Ayreon

This might quite possibly be Arjen's best effort yet. Flawless, impressive, super cool!

A horrid collection of painfully boring atmospheric tracks with subpar melodies and very few high points, and the high points aren't very high.

How cool is that? Arjen Lucassen and Tobias Sammet join forces to record a cover of Alice Cooper's classic song "Elected".

This album is a strong follow up to The Human Equation. Very well produced with vocalists and musicians giving the best of them. It has its good moments (I could even say it has his great moments... some of the songs here are unbelievable) and also its cheezy parts like its predecessor.

A subpar concept album about an immortal and technological advanced alien race hooked on machines deciding to plant their DNA in a comet creating humans. To their disappointment, the humans got hooked on machines and myspace.

The music is carefully crafted, but for some reason, I find the music dull, unoriginal, monotonous, and overlong. There are tons of talented musicians and vocalist trying to save this album, to no avail.

I think this is Mr. Lucassen's best work so far. Production, musicians and especially the vocalists are nearly perfect, but what makes this album so unique and interesting is how it connects the previous albums ... they all become part of one largely consistent story (with the exception of Actual Fantasy of course). But not only the lyrics reference the previous albums, the songs are also re-visited and cunningly interwoven with new ideas. Pure brilliance!

I am stunned. For whatever reason, I’ve heard very little about Ayreon and The Human Equation. I took a chance and recently purchased this because someone told me that I might like it. Well, I think it is outstanding. This album grabbed me in the very first listen (not always a good thing) and has continued to thrill my ears on subsequent listens (definitely a good thing).

Unlike a lot of listeners, I have a softspot for double album rock operas such as this. When I consider albums that I consider to be prog masterpieces: The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (Genesis) and Snow (Spock’s Beard) are two albums that immediately come to mind. The Human Equation may be just as good (if not better) due to the amazing vocalists who all contribute to make this such a special listen.

Eric Clayton, Heather Findlay, Mikael Akerfeldt and Magnus Ekwall are the most noticeable in their performances, while the rest of the vocalists provide wonderful textures to this musical landscape. If I could change anything regarding the vocalists, I would have a little less LaBrie and a little more Clayton and Lucassen.

The entire two-disc album ... -> show full review

This is the most accessible Ayreon album, with many really good songs and awesome production (the re-release is a big improvement, with re-recorded drums). There's no big concept like on Electric Castle or The Human Equation, but the typical Ayreon spirit is more than enough to create a good flow.

What an amazing album! It's nearly perfect in every aspect. Compared to Into the Electric Castle it's a bit more polished and less experimental, but ItEC is not far behind. It's similarly to comparing Dream Theater - Scenes from a Memory and Dream Theater - Images & Words ... I simply can't decide!

One of my favorite prog rock/metal albums. I think that it's a little bit better than The Human Equation - it's more original and creative, while THE is more mature and balanced.

There are no weak songs on this album. The solos are lengthy, but never directionless. However, the whole package does take some time to grow on you. I give it 3 stars, but you might want to add a star if you're a "metalhead".

If you're not a musician, you might indeed find some passages boring and repetitive. It might have
something to do with the fact that many songs contain solos by different artists. If you don't know these artists, you might not recognize the "change of artist". All of the solos are beautiful and relevant - melody in favor of technique and "noodling".

For those that prefer more progressive stuff and a little less metal, I recommend Into the Electric Castle. This is the essence of Ayreon, even more so than The Human Equation. Both are masterpieces, but Into the Electric Castle is more over the top, which really is one of the key aspects of Ayreon. Consider this album as a short "journey" into the heavier realms, only to be topped a few years later by Lucassen's Star One.