Ayreon - Into the Electric Castle (1998)

Into the Electric Castle is the third release from Dutch composer Arjen A. Luccassen. The story follow eight characters from different periods of time who find themselves in another dimension. As they try to discover why they are their and what they are supposed to be doing, a voice rings out from the sky, telling them that they are in a dimension built on dreams and fears.

They must journey to the Electric Castle if they are to return to their own time, facing their deepest darkest fears in the process. Those that survive the journey arrive at the castle to find the voice belonging to an alien named Forever of the Stars. His race created Earth in order to study humans and their emotions, having lost the ability to have feelings long ago.

This massive prog rock opera clocks in at over one hundred minutes in length, and is split into two discs. Disc One details they characters journey to the castle, while Disc Two describes what occurs when they arrive their. As is typical for Luccassen's Ayreon project, he is supported by an all star cast of vocalists and instrumentalists including: Edwin Balogh as the Roman, Sharon den Adel as the Indian, Jay van Feggelen as the Barbarian, Fish as the Highlander,  Anneke van Giersbergen as the Egyptian, Edward Reekers as the Futureman, Damian Wilson as the Knight, Robert Westerholt and George Oosthoek as Death, Peter Daltry as Forever of the Stars, and finally Arjen Luccassen as the Hippie.

Disc One:

Welcome to the New Dimension - 3:06
Isis and Osiris - 11:11
Amazing Flight - 10:15
Time Beyond Time - 6:04
The Decision Tree (We're Alive) - 6:23
Tunnel of Light - 4:05
Across the Rainbow Bridge - 6:19

Disc Two:

The Garden of Emotions - 9:41
Valley of the Queens - 2:24
The Castle Hall - 5:49
Tower of Hope - 4:53
Cosmic Fusion - 7:27
The Mirror Maze - 6:34
Evil Devolution - 6:30
The Two Gates - 6:28
Forever of the Stars - 2:02
Another Time, Another Space - 5:20