Description

In 2007 and 2008 Ayreon released their '01011001' album and Avantasia, the slightly more metal orientated neighbour released 'The Scarecrow'. Both albums are filled with well known singers and musicians. In the promotional interviews that were done in the media the two albums kept on being compared. Tobias Sammet won Arjen Lucassens' frustration when he succeeded to get Alice Cooper on his album but Lucassen was able to get Bruce Dickinson to sing on one of his previous albums. This idea was translated to some sort of dual of the two masterminds. So Lucassen 'bashed' Sammet in the interviews, not for real but as some sort of running gag. Now this idea culminates in the release of the Alice Cooper classic 'Elected', where Lucassen and Sammet join forces. The song itself isn't a spectacular prog song so it is kind of funny to hear it with that full and bombastic Ayreon sound. At the end of the song you hear the two discuss the whole matter shortly. A funny move and I think that a new, more serious collaboration could be very well possible. The three other tracks are interesting; 'E=MC2' from the album '01011001' was performed by Arjen Lucassen with singer Marjan Welman in a Brussels radio studio acoustically and it is a nice and peaceful song like this. 'Ride The Comet' is the 'normal' ingredient of this EP; from the album, no special treats here. 'Day Six: Childhood' is just that, again with Marjan Welman but also with Joost van den Broek (After Forever) on piano. The track is from the previous album 'The Human Equation' and it stands strong, even when its stripped to an acoustic piece. Track listing: 1. Elected-Alice Cooper cover 2. E=MC2-acoustic 3. Ride The Comet 4. Day Six: Childhood-piano version