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

[Lolzeez]

It's not rape when both sides enjoy it...













What the fuck did I just say? 

[Zook]

*CRIES*

[The Letter M]

BACK ON TOPIC....(and not each other)...

I think I am going to wait hearing any more samples or songs from this. It comes out in 2 weeks and I've already got it pre-ordered, so I think I can be patient enough to hear the first new Ayreon album in FIVE YEARS. Cannot wait to hear what's sure to be another masterpiece! I was a bit let down by 01 so I am hoping this takes things up a notch and pushes it to ITEC and THE levels of awesome.

-Marc.

[jingle.boy]

BACK ON TOPIC....(and not each other)...

I think I am going to wait hearing any more samples or songs from this. It comes out in 2 weeks and I've already got it pre-ordered, so I think I can be patient enough to hear the first new Ayreon album in FIVE YEARS. Cannot wait to hear what's sure to be another masterpiece! I was a bit let down by 01 so I am hoping this takes things up a notch and pushes it to ITEC and THE levels of awesome.

-Marc.

I'll agree with your last statement.  Other than a few lyrically challenged moments in 01, it's grown on me.  When it came out, I didn't know all the vocalists on the album the way I know many of them now (Lande, Luyten, Kursch, Englund, Jansen, Catley, Hegt, Simmons), so in some respects, I can listen to it in a different way.  Those lyrical moments are still lol-worthy, but it's aged well.

[Nekov]

Very Ayreon indeed. I'm not terribly excited by this song but I sure want to listen to the rest of the album.

[wolfking]

Standard Ayreon fare.

WHICH IS AWESOME!!!!

Pretty much.  It sounds quite safe.  But looking foward to it.

BACK ON TOPIC....(and not each other)...

I think I am going to wait hearing any more samples or songs from this. It comes out in 2 weeks and I've already got it pre-ordered, so I think I can be patient enough to hear the first new Ayreon album in FIVE YEARS. Cannot wait to hear what's sure to be another masterpiece! I was a bit let down by 01 so I am hoping this takes things up a notch and pushes it to ITEC and THE levels of awesome.

-Marc.

I'll agree with your last statement.  Other than a few lyrically challenged moments in 01, it's grown on me.  When it came out, I didn't know all the vocalists on the album the way I know many of them now (Lande, Luyten, Kursch, Englund, Jansen, Catley, Hegt, Simmons), so in some respects, I can listen to it in a different way.  Those lyrical moments are still lol-worthy, but it's aged well.

I think it's about time I dug this out and listened to it again.  It did absolutely nothing for me when it came out and I love most of the singers on there.  I should listen again.

[jingle.boy]

I think it's about time I dug this out and listened to it again.  It did absolutely nothing for me when it came out and I love most of the singers on there.  I should listen again.

Doing that right now.

[wolfking]

Post what you think of it now when you are done.

[Nick]

To all you saying this is a safe album I say... just you wait.

The sound may be safe, but there is another bit that most certainly isn't.

[RoeDent]

AAAAH!!! The Ayreon sample sounds amazing! I don't care if it's "safe". That sound is what I love!

[jingle.boy]

Post what you think of it now when you are done.

Musically, it's aged very well.  I liked it well enough upon release, and I probably enjoy it even more now.
Vocally, the performances are excellent... and as I mentioned, now knowing these voices better than I did 5 years ago, I really enjoy them even more.

Here are the flaws with it though:
The lyrical lol-moments are still incredibly  (I'm looking squarely at you, Connect the Dots - although the chorus isn't too bad).  There are a few other lyrics that are cringe-worthy - Web of Lies is particularly painful... which sucks, because it's Simone's only contribution.
Vocally... he's got too many vocalists.  None of them have a chance to really shine.  They're in and out with never more than a single verse to themselves before someone else comes in.  There's never any character development like he achieved with T.H.E.
Not only has he got too many vocalists, he's got too much singing.  The Truth is In Here is an 8 minute song, with more lyrical stanza's than you'd find in many 20 minute epics.
Hansi's tone is far to domineering.  Even when he's singing with others, his voice just drowns all others.

Still give it a 3 or 3.5 out of 5.

Here's my Ayreon rankings:

T.H.E
ITEC
Flight of the Migrator
01011001
Actual Fantasy
The Final Experiment
The Dream Sequencer

[kirksnosehair]

I'm not going to listen to any previews.  I've got my pre-order for the super deluxe mega whack-jack-Cadillac version of the album.  I'll hear it when that arrives in my mail box.

[philmcson]

It's not rape when both sides enjoy it...













What the fuck did I just say? 

The amazing truth..... 

[Cool Chris]

Vocally... he's got too many vocalists.  None of them have a chance to really shine.  They're in and out with never more than a single verse to themselves before someone else comes in.  There's never any character development like he achieved with T.H.E.
Not only has he got too many vocalists, he's got too much singing.  The Truth is In Here is an 8 minute song, with more lyrical stanza's than you'd find in many 20 minute epics.

As much as I agree with the first part, it never seems to manifest in to a negative for me like it does for others. Somehow, for the most part, he makes it work, even though it shouldn’t.

I don’t think there is too much singing, that never occurred to me. Along these line I again think Arjen made things work that shouldn’t have.

Behind on some album purchases so might hold off on this one, though I enjoyed the latest youtube posting.

[Nick]

Arjen has at this point repeatedly said that 01 had too many vocalists with too little room for each to shine. That's a big reason why this album has far fewer.

[jingle.boy]

Arjen has at this point repeatedly said that 01 had too many vocalists with too little room for each to shine. That's a big reason why this album has far fewer.

I'm glad he agrees with me, and took the appropriate measures.

[Syzzle]

I just finished listening to the new album and it didn't blow me away on the first listen like The Human Equation did, but even though it probably won't surpass The Human Equation for me it's still a great album, and I would give it a 9/10.

[Nihil-Morari]

Post what you think of it now when you are done.

Musically, it's aged very well.  I liked it well enough upon release, and I probably enjoy it even more now.
Vocally, the performances are excellent... and as I mentioned, now knowing these voices better than I did 5 years ago, I really enjoy them even more.

Here are the flaws with it though:
The lyrical lol-moments are still incredibly  (I'm looking squarely at you, Connect the Dots - although the chorus isn't too bad).  There are a few other lyrics that are cringe-worthy - Web of Lies is particularly painful... which sucks, because it's Simone's only contribution.
Vocally... he's got too many vocalists.  None of them have a chance to really shine.  They're in and out with never more than a single verse to themselves before someone else comes in.  There's never any character development like he achieved with T.H.E.
Not only has he got too many vocalists, he's got too much singing.  The Truth is In Here is an 8 minute song, with more lyrical stanza's than you'd find in many 20 minute epics.
Hansi's tone is far to domineering.  Even when he's singing with others, his voice just drowns all others.

Still give it a 3 or 3.5 out of 5.

Here's my Ayreon rankings:

T.H.E
ITEC
Flight of the Migrator
01011001
Actual Fantasy
The Final Experiment
The Dream Sequencer

Dream Sequencer is at the bottom of your list? After THE and ITEC that's my third favorite (although I normally see The Universal Migrator as one double album)

[Ultimetalhead]

So, I've only listened to the first disc so far, but it's actually pretty excellent. I don't know what Mason was on about it being worse than everything aside from Actual Fantasy.

[jingle.boy]

Dream Sequencer is at the bottom of your list? After THE and ITEC that's my third favorite (although I normally see The Universal Migrator as one double album)

Yeah. I usually listen to both as one album, and I just don't enjoy The Dream Sequencer.    I'm much more of a fans of Arjen's heavier side.  Honestly, I'd put both Star One albums ahead of everything except T.H.E.

[Dr. DTVT]

It has improved from my initial thoughts.  I'd bump it above 01 and The Final Experiment.  My major complaint is that the singers are so similar to each other that only reason I know one guy stopped singing and another did was the context of the lyrics.  The singers themselves aren't bad, just too similar.  I would say the structural chances AAJ took largely work, and help keep the story moving forward.  Hopefully the gaps that are at track changes (particularly disc 2) in our promo mp3's are not in the finished product.

[ariich]

My major complaint is that the singers are so similar to each other that only reason I know one guy stopped singing and another did was the context of the lyrics.  The singers themselves aren't bad, just too similar. 

That's a real shame - one of the things that really stands out about THE and ITEC is the characterisation of each person.

[Dr. DTVT]

^exactly.  As it is with other albums like Flaming Row and Fanticide. 

[jingle.boy]

My major complaint is that the singers are so similar to each other that only reason I know one guy stopped singing and another did was the context of the lyrics.  The singers themselves aren't bad, just too similar. 

that's a little of what 01011001 suffers from.  There are times when the lyrics go between Catley, Lande and Englund, and as you mention above, I wouldn't even know it just by the vocals.  Weird, because those three do have relatively different voices (by and large).

I noticed a bit of that on my first cursory listen of TTOE.  Looking forward to REALLY listening to it on my flights tomorrow.

[Bolsters]

Eh, I'm really not liking this album at the moment. It just sounds like a mess of ideas were thrown at the wall to see what stuck and that's how these songs were made. Then Arjen took what didn't stick and made another song out of what was on the floor based on how they fell. There are so few redeeming moments for me here, they are so fleeting and they are completely overshadowed by the monotony of everything else. Most of the ideas never get a chance to shine either, they come and then they're gone. I think I'd like this album more if the better ideas of the album were made into shorter stand-alone songs instead of being an under 1 minute track in a 20 minute song that appears once and never gets reprised.

This album could be a grower, yes. I've not liked albums on the first listen in the past and sometimes they've ended up becoming favourites. But, so far I'm not feeling TTOE at all.

[ErHaO]

I really like the new album, but have to give it more time to decide to what extent. There are some parts that are more simple and storytelling focused that I am not feeling, though. The parts diagnosis, progressive waves, collision, side effects, magnetism, transformation and the breaktrough stood out to me the first listen. Overall, I think it is very solid and I like the musical  feeling it has.

The funny thing is that I am absolutely a metal guy, but tend to like Arjens softer stuff more in general. Thus, I don't mind this album is less metal than most of his previous Ayreon efforts.

[Lolzeez]

I don't like how there are 40 songs and it's all connected. Thus,I don't have a favorite track that I will revisit every day.

[Ultimetalhead]

The sections don't bother me all that much. Arjen's albums tend to work better as a whole rather than individual songs anyway.

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

I don't like how there are 40 songs and it's all connected. Thus,I don't have a favorite track that I will revisit every day.

My little prog heart got a bit heart by that. 

[Cyclopssss]

Guess who's in there? A certain obscure lady...

[jingle.boy]

That's so freakin cool!!  Though she ain't here very often, it looks good on ya, "Stalky"

[Lolzeez]

I don't like how there are 40 songs and it's all connected. Thus,I don't have a favorite track that I will revisit every day.

My little prog heart got a bit heart by that. 

Come on,instead of having 40 parts for one huge song,I'd rather have 12 real songs.

[jingle.boy]

Got home last night to my pre-order sitting on my desk!



Now I no longer need to feel bad about listening to it.

[obscure]

The defining moments in one's life.....

[lonestar]

I think he likes you 


(way to go, damn proud of you  )