New Ayreon in 2017

Lineup:



http://www.arjenlucassen.com/ay8/

Not familiar. Is it some sort of project?

Gilbert wrote:

Not familiar. Is it some sort of project?

Basically, yeah. It's been going on for a long time, though; there are like nine or ten albums overall, plus singles and EPs and such. Basically Arjen Anthony Lucassen writes nearly all of the music and lyrics, and then he brings on a ton of guest musicians for vocals and solos and such.

Not every album is great, but those that aren't are still really good. Some are absolutely brilliant.

I'm not familiar with this either but it sounds interesting.

A bit surprised Eric Clayton is not part of this again...

I usually check out each Ayreon release, mostly because of the impressive lineup of guest appearances. But they tend to be rather exhausting to listen to, particularly with the vocalist changing on every song.

I think the Theory of Everything might have been their best album so far. Quite mature, proggy, but very powerful, and not as repetitive. There were hardly any repeated choruses, and the songs were very short. I found that approach quite appealing. Maybe it's the way I listen to music, but I like to play 3-4 songs in a row, and then repeat play them. You don't necessarily need to repeat choruses, even if you have a great vocal melody. It organically builds up to the memorable parts, and then you can play the song again, and it won't wear off that fast!

It makes the album last better through repeated spins.

With all the guests, I have to say Michael Mills was the big surprise. He really stole the show.

Story was good, too. I liked it.

I'd agree with you that Theory of Everything is phenomenal.

I'd be interested to hear this new one just for Tommy Kerevik (from Seventh Wonder), Tommy Rogers (from Between the Buried and Me), and Guthrie Govan (aka one of the best guitarists alive right now).

I am very excited for this. Been an Arjen fan since Into the Electric Castle and enjoy all of his projects. The ambiguous climax to the Theory of Everything was brilliant, left a lot of possibilities open, even the potential paranormal explanation the conclusion hinted at.

The choice of singers are great, would still love to see him work with Rik Emmett though.

Luvers wrote:

The ambiguous climax to the Theory of Everything was brilliant, left a lot of possibilities open

Agreed. And welcome to the boards!

Lari wrote:

Luvers wrote:

The ambiguous climax to the Theory of Everything was brilliant, left a lot of possibilities open

Agreed. And welcome to the boards!

Thank you

The only Ayreon I own is Universal Migrator Parts I & II. It's certainly quality music, but not really something I visit often enough or feel the need to add anymore to my collection. Thought about it a few times, but the urge passes after awhile.

MetalGuy71 wrote:

The only Ayreon I own is Universal Migrator Parts I & II. It's certainly quality music, but not really something I visit often enough or feel the need to add anymore to my collection. Thought about it a few times, but the urge passes after awhile.

Those albums are my favorites. They're kind of unique in style, as were the three previous albums. I think The Human Equation, 01011001, and The Theory of Everything have maybe solidified the Ayreon "sound," if that makes sense. All three have a similar sound, whereas those that came before it were more individually unique.

Anyway, not sure if you'd like those albums more than the Universal Migrator albums, but you should definitely at least check out Devin Townsend on this song:



Usually Arjen writes the music and lyrics, but Devin requested that he be allowed to write his own lyrics and record his own vocals and...man, what he turned in is pretty badass! What Devin does on this song, though, gives me goosebumps every time. So unexpected and cool.

The thing with Ayreon is that they work better as a full album experience, not just a collection of singles. I don't mean that as a negative, but if I'm playing an Ayeron album, I need to hear the whole thing and take it in. I generally don't have that kind of time anymore.

"The Human Equation"

That's the one w/Eric Clayton on vox, bought it for that reason alone, but found it to be rather lackluster and quite boring...

Arjen Anthony Lucassen is a musical genius imho..

Human Equation, 01011001 is my favorite. Long double cd's. Takes a lot of effort to absorb it all. Worth the effort in the end. The DVD"s that show the recordings are very cool!

candlemass wrote:

"The Human Equation"

That's the one w/Eric Clayton on vox, bought it for that reason alone, but found it to be rather lackluster and quite boring...

You're nuts! Or you have ADD. That's an amazing record. Story and music.

Lari wrote:

candlemass wrote:

"The Human Equation"

That's the one w/Eric Clayton on vox, bought it for that reason alone, but found it to be rather lackluster and quite boring...

You're nuts! Or you have ADD. That's an amazing record. Story and music.

I love prog, just couldn't get into this one, perhaps I'll give it another shot...

New album cover.

Plugged into the Matrix?

Another great new song!



Sounds like a more inspired album this time around. The two new songs definitely have some new flavors mixed in.

I got this yesterday. I've only played the first "chronicle" so far, a couple of times.

I didn't know this was a continuation of the original Electric Castle/Migrator/0101 storyline. I thought Arjen would follow up with the Theory of Everything story which was left hanging.

I think after spinning the Source a few times, I'll have to give 0101 another listen. Seems very closely related especially to that album.

I got my copy recently. I loved The Theory of Everything but im rather glad that Arjen has returned to doing shorter songs. I'm not sure where yet I would rank this among my favorite albums , but definitely a great one! My personal favorite:

I've played it for a week now. Got through the entire album and story.

I have to say I'm left a little disappointed by the story. I mean, 0101 in itself wasn't the strongest thing Arjen has done lyrically, but this one is definitely overkill. It's essentially the same story. Ancestors of man escape their homeworld because technology has ruined it and computers have taken over. In 0101 their future lives were also taken over by technology so they 'seed' Earth. Mankind then gets ruined by technology.

What next? The ancestors of Planet Alpha have lived on a different planet before Alpha, but escaped because of technology? I'd rather hear a sequel to the Theory of Everything.

Music is good, and some of the highlights are just as good as on older Ayreon discs. I like the Aquatic Race and Star of Sirrah the best. I played 0101 also this week, and also in this regard maybe the Source falls a little short, because that one was pretty brilliant music-wise. Maybe it's the deeper tracks that haven't fully sunk in yet.

Of the Ayreon albums I own (everything since Electric Castle), the Source is probably my least favourite. But I remember I didn't instantly like the Theory of Everything either. And now it's probably my favourite.