Of course, it’s well produced with the guitars possessing a decent crunch and the suitably Goth synths up front, with one part of the sisters Mol, Magriet having the typically soaring The Gathering/Lacuna Coil like voice, while her other half, Karin Mol surprisingly and competently provides the drums. Stylistically, Asrai seem to want a piece of the ever growing female fronted metal group pie, as they are bereft of male grunts or overly aggressive tracks, instead relying on catchy mid paced tempos with the occasional darkly romantic ballad thrown in. It’s all well put together and well delivered but nothing too awfully original, especially considering the competition within the genre.

The opening duo of ‘In Front of Me’ and the addictively catchy ‘Pale Light’ immediately offer up two foot-tapping ‘singles’ that cry for European air play with their semi-pop take on New Wave, Goth tinged rock. ‘Whisper’ gives us the first expanded ballad of sorts with the usual moody pacing and tearful tirades of lost love. ‘Restless’ continues the expected sober mood even if laced with some vaguely menacing guitars that actually give the song some girth despites Ms. Mol’s evocative crooning. The title track, as expected, is a standout with a nice mix of earthy guitar tones and an angelic veneer from the vocals and synth work.

However, the rest of the album seems to level off into inexplicably predictable and rather forgetful territory as ‘Tower’ meanders with a moody, listless New Wave retro/punk paranoia (think Kate Bush/Cyndi Lauper) and ‘Dream’ and ‘Child’ while competent, are simply full of Goth Rock structures and tempos you’ve heard a hundred times before, including a Middle Eastern interlude and child’s voice sample.

The doom like quake of ‘Garden’ redeems the albums latter half somewhat though. The Lacuna Coil-esque anthem of ‘Shadows’ gives the album a respectful but name dropping climax to an acceptable but hardly necessary album from a band that’s tried for 16 years (under different guises) to make a mark. They’ve chosen the right genre, but still haven’t done quite enough to make it as big as their obvious peers.

Floor Jensen is most fully blessed by thy hands, as her voice is the uttermost superior of any so-called ‘opera’ singers within thy gates. Her majestic, rich, soulful strains utterly demolish any other singers in her most worthy path. The mighty warriors you have placed at her side certainly bear your mark and seal and regal kings within their appointed dominions. Their newest offering Invisible Circles is truly and unequivocally your Metallic Will for all within the Operatic Metal Realms to bear witness to and allow to saturate their aural senses. Send forth ‘Digital Deceit’, ‘Blind Pain’, & ‘Beautiful Emptiness’ into their very souls and engulf them in thy Blinding Glory! Forgive, O Metal Ones, do not smite me! In return, I vow to tell all who will listen about thy servant After Forever. I will expel my dying breath declaring their superiority and ultimate, everlasting’.uh’kick-ass-ness to the masses.

Hear me, O minions of the Operatic Metal Realms! Deny your false idols and worship the Gods of Metal at the altar of After Forever!

Ayreon is the brainchild of multi-instrumentalist Arjen Anthony Lucassen, former guitarist of Dutch hard rockers Vengeance. What he has done here is assemble some of the top names in the fields of power and progressive metal to help him perform a sort of ‘metal opera,’ following a science fiction, time travel storyline. The music, all written by Lucassen, is majestic, symphonic, progressive power metal at it’s absolute finest! Lead off track ‘Chaos’ is an adrenaline-charged instrumental fireball! The guitars, drums and keys all come together in a swirling maelstrom of sound, setting the tone for the rest of the album.

To go into every track individually would result in a four and a half page review, so I’ll just touch on the hot spots. ‘Dawn of a Million Souls’ begins the story in impeccable fashion. Russell Allen is in fine form vocally, giving a gutsy, soulful performance reminiscent of Headless Cross-era Tony Martin. The song itself is a powerful, majestic epic. Norlander’s Hammond organ gives it bottomless depth, while guest guitarist Michael Romeo shines almost blindingly on the solo. Its anthem-like chorus should stir the blood of power metal fans everywhere. Bruce Dickinson’s voice is in superb form on ‘Into the Black Hole.’ The song finds him singing in a soft, almost ballad-like voice over the atmospheric keyboards and liquidy guitar tone of the verses, then shifting into full ‘air raid siren’ mode on the chorus. He once again proves why he is a legend in the metal universe. ‘The New Migrator’ showcases the vocal talents of Elegy’s Ian Parry, as well as his penchant for well-written lyrics on part b) ‘Sleeper Awake’. The searing voice of Lana Lane permeates almost every song’s backing and harmony vocals. Most notably her chorus parts on ‘To The Quasar,’ where she shares the mic with Helloween’s Andi Deris, are almost guaranteed to get your fists in the air! ‘Into the Wormhole,’ featuring Rhapsody wailer Fabio Lione, is a Deep Purple-ish, upbeat groove rocker on the verses, with a rousing chorus. Ralf Scheepers’ trademark voice is a fine as I’ve ever heard it. It’s interesting to hear him singing over keyboard parts instead of Primal Fear’s massive guitars. Ed Warby, the lone drummer here, keeps all four limbs very busy throughout the duration of the disc. He proves his worth with great double kicks, tasteful fills, and impressive cymbal work. Lucassen’s production is, basically, flawless. The guitars are heavy and present, the keys are lush, the drums are tight and punchy, and the vocals are crystal-clear. It was co-mixed by Lucassen and Oscar Holleman, which I can’t fault Lucassen for seeing as how the mix is great.

There is so much music here, that it will take a few spins to soak it all in, but it’s well worth the time! To sum it all up, for a fan of prog power metal this record is a must have!