Headspace 2003

O Negative, Tiamat, Sisters of Mercy, and sixth album The Antidote finds the Portuguese group existing in its own unique, creative headspace. Bolstered by a thoroughly enveloping production - which carefully places lush, gothic textures into harsh, metallic realms, and vice versa - and accomplished, memorable songwriting, The Antidote is easily the group's most ambitious effort. The band utilizes a rich sonic palette that smartly balances melodic hooks, keyboard textures and an impressively strong foundation of steely guitar riffs; moody, rousing numbers ("Capricorn at Her Feet," "Crystal Gazing," "The Southern Deathstyle") mingle with lengthy, spacious excursions ("Lunar Still," "As We Eternally Sleep on It") and exemplary fist-pumping anthems that toe the line between the black/death metal grit and commercial sheen ("In and Above Men," "A Walk on the Darkside")…

With a career spanning more than three decades, composer and multi-instrumentalist Arjen 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 such as Ambeon, Guilt Machine and Star One. Arjen’s side projects all explore different aspects of his musical personality, with each new release being a creative reaction to the style of its predecessor. Star One is no exception.
The first Star One album, Space Metal (2002) was Arjen’s reaction to his previous project, the relatively soft Ambeon. After releasing the first few Ayreon albums, Arjen had noticed that many others were following in his footsteps and releasing their own rock operas…