Rob Halford's replacement in Judas Priest...
) - track 3 - Andi DerisAndi DerisAndreas "Andi" Deris is the vocalist and the main songwriter for power metal band Helloween, and co-founder and former lead singer of German melodic metal band Pink Cream 69...
(HelloweenHelloweenHelloween is a German power metal band founded in the mid 1980s by members of Iron Fist and Powerfool. The band was a pioneering force in the European Power Metal movement and their second and third studio albums, Keeper of the Seven Keys, Pt...
) - track 4 - Bruce DickinsonBruce DickinsonPaul Bruce Dickinson is an English singer, songwriter, airline pilot, fencer, broadcaster, author, screenwriter, actor and marketing director, best known as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden....
(Iron MaidenIron MaidenIron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
) - track 5 - Fabio LioneFabio LioneFabio Tordiglione is an Italian singer who has sung with many music bands including Rhapsody of Fire, Labyrinth, Ayreon, Vision Divine and Athena, and as a touring lead singer with American band Kamelot...
(Rhapsody of FireRhapsody of FireRhapsody of Fire is an Italian symphonic power metal band led by Alex Staropoli. Since forming in 1993, the band has released eight studio albums, one live album, two EPs, and a live DVD...
) - track 6 - Timo KotipeltoTimo KotipeltoTimo Antero Kotipelto is the vocalist of the Finnish power metal band Stratovarius and is the creator and vocalist of the power metal band Kotipelto...
(StratovariusStratovariusStratovarius are a Finnish power metal band that formed in 1984. Since their formation they have released 13 studio albums and one live album. Along with Helloween, Blind Guardian, Rhapsody of Fire and Gamma Ray, Stratovarius are considered one of the leading groups of the power metal and symphonic...
) - track 7 - Robert Soeterboek - track 8
- Ian Parry (ElegyElegy (Netherlands band)Elegy are a Dutch power metal band, founded in 1986 in Eindhoven. Their music is characterized by the fusion of power and progressive metal, which made them the pioneers of the 'progressive power metal' subgenre. The band was plagued by a continuing changing roster, which counts in the current...
) - track 9
Instrumentalists
- Arjen LucassenArjen Anthony LucassenArjen Anthony "Oswold Jr." Lucassen is a progressive metal/rock composer, singer and musician from the Netherlands, best known for his long-running progressive opera project titled Ayreon....
- electric and acoustic guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s, bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, analog synthesizers, MellotronMellotronThe Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin Music Master, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard intended for music...
, HammondHammond organThe Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
, additional keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
; guitar solos on tracks 1, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9 - Ed WarbyEd WarbyEdward R. Warby was born and raised in Rotterdam and is best known as the drummer for Gorefest and Ayreon.He also appeared in the band Agressor in 1982 and joined the Eindhoven-based prog-outfit Elegy in 1987...
- drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Erik NorlanderErik NorlanderErik Norlander is an American musician who describes himself as a 'keyboardist, composer, producer and engineer'. Norlander has produced albums for Rocket Scientists and his wife, Lana Lane. He also has a progressive rock solo project titled simply Erik Norlander...
- analog synthesizers, vocoderVocoderA vocoder is an analysis/synthesis system, mostly used for speech. In the encoder, the input is passed through a multiband filter, each band is passed through an envelope follower, and the control signals from the envelope followers are communicated to the decoder...
, Taurus pedalMoog TaurusThe Moog Taurus is a foot-operated analog synthesizer designed and manufactured by Moog Music from 1974 or 1975 to 1981. Commonly called the Taurus I, it has a 13-note organ-style pedal board similar to the pedal keyboard of a spinet organ.-History:...
, Hammond, additional keyboards; synthSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
solos on tracks 1, 3 (Hammond), 4, 5, 7 - Michael RomeoMichael RomeoSince 2005, Romeo has taken advantage of a new custom model, Caparison Dellinger II - Michael Romeo Custom, which he used to record the Symphony X album Paradise Lost...
- guitar solo on track 2 - Oscar Holleman - second guitar solo on track 4
- Gary WehrkampGary WehrkampGary Wehrkamp is an American musician, songwriter and producer. He is most notably a member of the American progressive rock band Shadow Gallery.-Personal life:...
- guitar and synth solo on track 6 - Rene Merkelbach - last synth solo on track 4
- Clive NolanClive NolanClive Nolan is a British musician, composer and producer who has played a prominent role in the recent development of progressive rock...
- second synth solo on track 5 - Keiko Kumagai - synth solo on track 9 (plus Hammond)
- Peter Siedlach - stringsString instrumentA string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
Technical
- Arjen LucassenArjen Anthony LucassenArjen Anthony "Oswold Jr." Lucassen is a progressive metal/rock composer, singer and musician from the Netherlands, best known for his long-running progressive opera project titled Ayreon....
- producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music... - Oscar Holleman - sound engineer
- Stephen van HaestregtStephen van HaestregtStephen van Haestregt is a Dutch drummer, best known as the drummer of the Dutch symphonic metal band Within Temptation....
- sound engineer - Jacques Marcoux - sleeve design and layout