Star Trek’s Q, John de Lancie, narrates prog rock on new special edition album from Ayreon

John de Lancie appears on Ayreon’s “Electric Castle Live and Other Tales”

Are you a fan of John de Lancie? Are you a fan of prog rock? Admittedly, the subset of people who fall into both those categories might be pretty niche, but whether you’re already a fan, or perhaps are prog rock-curious, then there’s a new and also old album that you’ll definitely want to check out.

Prog rock band/guy Ayreon recently released a deluxe 5-Disc photobook version of their album “Into the Electric Castle”. Or more accurately, it’s an album of 2019’s live performance of 1998’s “Into the Electric Castle”. According to the Amazon Editorial Review for the album, “Ayreon - Electric Castle Live and Other Tales” was recorded over four nights in Tilburg in The Netherlands, and features the original album singers and musicians, special guests, and live narration by Q himself, John de Lancie.

Amazon says of the album, “‘Into The Electric Castle’ is a classic tale of an epic quest. Set in ‘no time and no space’, it tells the story of eight individuals who are guided by a mysterious voice and tasked with finding the mysterious Electric Castle and discover what's inside.”

“Electric Castle Live and Other Tales” contains not only the entire concert recording, including de Lancie’s narration, but it also includes nearly 3 hours of bonus material (including a “making of” documentary), and a 44-page book with photos and liner notes.

You can get this special-edition album from Amazon.com, or from a number of other retailers; it’s also available on multiple streaming services.