STAR ONE's ARJEN LUCASSEN Interviewed On 'When Prog And Power Unite' (Audio)

Dutch composer/multi-instrumentalist Arjen Lucassen of STAR ONE and AYREON was recently interviewed by the "When Prog And Power Unite" weekly radio show. You can now listen to the chat using the audio player below.

A video trailer for "Victims Of The Modern Age", the new album from Lucassen's STAR ONE project, can be viewed below. The CD will be released via InsideOut Music in North America on October 25, InsideOut Music/EMI in Germany/Austria/Switzerland on October 29 and in the rest of Europe on November 1.

"Victims of the Modern Age" limited-edition mediabook:

CD1:

01. Down The Rabbit Hole (01:20)
02. Digital Rain (06:23)
03. Earth That Was (06:08)
04. Victim Of The Modern Age (06:27)
05. Human See, Human Do (05:14)
06. 24 Hours (07:20)
07. Cassandra Complex (05:24)
08. It's Alive, She's Alive, We're Alive (05:07)
09. It All Ends Here (09:46)
CD2 (Enhanced Multi-media CD):

Audio Tracks:

01. As The Crow Dies (04:42)
02. Two Plus Two Equals Five (05:04)
03. Lastday (04:46)
04. Closer To The Stars (05:11)
05. Knife Edge (ELP cover) (04:25)

Video:

01. The Making Of "Victims Of The Modern Age" (36:00)

Featured Artists

Vocals:

* Russell Allen (SYMPHONY X)
* Damian Wilson (HEADSPACE, THRESHOLD)
* Floor Jansen (AFTER FOREVER, REVAMP)
* Dan Swanö (NIGHTINGALE, SECOND SKY, EDGE OF SANITY)

Guest Vocalists, CD2:

* Tony Martin (BLACK SABBATH)
* Mike Andersson (CLOUDSCAPE, FULL FORCE, SILENT MEMORIAL)
* Rodney Blaze

Instrumentalists:

* Arjen Lucassen - Guitar, Keyboards
* Ed Warby (AYREON, HAIL OF BULLETS, GOREFEST) - Drums
* Peter Vink - Bass
* Joost van den Broek (AFTER FOREVER) - Keyboard Solos
* Gary Wehrkamp (SHADOW GALLERY) - Guitar Solos

"Earth That Was" is available for streaming using the audio player below (courtesy of AOL's Noisecreep). Lucassen told Noisecreep, "I wanted the new STAR ONE album to be heavier and more guitar-oriented than the first one. So I spent weeks trying out loads of guitar amps, microphones and speakers to dial in my ultimate dream guitar sound."

"Earth That Was" audio stream:

Lucassen has firmly established himself worldwide as driving force in progressive rock. While best known for his rock opera project AYREON, the multi-talented Dutchman also regularly embarks on musical side projects, which explore different aspects of Lucassen's musical personality. As his previous project (GUILT MACHINE's "On This Perfect Day", 2009) was a relatively relaxed and subtle affair, Lucassen's muses responded by urging him to record something loud, heavy and anything but subtle for this new release. Thus it was a perfect opportunity to launch his musical spacecraft towards the galaxy of bombastic sci-fi rock by revisiting his STAR ONE project.

"Victims Of The Modern Age" is the follow-up to the STAR ONE debut album, "Space Metal" (2002). Compared to "Space Metal", the overall sound of "Victims Of The Modern Age" is darker, heavier, more guitar-oriented, and slightly less "spacey". Arjen has also raised the bar significantly when it comes to the album's sound. "I think it's my best sounding album to date; it's a huge difference compared to the first STAR ONE," he says. "For the guitars I spent weeks experimenting with different amps and settings in every combination imaginable — and it was worth it. The drums sound fantastic, and the vocalists all outdid themselves, putting in even stronger performances than they did the first time around."

With its stellar musicianship, strong melodies, meticulous production and compelling concept, STAR ONE"Victims of the Modern Age" is yet another exciting project from one of rock's great visionaries.

Interview (audio):