Ayreon/Arjen Lucassen Thread (Star Three on the way)

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

#It will be a double album
#It begins a completely new story line for the Ayreon universe
#It is divided into 4 long tracks
#It’s a true Rock Opera with a dramatic, real-world story
#Release date is late October, 2013 
#Pre-orders in Arjen’s webshop will start sometime in September (details TBA)

Sweet mother of all the holy cows!! 

[The Letter M]

Well he confirmed that it's a double album so only 4 track is unlikely unless he's gone major prog on us. 

It's his version of Tales From Topographic Oceans.

Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if he did that - it would be an amazing departure to the usual concept album format he follows. By doing 4 epics of 20-30 minutes in length, he automatically sets up the vinyl release by doing four sides, one for each song. I'd be interested in hearing epics with multiple vocalists in them, rather than single shorter songs with one or two vocalists being featured.

If Arjen has gone 'major prog' on us, you can bet that his album MIGHT have four SONGS, but they may be tracked by their movements to allow for easier digestion and listening. Each epic may have 4-7 parts, so really, the album could have up towards 25-28 tracks, but still only 4 songs.

-Marc.

From Arjens's Website:
It will be a double album
It begins a completely new story line for the Ayreon universe
It is divided into 4 long tracks
It’s a true Rock Opera with a dramatic, real-world story

Sooooo... more or less called that one

Two CDs/double album (as usual), and only four tracks. I'm willing to bet the tracks themselves are between 25-40 minutes long, although no matter how long they are, since there are only four tracks that need to be on two CDs, it seems like each song/track will get it's own vinyl, split on two sides. Guess we'll find out once details of the songs are released, but the way it sounds, it seems like it'll be a Double CD and Quadruple Vinyl.

In a response to the page of the album details reveal, Arjen himself replied that the tracks are about a side-length long, so only 20-25 minutes long, but I guess he's making it a double CD to mimic the double vinyl release, so we'll get four songs 20-25 minutes long, and an album that is 80-100 minutes long, on two CDs/Vinyl LPs. Not bad, and seems about average for Arjen's Ayreon albums.

Also, as for my statement about Arjen going "Major Prog" on us, who knew back that considering he's got Wetton, Emerson, Wakeman, Hackett and Rudess all on one album! Not to mention everyone else, this is a HUGE prog-star studded album and the overt prog-ness of it (double album with four songs...TFTO anyone?) will probably draw a lot of fans who have been curious about Arjen/Ayreon over the years but haven't gotten into his stuff.

-Marc.

[jingle.boy]

All the above +

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

Well he confirmed that it's a double album so only 4 track is unlikely unless he's gone major prog on us. 

It's his version of Tales From Topographic Oceans.

Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if he did that - it would be an amazing departure to the usual concept album format he follows. By doing 4 epics of 20-30 minutes in length, he automatically sets up the vinyl release by doing four sides, one for each song. I'd be interested in hearing epics with multiple vocalists in them, rather than single shorter songs with one or two vocalists being featured.

If Arjen has gone 'major prog' on us, you can bet that his album MIGHT have four SONGS, but they may be tracked by their movements to allow for easier digestion and listening. Each epic may have 4-7 parts, so really, the album could have up towards 25-28 tracks, but still only 4 songs.

-Marc.

Also, as for my statement about Arjen going "Major Prog" on us, who knew back that considering he's got Wetton, Emerson, Wakeman, Hackett and Rudess all on one album! Not to mention everyone else, this is a HUGE prog-star studded album and the overt prog-ness of it (double album with four songs...TFTO anyone?) will probably draw a lot of fans who have been curious about Arjen/Ayreon over the years but haven't gotten into his stuff.

-Marc.

I admit it, didn't knew he had the nerves to do it but he proved me wrong and convinced me that Arjen has finally gone...

Major Prog! 

[Lolzeez]

 



 

[Nefarius]

Good thing DT has the new album released in three weeks, waiting one more month for the new Ayreon won't be so hard.

Greetings...
Nef

[BlackInk]

I must say I have almost lost interesest in this album since I didn't really think any of the snippets I've heard sound any good. It's a shame because was pretty excited a month ago.

[Nick]

Snippets very rarely interest me, and the last 2 albums Arjen has done (solo and Star One) were both excellent, so I look forward to this very much still.

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

The JR solo snippet was awesome but yea I don't give much for snippets overall because it's like taking a quote or something out of context and then judge it. I want to hear the bigger picture before I say anything.

Btw when you take in the fact that the album only consists of 4 tracks those snippets don't really represents anything at this point.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

^ that is a good point.

[eviljust]

Good thing DT has the new album released in three weeks, waiting one more month for the new Ayreon won't be so hard.

Greetings...
Nef

This. Lately I'm having this strange feeling, like I'm waiting Ayreon's TOE more than Dream Theater's new album. From you point of view, I can enjoy DT12 and have all the time to get to know it, in the meanwhile TOE will be released

[Orthogonal]

Great list of guest musicians as always, can't wait. Only a couple months away now.

[Ben_Jamin]

So can't wait for preorders to start.

[kirksnosehair]

This sounds better and better each time an update comes out.


Can't wait to pre-order the super-deluxe, hocus pocus, bubblicious, orgasm special space seed edition with glow in the dark Ayreon time-warp sleep chamber thingy.

[Nihil-Morari]

Well imo The Human Equation, Into The Electric Castle and both Universal Migrator albums are his best albums, and 01011001 hasn't ever really grabbed my attention, never even checked out the best of, soooo I'm 5 years behind in Ayreon terms, but I'm definitely going to check this one out. I'd be interested to see what he's done with the long songs. I love his recurring themes in songs, and those should be more obvious within the same song.
Looking forward, and not going to listen to snippets. I always like his albums as a whole, let alone songs, no 40 second snippet of any song of him is going to give me goosebumps, I think.

[Cyclopssss]

And....the cover:

[BlackInk]

I like it, very Ayreon-y.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

Awesome! I really like Jef Bertel's style.

[SomeoneLikeHim]

Great cover!

I also love the fact that Arjen takes the time to reply to so many facebook comments. He seems like such a nice guy.

[senecadawg2]

I'm liking the font in that cover!

[Orthogonal]

Love the cover art, but I was kind of partial to the earlier teaser/promo pic of Arjen in front of a blackboard with math equations and stacks of papers on the desk.

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

Now that is how you do a great cover. 

[eviljust]

Now that is how you do a great cover. 

I see what you meant here 

[Nick]

My only big issue with the cover is that it seems turned a bit clockwise for no reason.

Edit: And if you turn it fully so that the lighthouse is straight up and down it still looks weird. The image needs to be rotated about 10-15 degrees counter, and the lighthouse re-done for this to really look right at all.

That said I love the concept and the way it was done, just don't like that bit.

[abydos]

Sure doesn't compare to Hugh Syme's artworks!

Love it.

[Ben_Jamin]

My only big issue with the cover is that it seems turned a bit clockwise for no reason.

Edit: And if you turn it fully so that the lighthouse is straight up and down it still looks weird. The image needs to be rotated about 10-15 degrees counter, and the lighthouse re-done for this to really look right at all.

That said I love the concept and the way it was done, just don't like that bit.

That's how the artist painted it. I like it cause its a painting and the ayreon universe is still there.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

To be honest, this cover is one of the best of seen in a while. But, I've always been partial to the Ayreon artwork style.

[Outcrier]

Nice cover 

[The Letter M]

This cover is amazing. I always love Ayreon's covers, ever since ITEC, and they're always so...vivid, colorful, and imaginitive. There's a certain style indicative ONLY to these covers that I really haven't seen elsewhere, so it's great to see that Arjen has given his albums something that is easily recogniziable as an Ayreon cover. If you took away the text, chances are many prog fans familiar with Ayreon or Arjen's work would take ONE LOOK and instantly recognize it as being an Ayreon cover.

-Marc.

[abydos]

And I wouldn't mind having 1:1 sized copies of his cover-paintings hanging on my wall, like he does either.

[Nefarius]

Epic cover. I'd like one for my wall too. XL version please.

Greetings...
Nef

[The Letter M]

42 tracks, with 4 songs across 2 discs. Heh...Arjen you cheeky bum.

Loving the track titles, and this sounds like it'll be another amazing Ayreon concept! Also loving the numbered reprises throughout the album. REALLY looking forward to this and cannot wait to pre-order soon!!!

-Marc.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

So will the songs actually be divided into tracks, or are these the titles of the sections?

[Orthogonal]

I'm guessing it will all be separate tracks.

Overall, the total album length is a bit shorter than I expected, but can't complain with ~90 minutes of Prog brilliance.

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

So will the songs actually be divided into tracks, or are these the titles of the sections?

Haha that reminded of the little track number "trick" they did on The Human Equation on CD 2. They masked 11 small "tracks" into the first song on CD 2 to make it actually appear as track number 12 or Day Twelve.

Goddamn i'm hyped for this album right now.