Again, because that isn't the main focus of the story. There is also a Narrator in the cast. He is the one singing "Corruption, Lust and Greed" he is the one describing the scenario to the listener. And introduces us to Ravenskill's secluded leader. Think of it as an opening scene in the movie where it's going across the land of The Great Northern Empire, and then it closes in on Ravenskill and pans into Ahrys' home, "where their secluded leader thrives" and then begins Ahrys' dialogue.
I'm not saying it has to be the main focus, I'm saying that it would add more tension to the story to tell it in a more substantial way. I also don't have a problem with narrative exposition so long as it's not just an obligatory nod to certain elements of the setting. The way The Gift of Music sets the scene, I am expecting more than what ends up coming my way, plot wise.
I hear you. It's not what you were expecting, and wanting from the story. To me, I did not expect that, as I was just going along and letting the story take me on the journey that JP wants to tell me. I wouldn't have minded if he did go more that route, but I myself, didn't expect that either. I was actually quite surprised they didn't go that route.
And why are you comparing it to a well known, well done play. JP isn't a playwriter, he is a musician. His lyrics are not that great either, so I did not expect poetic Shakespeare style lyrics and phrases in the dialogue.
One thing I wonder when I see things like this is... why? Why should we arbitrarily hold prog metal musicians (a genre supposedly refined for its sophistication) to a lower standard than a playwriter? Just because JP is dabbling in an area (rock opera / musical) that he isn't familiar with, doesn't mean that he can't be judged by its usual standards. He's had time to refine his craft as a lyricist and has had enough experience with watching works of this nature to know what works and what doesn't work. Plus, nobody said that he couldn't go and get help to assist him in writing the best album he could if he wanted to. He worked on his own because it was his choice to, so this lowering of standards doesn't make much sense. Even then, other prog metal bands have presented excellent stories in their concept albums, so why not the band at the forefront of the genre?
I agree, they can be judged and I think rightfully should be judged by the usual standards. I am just wondering why, when we all know that JP is not this, so why expect him to suddenly make this wonderful awesome epic concept album that is equivalent to Les Miserables. Seems like holding JP to some higher standard that he never could reach or achieve with what he had to work with. Of course, he could've went out and did all that, but that would require more time to look and search for a lyricist, and all that. What we have here too that I like is that it's like a short story book, or a condensed telling of the story. What I would like to see one day is a full on musical broadway style play, with added scenes, and stories and characters from the book. But that requires a lot of work to implement. And JP doesn't have the time for that.
Now this makes me imagine how different it would've been if he waited until now to make that concept, and what he could have done since he had the time now to really do it...
I don't know, but to me, I have not heard a concept album from a rock musician that incorporated this level of dialogue well enough for me, other than Ayreon. That is how narrative concept albums should be done, IMO. The other one that comes close is Avantasia, and his is more of that AOR kind of metal style, which fits perfect with the Avantasia concepts.
Also...I want to emphasize that The reason I know how Evangeline died is because it's in the book. I did not know how she died until I read that book and said, holy hell, those NOMACS are fatal.
But I'm the book, Evangeline does slip away peacefully, as in the way she ends up leaving the world at the time. To Ahrys, she slipped àway into death peacefully...Or as I read the lyrics again. He could be letting his people know that even though The NOMACS caused her death, she still went and slipped into the other world peacefully. A Better Life is Ahrys describing to us, and telling us the listener, why he fights for A Better Life.
The Book gives you all that information.
The album doesn't because that is not the main focus of the story. It's not about the great northern empire. It's about Gabriel and his gift of music, saving Ravenskill from being obliterated and to prevent war, as Faythe, the king's daughter, sees how these people, even in times of despair still seem happy and sing songs. Like how The Who's still sing even after The Grinch stole Christmas.
This right here shows the exact problem. It not being the focus was their decision. I think many would agree that the main plot of a dystopian rock opera being a fairly sappy love story (I mean... they fall in love at first sight, come on, that's literally below Disney nowadays in terms of story sophistication) rather than something that more reflects the nature of that setting was the main misfire with it. Saying that it's okay that the album doesn't touch on this because the book does just reinforces the point that critics are trying to say. For all we know in the album itself, Evangeline just died of some random illness. Knowing that she died from the oppression of the state via the NOMACs changes the game and adds far more to the album's story, which is the important thing in this context, because we can guarantee that like 99% of TA's listeners haven't read a word of the book and likely won't in the future. I'm sure the book is good, but that doesn't change what the album itself is.
And that is not JP's or the bands fault if people felt disappointed because they did get a fairly sappy love story.
I for one, enjoyed it, and liked it for what it is. And as everyone who hasn't read the book, I didn't know how Evangeline Died either, other than that she died while giving birth to Xander "Peacefully, she slipped away, the meaning of my life was born that day" whom is what Ahrys' passion for freedom was for, A Better Life for his son which he promised to Evangeline upon her death. I got this from the lyrics, and the music. It wasn't until I started reading the book did I know how she died, so I literally was...Astonished.
So for the information we got in the album, all we know is that Xander is the reason and the fire for the passion Ahrys has for fighting for hope, and the freedom of Ravenskill. This is why he is doing what he is doing, and why he sees Gabriel as the Savior with his Gift of Music.
The way I see it is, this is what JP wanted to tell with his story, this is what he wanted to focus on and this is what we got. He understood the want for more of the war, and other parts of the world of The Astonishing, so he decided to find someone who is a writer, albeit one that he can afford to hire, to write the story for him and to expand upon the world. That's what I mean by the focus of the story isn't what people wanted or expected, even based off of hearing The Gift of Music. It's like expecting how a movie is going to end based off the first scene of the movie, or the trailer.
I do understand the disappointment, with the expectation based on the trailers we were given. But that just makes me laugh because it's exactly the disappointment you see with movie goers when the movie isn't what the Trailers portrayed it as. Which would make it look like an action packed type of film because the trailers only showed the action scenes, and then the people got a drama.