GenuineImitation
01-12-2007, 11:32 PM
Ayreon
Ayreon is the project of musical genius Arjen Lucassen. The sound mainly is metal and prog, but there are other elements as well. One of the most noticeable things about Ayreon is that the albums are dubbed “rock operas”. Arjen has employed guest singers for his albums. The guests include Mikael Akerfeldt (Opeth), Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden), James LaBrie (Dream Theater) and Russell Allen (Symphony x), just to name a few.
Arjen Lucassen is the man behind the magic. He writes everything and invites others to sing (and occasionally play on the album). He does most of the instrumental work as well as sing. He really is a talented man. A lot of people associate a man like Trent Reznor to a term like musical genius. While Trent has made some brilliant albums, in my opinion, he is blown out of the water by Arjen.
The first Ayreon album was “Ayreon: The Final Experiment” and was released in 1995. The album is a concept album, with a deep rooted science fiction influence (like all Ayreon albums minuse The Human Equation). The following album, “Actual Fantasy” was released a year later and contained less singers than normal. This album inspired some of his later releases such as “The Universal Migrator”.
“Into the Electric Castle” was released in 1998 and is considered one of Arjens finest works, only rivaled by “The Human Equation”. This album is highly influenced by psychedelic rock, more so than metal. In 2000, Arjen released a double album entitle “The Universal Migrator Part 1&2”. The album was originally released as two separate albums, but due to the popularity, Arjen decided to release it as a two disc set. Part 1 is much more atmospheric, while disc 2 is the opposite. It is a straight forward metal opera. The main difference with this album is that each song has an individual singer, unlike other Ayreon works where there are several different singers per song.
2004 brought us the master piece known as “The Human Equation”. This album strays away from the scientific and fantasy themes, and is based on a man who is in a coma. It is the story of his life through flash backs, with each singer being a different emotion. James LaBrie plays “Me”, the main character’s thoughts. Mikael Akerfeltd is “fear” and sings whenever there is a memory of the main character showing fear. Other top notch singers are on this album and have different roles. This is my favorite Ayreon album.
I will be having a mailing list. So put your email.
Songs included”
Day 11: Love
Day 2: Isolation
Day 3: pain
Day 8: School
Dawn of a Million Souls
Computer-Reign
Day 12: Trauma
Ayreon is the project of musical genius Arjen Lucassen. The sound mainly is metal and prog, but there are other elements as well. One of the most noticeable things about Ayreon is that the albums are dubbed “rock operas”. Arjen has employed guest singers for his albums. The guests include Mikael Akerfeldt (Opeth), Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden), James LaBrie (Dream Theater) and Russell Allen (Symphony x), just to name a few.
Arjen Lucassen is the man behind the magic. He writes everything and invites others to sing (and occasionally play on the album). He does most of the instrumental work as well as sing. He really is a talented man. A lot of people associate a man like Trent Reznor to a term like musical genius. While Trent has made some brilliant albums, in my opinion, he is blown out of the water by Arjen.
The first Ayreon album was “Ayreon: The Final Experiment” and was released in 1995. The album is a concept album, with a deep rooted science fiction influence (like all Ayreon albums minuse The Human Equation). The following album, “Actual Fantasy” was released a year later and contained less singers than normal. This album inspired some of his later releases such as “The Universal Migrator”.
“Into the Electric Castle” was released in 1998 and is considered one of Arjens finest works, only rivaled by “The Human Equation”. This album is highly influenced by psychedelic rock, more so than metal. In 2000, Arjen released a double album entitle “The Universal Migrator Part 1&2”. The album was originally released as two separate albums, but due to the popularity, Arjen decided to release it as a two disc set. Part 1 is much more atmospheric, while disc 2 is the opposite. It is a straight forward metal opera. The main difference with this album is that each song has an individual singer, unlike other Ayreon works where there are several different singers per song.
2004 brought us the master piece known as “The Human Equation”. This album strays away from the scientific and fantasy themes, and is based on a man who is in a coma. It is the story of his life through flash backs, with each singer being a different emotion. James LaBrie plays “Me”, the main character’s thoughts. Mikael Akerfeltd is “fear” and sings whenever there is a memory of the main character showing fear. Other top notch singers are on this album and have different roles. This is my favorite Ayreon album.
I will be having a mailing list. So put your email.
Songs included”
Day 11: Love
Day 2: Isolation
Day 3: pain
Day 8: School
Dawn of a Million Souls
Computer-Reign
Day 12: Trauma