Star One is the latest project from
Arjen Anthony Lucassen (the man who almost single-handedly is Aryeon).
Lucassen seems to like to assemble groups of musicians to record his works under various band names. Such is the case with this project. The group here has cut loose with their first project, entitled
Space Metal. With a title like that, one might expect to hear a more hard-edged version of the space rock sounds of bands like
Hawkwind. That is not, however, the case. Instead,
Lucassen and his cohorts (
Ed Warby,
Sir Russel Allen,
Damian Wilson,
Dan Swano, Floor Jansen, and various guests) make music that is more like a cross between
Emerson, Lake & Palmer and
Deep Purple. Of course, the neo-symphonic modes for which
Lucassen seems to have such a fondness also appear. The result is an intriguing combo that seems a bit contrived and sterile at times, but certainly should please fans of the prog metal genre.