Donde esta los eldorado, Benjamino?
No sé, pero he oído que hay tocino
OK so it's done, we're here.
1. Ayreon - The Human EquationSo here it is, my favourite album of all time, although I didn’t realize it was my favourite until quite recently. I definitely didn’t ‘get’ this album on first listen, in fact I didn’t really like it that much, but after reading up about the concept and actively following the storyline whilst listening I found myself becoming more and more immersed in the world that Arjen Lucassen has created. I’m not really a concept album fan, and in fact I’m not hugely enamored with Ayreon’s other albums, but something about this record just resonates within me and I love it more and more with every listen.
What I find particularly fascinating about this album is how I respond to it emotionally. I don’t tend to get emotionally invested with much of the media I take in; I’ve never cried at a film or TV show, nor do I often empathise with the problems facing the characters therein, but I care for the characters in The Human Equation as if I know them personally, and I feel their pain, loss, sadness and elation with every listen. This is the only record I’ve ever heard which has taken me through such a wringer of emotions. Day Thirteen brings me to tears on every listen, Day Seven always makes me smile, Day Sixteen makes me angry, most of the tracks give me goosebumps and some of them will have me rocking out (I once listened to this album whilst trying to get to sleep, but just as I was almost gone Day Eighteen was playing and I started headbanging in my semi-lucid state and woke myself up again.) Listening intently to the full hour and 42 minutes of this album is one of the most emotionally rewarding things I have ever done, and the experience keeps getting better and better.
In terms of the album's music, Arjen uses synths in a way that I would probably find cheesy in most other contexts, but he has a talent for picking exactly the right sound for any moment, whether that sound be melodic or dissonant. I particularly enjoy the guests synth solos though, especially those in Days Two and Fifteen, which just take me to another world. Arjen’s guitars are heavy, warm and often atmospheric, and though he’s no shredding virtuoso the playing is exceptional, and the solos are tasteful and only add to whatever vibe he wants a certain song to get across. The use of woodwind and various stringed instruments all add to the sumptuous layers of sound which are at times thick and enveloping and at others thin and haunting. But above all, the music complements the vocals, because above everything else this album is about the performance of the guest vocalists.
Some of the singers on this album (Akerfeldt, LaBrie, Townsend) I was familiar with before hearing The Human Equation, but it is the lesser known guests who really stand out for me, particularly Magnus Ekwall and Marcela Bovio. As far as I’m concerned the casting is perfect, and each singer fits their role like a glove. Rage is the perfect foil for Townsend’s furious screams, Heather Findlay’s glorious comforting voice caresses the ears as Love, and Irene Jansen gives everything and more that her role as Passion requires. I was never a massive fan of female vocals in rock and prog, but this album single-handedly changed my opinion.
The ending of the album is a contentious point. I choose to ignore it. As I mentioned, I’m not massively interested in the rest of the Ayreon albums so I have no desire, at this point anyway, to tie this record in with the overall Ayreon concept, which is the point of that ending. For me this album is perfect as a standalone piece of musical art, and I would change nothing about it. Maybe if and when I decide to further immerse myself in the Ayreon concept then The Human Equation will have still more to offer me, but as it is I still hear new things upon every listen, and I have no intention to stop listening.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTSt58Xelz8Well thanks everyone for your input, hope you enjoyed reading all this as much as I enjoyed putting it together!