Star One

Star One

Star One is a Dutch progressive metal supergroup and side-project of Arjen Anthony Lucassen, also released under the name Arjen Anthony Lucassen's Star One. The group forms in 2002 and remains active. Its line-up includes Lucassen and Russell Allen.

Style and concept

The project works within metal, power metal, progressive metal, progressive rock and space rock. Unlike Ayreon, it does not follow a single continuous storyline. Instead, each track tells a separate science-fiction story, with many songs based on existing films and television series. The name comes from the second season finale of Blake's 7.

Origins and development

Star One emerges from material first developed for an abandoned collaboration between Lucassen and Iron Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson in 2002. Dickinson proposes the idea, and the two exchange concepts and create four songs, with Lucassen writing the music and Dickinson writing the lyrics. The project ends after Lucassen mentions it online and Dickinson's manager stops the negotiations. Lucassen then adds his own lyrics to the existing music and turns the material into Star One.

Albums

The debut album, Space Metal, establishes the project’s sci-fi and concept-based approach. A second album, Victims of the Modern Age, follows in 2010. Lucassen later says that the project is not finished, and he also works on a third album titled Revel in Time under the name Arjen Anthony Lucassen's Star One.

Activity and status

Lucassen gives mixed public comments about whether another Star One album will appear, at one point suggesting it is possible and later saying he does not want to repeat the atmosphere of the first record. He also states in interviews in 2009 that Star One is not dead and that he is working on new material.