***POWER/ SYMPHONIC/ PROGRESSIVE METAL: Third wave of metal in Europe of the 90's/00's

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AYERON (collective metal opera)

http://www.ayreon.com/

www.myspace.com/ayreonauts

Ayreon is a project by Dutch composer and musician Arjen Anthony Lucassen.

Ayreon's musical style derives mostly from heavy metal and progressive rock, but combines them with genres like folk, classical and electronica to form what some call a completely new style of music. The majority of Ayreon's albums are dubbed "rock operas" due to the fact that the albums contain complex storylines featuring a host of characters, each represented by a unique vocalist.

Ayreon's music is characterized by the use of traditional instruments in rock music (guitars, bass guitar, drums, synthesizers, electric organs) mixed with instruments more native to folk and classical music (i.e. mandolins, violins, violas, celli, flutes, sitars and didgeridoo). Lucassen writes the music and the lyrics, sings and plays instruments on all of the Ayreon albums, alongside many guest musicians.

History

The first Ayreon CD, released in 1995, is The Final Experiment, with a mixture of science fiction and medieval. The album features thirteen singers and seven instrumentalists, most of them Dutch. The Final Experiment is often mentioned as one of the first metal operas and a reviver of the rock opera genre. The album was originally titled Ayreon: The Final Experiment, with the artist listed as Arjen Lucassen, but upon re-release, the title was changed to The Final Experiment, and the artist was changed to Ayreon.

Actual Fantasy from 1996 is the only Ayreon album without a continuous story. With its individual fantasy stories, it can still be considered a concept album, though. There are only three singers and three instrumentalists on Actual Fantasy. Themes inspired by songs on this album can be found on later Ayreon releases, particularly the two Universal Migrator albums.

The double album Into the Electric Castle followed in 1998. The album features eight singers, each playing a role of a single character, and eleven instrumentalists. Arjen has stated that he wanted this particular album to be a more flight-and-fancy-free record, or "pure escapism" than the previous albums' more serious tones, and portrayed his characters in more of a B-Movie light. The album was a huge success and is widely regarded as Ayreon's best album.

The twin Universal Migrator albums were released in 2000. The first album, The Dream Sequencer consists of soft, atmospheric progressive rock, whereas the second album, Flight of the Migrator, consists of a more heavy metal theme. Both of the albums feature around ten singers supported by many instrumentalists. One of the more notable guests was Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden, who made an appearance on the Flight of the Migrator album.

Shortly following Universal Migrator came Ayreonauts Only, an album generally meant to be only for diehard fans of Ayreon. The album itself was the second to not follow a specific storyline; it instead contained alternate versions (With different vocalists or instrumentalists) of existing songs, or the original demos used when recording them. In addition, it contained a preview of Arjen's then-upcoming project, Ambeon. It is the only Ayreon album not to see re-release on InsideOut.

In 2004 came The Human Equation. As on Into the Electric Castle, there are several singers, each playing their own role. With The Human Equation, Ayreon turned away from the usual science fiction and fantasy themes with a seemingly semi-normal psychological theme.

Starting in 2004, after changing from Transmission Records to InsideOut, Arjen began rereleasing his Ayreon catalog on the new label, with enhancements ranging from basic (The Universal Migrator, issued as a two-disc set instead of two separate albums) to drastic (Actual Fantasy, "Revisited" with completely re-recorded drums, bass, synth and flute). In 2005, to coincide with the 10th anniversary of Ayreon, The Final Experiment was reissued with a bonus semi-acoustic disc.

At the end of September 2006, when Arjen's new studio was finished, he began making a new album entitled 01011001, which was released on January 25th, 2008.

On March 19th, 2008, Arjen announced a new Ayreon EP named Ayreon vs Avantasia to be released in the end of April. The EP will featuire two non-album tracks, a track from 01011001 and an Alice Cooper cover (Elected), with vocals by Arjen and Tobias Sammet.

Concept

Ayreon's concept is a continuous one, with loose connections between each of the albums. The Final Experiment alluded to the events that led to The Universal Migrator albums (during the course of events in the specified album, the man using The Dream Sequencer faces the minstrel Ayreon's return). The inlay booklet of the Universal Migrator double-album alludes to Into the Electric Castle, with the castle being shown in the same page with the song "Out of the White Hole," specifically the portion titled "Planet Y", home planet to the alien "Forever", who is mentioned at the end of the song ("Forever...remember Forever..."). Also, Arjen's notes at the beginning mention the possibility of the character using the Dream Sequencer being the Futureman.

So far, there happens to be little to no proof about the connection of Into the Electric Castle to The Human Equation; except for the part where Forever of the Stars uses The Dream Sequencer to launch "The Human Equation Program". Coupled with the Time-Telepathy experiment, Ayreon's return and Planet Y, it can be said that Forever of the Stars' experiment was due to it receiving Ayreon's message, but not being able to understand which part of the history went wrong. Afterwards, however, the experiment sways and turns into a quest to understand emotions itself.

01011001 concerns Forever and Planet Y, as well as setting the stage for The Final Experiment.

Albums

The Final Experiment(1995)

Written as a concept album, The Final Experiment tells the story of a blind minstrel named Ayreon, living in 6th century Britain. Scientists living in the apocalyptic year 2084 C.E. utilize a technology called Time Telepathy to transmit messages back in time, to warn denizens of the past of their impending downfall. Likely a result of his blindness, Ayreon has an extra-sensory perception that lets him receive these messages in the form of visions.

Vocalists
Arjen Anthony Lucassen as Ayreon on Nature's Dance, Listen To The Waves, Magic Ride and Ayreon's Fate.
Barry Hay (Golden Earring) as Ayreon on Sail Away To Avalon.
Edward Reekers as Merlin on Prologue, The Awareness and Ayreon's Fate; as Ayreon on The Awareness and Ayreon's Fate.
Ian Parry (Elegy) as Nobleman on Ye Courtyard Minstrel Boy, as Ayreon on Computer Reign and as Merlin on Ayreon's Fate.
Jan-Chris de Koeijer (Gorefest) as Ayreon on The Banishment.
Jay van Feggelen as Ayreon on Waracle and as Merlin on Ayreon's Fate.
Lenny Wolf (Kingdom Come) as Ayreon on Eyes Of Time.
Leon Goewie (Vengeance) as Merlin on Merlin's Will and Ayreon's Fate; as Ayreon on Ayreon's Fate.
Robert Soeterboek (Cotton Soeterboek Band) as Villagers on The Banishment and as Merlin on Ayreon's Fate.
Ruud Houweling (Cloudmachine) as Ayreon on The Charm Of The Seer.
Debby Schreuder as Merlin, Women and Villagers on Ayreon's Fate; as Chorus throughout several songs.
Mirjam van Doorn as Merlin, Women and Villagers on Ayreon's Fate; as Chorus throughout several songs.
Lucy Hillen as Ayreon on The Charm Of The Seer; as Chorus throughout several songs.

Instrumentalists
Arjen Anthony Lucassen - guitar, bass, keyboards, synthesizer
Cleem Determeijer - keyboards
Ernst van Ee (Trenody) - drums
Jan Bijlsma - bass
Jolanda Verduijn - bass
Peter Vink - bass
Rene Merkelbach - keyboard

Bonus disc instrumentalists
Arjen Anthony Lucassen - acoustic, electric, and bass guitars, drums, percussion and timpani
Davy Mickers (Stream of Passion) - drums
Peter Vink - acoustic bass guitar
Marieke van der Heyden - cello
Ewa Albering - flute
Lori Linstruth - electric guitar solos
Jeroen Goossens - assorted wind instruments
Dewi Kerstens - cello
Robby Valentine - piano

Actual Fantasy (1996)

Actual Fantasy"
Actual Fantasy is the intro song to the CD. The music is a classical orchestra, and expresses a fairy-tale-like setting.

"Abbey of Synn"
Based on the movie Name of the Rose from 1986 with Sean Connery, which is based on the novel by Umberto Eco. The original spelling for the word 'sin' was 'synn', and it also refers to the important use of the synthesizer on the CD. The song tells the story of a monastery where laughter is strictly forbidden. One by one the monks die mysteriously, each having a blackened tongue and finger. It turns out that they found a book of comedy by Aristotle, but the pages are poisoned: if you lick your finger to turn a page it will kill you. In the end, the ones searching for the answers corner the seer, who originally gave the book to the monks. The seer burns the abbey to the ground, destroying the book and killing the seer.

"The Stranger from Within"
In this story that Arjen wrote himself, doctors are trying to find a way to help a girl who is in a coma. In this state she begins to fantasize about some stranger. He could be dangerous, or harmless, or just a magician. The stranger tells her that she can cure herself using her own imagination, and then he allows the doctors to "shoot" him as he takes the disease with him. The girl wakes up and the stranger from within has become part of her.

"Computer Eyes"
This song is a story Arjen wrote himself. It is about someone who has been playing a computer game for days. At a certain time he isn't able to tell anymore whether he's playing a game or has become part of it. He doesn't feel any emotions and has become like a hologram unable to find a way out. This song is certainly not an attack on computers, for this album could never have been made without computers. It just all depends on how you use computers and virtual reality.

"Beyond the Last Horizon"
This is story Arjen came up with during the last few days of his father's life. The story is set in the Middle Ages during the days of the crusades. One of the crusaders is ambushed and killed. After that it's a familiar story: he sees a light and he rides towards it on a road that disappears on the horizon. Beyond it is the "last horizon": death. In most stories it says there is a beautiful light or heaven. But where he is, there is darkness. There is nothing beyond the last horizon; he will disappear.

"Farside of the World"
Based on The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey, an obscure New Zealand film. In the story, a medieval village is under attack by the plague. A young boy has a vision, and the villagers must travel through the center of the Earth, guided by a knight, and raise a cross upon a silver tower. As they travel through the Earth, both the boy and the knight realize that in order to get through, the knight has to sacrifice his life.

"Back on Planet Earth"
In this story, written by Arjen himself, a boy lives in a space station. Humans have lost the ability to feel but he overhears the older people telling stories about the days when they lived on Earth (From The Final Experiment, The Dream Sequencer, and Flight of the Migrator). On his computer the boy finds images of the most beautiful things, such as flowers and mountains, but he also finds out that Earth was destroyed by wars and environmental disasters and people eventually had to live in space in order to survive. The boy realizes that after seeing people with emotions, and their laughter, he would rather have died on Earth, than be in the cold space station.

"Forevermore"
Based on the 1984 film adaption of German author Michael Ende's fantasy novel The Neverending Story, by Wolfgang Petersen. A boy steals a book from a store. The boy arrives too late for class, sneaks into the attic and crawls under a blanket to read the book. The fictitious world of 'Fantasia' is falling apart; it's being eaten by the Nothing. Symbolizing the fact that nobody's fantasizing anymore. The hero in the story has to cure the empress from her disease, and save 'Fantasia'. He does so by giving the Empress a name.

"Dawn of Man"
This is a very experimental song with vocoder and scratches on it. The story is ased loosely on the movies 2001: A Space Odyssey and 2010: The Year We Make Contact, but with Arjen's own fantasy and interpretation incorporated. The listener should do the same; the lyrics cannot be explained one way. Just use your imagination!

After Star One and Day Eleven: Love were remixed, Arjen wanted to mix an entire album in 5.1. The first opportunity was when InsideOut began planning a re-release of the Ayreon albums. He figured that mixing the least selling and overlooked second Ayreon album would be a good way to get it some attention.

Since the original Actual Fantasy was first recorded with a computerized set of drums, rather than real drums, Arjen wanted to know what Actual Fantasy might have sounded like if the songs had been mixed with a real drummer and a set of drums. When Arjen started working with Ed Warby on Star One and Ayreon, the idea started growing. But it was still a daunting task to re-record elements that were lost, plus the time, effort, and money included in making a new mix.

When Actual Fantasy first released in 1996, the sound was recorded with electronic instruments to match the style of the album. But with its re-release, he decided to try and consider the idea. After talking it over with Warby, Arjen knew that he had to take the time, effort, and money to release Actual Fantasy: Revisited with a real drummer. In fact, Warby said, after hearing Actual Fantasy (Before he'd even met Arjen), he told people that he should have drummed it instead of the computer.

Okkie Huysdens - vocals
Edward Reekers - vocals
Robert Soeterboek (Cotton Soeterboek Band) - vocals
Cleem Determeijer - synth solos
Rene Merkelbach - hammond, synth
Arjen Anthony Lucassen - all other instruments
Floortje Schilt - violin

ctual Fantasy: Revisited
Ed Warby (Gorefest) - drums
Peter Vink - bass guitar
Ewa Albering - flute

Into the Electric Castle (1998)

The story begins with a strange voice (Peter Daltrey) calling out to the various characters that are taken from various planes of time. The mysterious voice tells them they are in a place of "no-time and no-space". Urging them to continue, the voice grants them with a task, to reach The Electric Castle and find out what's inside of it.

Upon their arrival, the Highlander (Fish) claims that it is Hell, and he is there to pay for his sins; the Indian (Sharon den Adel) tells that it's a journey. The Knight (Damian Wilson) believes that this place is the Island of Avalon and he is there to find the Holy Grail; the Roman (Edwin Balogh) believes it to be the underworld; the Egyptian (Anneke van Giersbergen) believes that it is the divine afterlife.

The voice urges them (or rather, forces them) to continue, wherein the Barbarian (Jay van Fegellen) claims that the place is cursed, and he must be there for a quest; the Hippie (Arjen Anthony Lucassen) only seems to enjoy his surroundings, believing he's in a drug-induced stupor.

Futureman (Edward Reekers) meets the Knight, and contemplates what he is experiencing; a virtual reality, or is he in another dimension. The Knight insists that it is Avalon. The Roman claims that they should go forward to reach Elysium, but since they can't, he despairs.

The heroes come to The Decision Tree; wherein the voice tells them one of them must die. The Barbarian talks about his own glory, and tells that he won't be the one to die. The Highlander is much more pessimistic, while all the others claim they will survive. The Barbarian takes a stab at the Highlander, telling that since he has no pride, he should be the one. Highlander replies by telling the Barbarian that it's only stories he tells and he has no real honor either. Nevertheless, the decision is made; The Highlander stays behind.

The voice urges the rest to go into The Tunnel of Light, and they continue their journey with joy and determination, the Highlander, left behind, accepts his death slowly, and lays himself down to die while the others continue.

The heroes arrive at The Rainbow Bridge, which they must cross in order to get to The Electric Castle. The Knight muses about his lost love, and about his determination to go back, return to his time in order to meet her again. The Roman is much more passionate in the quest while The Hippie is lost, enjoying his colorful rainbow surroundings while still high, but following The Roman and The Knight regardless.

The heroes come to The Garden of Emotions, a garden in front of The Electric Castle. The voice tells them that they must go through The Garden in order to reach The Castle. The Hippie, now awakened, is overjoyed by the sights he has seen; the magical world that surrounds him. The Egyptian's words grow more morbid, as if she senses something. Meanwhile, The Roman and The Barbarian argue on who will take the lead and take the rest through The Garden. The Indian contemplates the morbid situation; of trusting a voice coming from nowhere. The Indian and The Knight allude to the arising emotions; while The Futureman urges them to stand as a team, because it is the only way of getting out of (what he thinks is) a virtual reality.

The Egyptian, overwhelmed by her emotions, loses her will to continue. She trails off from the rest of the group, and wanders alone until she lays herself down and dies as well.

The remaining ones enter The Electric Castle, The Knight and The Barbarian proceeding first to go through The Castle Hall; where, the voice says, "The astral realm becomes flesh once again". Those who live by the sword will have the most difficult time passing through. The Barbarian and The Knight struggle through the horrific ghosts, ghouls and demons of those they've slain, that manifest in the hall.

While The Knight and The Barbarian engage the specters in The Castle Hall, The Hippie and The Futureman go up the stairs of The Tower of Hope. While The Hippie is overjoyed, The Futureman is still despaired; insisting on this being a virtual reality.

The Indian, The Roman and The Futureman, at the high towers of The Electric Castle, remain where a breeze draws the attention of The Indian, luring her away toward the sun. The Futureman and The Roman, while despairing, also speak of their hope. They attempt to stop the Indian from being lured into following the path to impending death, however, the Indian appears to be oblivious to the danger she's in. On the breeze, The Indian encounters Death itself (George Oosthoek and Robert Westerholt); who first appears to her claiming to be several elements of her salvation, until finally claiming her soul.

The remaining heroes come to The Mirror Maze. The Hippie reflects on his past, talking to his reflection in the mirrors about what made him the way he is ("he's aware that no one cares/and life's unfair/so he grows his hair/and takes a trip into eternity"). The Futureman urges The Hippie on to continue. The Knight and The Roman, meanwhile, struggle with their own desperation; with The Knight being more optimistic and helping The Roman to go through. In the end, the heroes clear The Mirror Maze.

They arrive at the door of the future. The Futureman recognizes its visions and explains how a cyber-brain was devised as the final chain of digitalization, and this has led to the extermination of the human race; wherein emotions were nullified. They continue.

The heroes arrive at The Two Gates; one opening to oblivion and death, the other, to the desired time of the heroes. The voice mentions that it is a brave soul who makes the first choice. One of the gates is old, deteriorated, and ugly; the other is made of gold and appears at first glance to be paradise. The Barbarian, in his arrogance and pride, walks through the golden gate, which in reality is the gate to death. The Barbarian passes through the gate and fades into oblivion. The others succeed in passing through the other door, wherein The Knight wonders what it was all about, and about the outcome of their journey.

The mystical voice then reveals its identity as "Forever of the Stars". It claims that, his kind (Whatever that is) has lived for a long time, and as a result of such extensive life, they had lost all emotions "aeons ago". It alludes to the fact that its kind made the evolution on Earth happen ("We vanquished the dinosaurs with the careless trajectory of a child's lost meteorite. We peopled your planet to experience your emotions - such feelings lost to us aeons ago."). Forever also states that their lives, and the planet Earth was their experiment in understanding and/or rediscovering emotions. Forever's voice grows weaker as it reflects on how it has grown weary and tired over its long life, and that it too is "far from home". It tells them to go on ahead and open the door; and that they won't remember what happened there.

Back in their real time, the heroes all wonder what had happened. The Hippie claims that it was a "trip"; the Futureman isn't even sure if he has witnessed it or not, believing that the memories may have been implanted in his computerized memory; the Roman claims that whatever it was, it has helped him become whole; the Knight speaks of finding the grail - which was within himself all along - and completing his task.

In the end, Forever of the Stars asks them all to remember forever, silently.

Vocals
Edwin Balogh (ex-Omega) as Roman
Sharon den Adel (Within Temptation) as Indian
Jay van Feggelen (ex-Bodine (band)) as Barbarian
Fish (ex-Marillion) as Highlander
Anneke van Giersbergen (ex-The Gathering) as Egyptian
Arjen Anthony Lucassen as Hippie
Edward Reekers (ex-Kayak) as Futureman
Damian Wilson (ex-Rick Wakeman, Threshold, Landmarq) as Knight
Robert Westerholt (Within Temptation) and George Oosthoek (ex-Orphanage) as Death
Peter Daltrey (ex-Kaleidoscope) as Forever of the Stars

Instruments
Roland Bakker - all Hammonds
Taco Kooistra - celli
Arjen Anthony Lucassen - all electric and acoustic guitars, mandolin, bass guitar, Minimoog, Mellotron and keyboards
Rene Merkelbach - synth solos on track 5, 14 and harpsichord on track 9
Clive Nolan (Arena) - synth solos on track 3 part C
Ernő Oláh - violins
Jack Pisters - sitar
Ton Scherpenzeel (Kayak) - synth solos on 12 part C
Robby Valentine - all pianos, synth solos on 2 part A, 3 part A and 11 and Mellotron on track 13 part A
Thijs van Leer (Focus) - flute on track 3 part C, 4, 9 and 10
Ed Warby (Gorefest) - all drums

Universal Migrator Part 1: The Dream Sequencer (2000)

The story takes place in the twenty second century, over one hundred years after the final war on Earth, which had been predicted by the blind minstrel Ayreon in the sixth century (the story of the minstrel Ayreon is narrated in its entirety on the album The Final Experiment, from 1995).

Several colonists residing on the planet Mars witnessed the destruction of their home planet from afar, and for several years kept themselves alive by using the supplies they had brought from Earth. However, the limited rations eventually end, and only a single colonist remains. This man, a child of the first colonists, is the last surviving human being. Despite that, he has never been on Earth.

The Dream Sequencer is a machine assembled by scientists to allow colonists to travel back in time by means of hypnosis, with the purpose of providing them entertainment, given that the Mars colony did not offer many options for leisure. The machine actually allows its user to travel further back than his own existence, and enables him to experience past lives.

"The Dream Sequencer"
The digitized voices on this song were provided by Lana Lane and Erik Norlander.

"My House on Mars"
Vocals on this song were provided by Johan Edlund (of Tiamat) and Floor Jansen (of After Forever). Edlund is also the composer of the song's vocal melody. The song is apparently about the main character of the story as a child, mourning the death of his father in the war on Earth and its destruction in 2084. By the end of the song, he has forgiven his father for leaving him.

"2084"
Vocals on this song were provided by Lana Lane. This song is about the war which ultimately leads to mankind's destruction, referenced in "The Final Experiment".

"One Small Step"
According to Arjen Lucassen, the song tells of the events he lived during first manned lunar landing - the Apollo 11 mission. It uses the famous words of Neil Armstrong, "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind". The song contains samples from the voices of astronauts, captured during moon landings. Vocals on this song were provided by Edward Reekers and backing vocals were provided by Lana Lane.

"The Shooting Company of Captain Frans B. Cocq"
This song makes reference to Captain Frans Banning Cocq and his militia, immortalised on the painting The Night Watch by Dutch painter Rembrandt. The painting dates from the Dutch golden age, 1642. In the song's title, Arjen Lucassen makes use of a title which is considered the most accurate for the painting. Vocals on this song were provided by Mouse of Tuesday Child and backing vocals were provided by Lana Lane.

"Dragon on the Sea"
This song makes reference to Queen Elizabeth I of England and the "Speech to the Troops at Tilbury" given by her in July of 1588, on the light of an attack by the Spanish Armada, which consisted of a grand naval fleet of 130 ships bearing over 30,000 men. The English fleet won the battle under the leadership of Sir Francis Drake — the "dragon" on the sea — and Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham. Vocals on this song were provided by Lana Lane. Erik Norlander is the composer of the song's lyrics.

"Temple of the Cat"
This song makes reference to the Mayan civilisation and Maya mythology, taking place circa the 8th century. According to Arjen Lucassen, it speaks especially about the Jaguar Temple and the city of Tikal. Certain samples used on the song come from an authentic Maya festival. Vocals on this song were provided by Jacqueline Govaert of Krezip. Arjen Lucassen has stated that this is his least favorite Ayreon song.

"Carried by the Wind"
This song is influenced by Irish folk music, and makes reference to a previous album by Arjen Lucassen, The Final Experiment. Vocals on this song were provided by Arjen Anthony Lucassen himself. According to the lyrics of the song, Ayreon's spirit notices that the Final Experiment has failed, and looks on to Mars for mankind's new hope.

"And the Druids Turn to Stone"
This song makes reference to the Stonehenge, a monument located near Amesbury in the English county of Wiltshire, which is believed to have mainly been built between 2500 BC and 2000 BC. Due to the uncertainty regarding the origins of the monument, Arjen Lucassen proposes the fantasy explanation that a group of druids was turned to stone by means of magic, and thus became the Stonehenge. Vocals on this song were provided by Damian Wilson (ex-Threshold).

"The First Man on Earth"
This song makes reference to the appearance of the first Homo sapiens on Earth, circa 50,000 BCE. Vocals on this song were provided by Neal Morse (ex-frontman of Spock's Beard) and backing vocals were provided by Mark McCrite. Neal Morse, Erik Norlander and Arjen Anthony Lucassen are the composers of the song's lyrics.

"The Dream Sequencer (Reprise)"
Instrumental track.

Universal Migrator Part 2: Flight of the Migrator (2000)

Chaos"
This instrumental track makes reference to a theoretical era which existed prior to the Big Bang. The digitalised voices on this song were provided both by Lana Lane and Erik Norlander. Norlander also performs a synthesizer solo and Arjen Lucassen provides a guitar solo.

"Dawn of a Million Souls"
This song makes reference to the Big Bang itself, and according to Lucassen's fantasy, the primordial soul, the Universal Migrator — which subsequently divides into a million souls — is generated in this event. Vocals on this song were provided by Russell Allen and guitar solos were provided by Michael Romeo, both musicians are from Symphony X. Backing vocals were provided by Damian Wilson.

"Journey on the Waves of Time"
Vocals on this song were provided by Ralf Scheepers (from Primal Fear) and Erik Norlander performs a hammond organ solo.

"To the Quasar"
This song is divided in two movements, and its central theme are quasars. Quasars are astronomical sources of electromagnetic energy which output massive amounts of light. A Quasar may readily release energy in levels equal to the output of dozens of average galaxies combined. In this song Arjen Lucassen adopts the most widely supported theory concerning the origin of quasars as true, that is, he implies they are gigantic supermassive black holes. Vocals on this song were provided by Andi Deris (from Helloween), Rene Merkelbach and Erik Norlander perform a keyboard solo each, and Arjen Lucassen provides a guitar solo. Backing vocals were provides by Lana Lane.
First movement: The Taurus Pulsar
Pulsars are rotating neutron stars which are sources of electromagnetic radiation. This movement of the song speaks of a pulsar formerly located at the Taurus constellation, which imploded at some point in time.
Second movement: Quasar 3C 273
3C 273 is a quasar located in the constellation of Virgo. It is the optically brightest quasar in our sky and was the first object to be identified as what we now know quasars to be — extremely luminous objects at cosmological distances.

"Into the Black Hole"
This song is divided in three movements, and its central theme are black holes. Vocals on this song were provided by Bruce Dickinson (from Iron Maiden), Clive Nolan performs a synthesizer solo and Arjen Lucassen provides a guitar solo. Backing vocals were provided by Lana Lane.
First movement: The Eye of the Universe
Second movement: Halo of Darkness
Third movement: The Final Door

"Through the Wormhole"
This song makes reference to wormholes. In physics, a wormhole is a hypothetical topological feature of spacetime that is essentially a shortcut through space and time, allowing matter to travel from one point to another much faster than it would normally be possible. Vocals on this song were provided by Fabio Lione from Rhapsody. Gary Wehrkamp (from Shadow Gallery) performs a synthesizer solo and a guitar solo. Backing vocals were provided by Lana Lane.

"Out of the White Hole"
This song is divided in three movements, and makes reference to several different concepts. Foresmost, white holes are highly theoretical celestial bodies that spew out matter. In other words, they are anti-black holes, or the time reversal of black holes, and are the point in which matter which travels a black hole would exit. Vocals on this song were provided by Timo Kotipelto (from Stratovarius and Kotipelto), Erik Norlander performs a synthesizer solo and Arjen Lucassen provides a guitar solo. The demo version of the song had vocals by Robert Soeterboek.
First movement: M31
The Andromeda Galaxy — also known as M31 or Messier 31 — is a giant spiral galaxy which approaches us at about 300 kilometres per second, so it is one of the few blue shifted galaxies. It is unknown whether it will collide with the Milky Way galaxy, but if the impact is to happen, it is predicted to occur in about 3 billion years. In that case the two galaxies will merge to form a giant elliptical galaxy.
Second movement: Planet Y
This movement makes reference to a previous album by Arjen Lucassen, Into the Electric Castle. "Planet Y" is a fictional planet in which lives a being called Forever. "Remember Forever", the final sentence of the song, is the final sentence of Into The Electric Castle.
Third movement: The Search Continues

"To the Solar System"
Vocals on this song were provided by Robert Soeterboek, who also wrote the vocal melody of the song and Arjen Lucassen provides a guitar solo. "Planet of Blue" is a metaphor that refers to the planet Earth.

First movement: Planet of Blue
Second movement: System Alert

"The New Migrator"
Vocals on this song were provided by Ian Parry, who also wrote the lyrics. Keiko Kumagai (from Ars Nova) performs a synthesizer solo and a hammond solo and Arjen Lucassen provides a guitar solo. Backing vocals were provided by Lana Lane. The song was mixed by Oscar Holleman. This song was originally composed by Lucassen and Parry during the time they were in the band Vengeance.

First movement: Metamorphosis
Second movement: Sleeper Awake

Summary of the Colonist's Journey
"Chaos" - the colonist decides to use the Dream Sequencer to travel back in time to before the Big Bang. The Dream Sequencer explains that the Universal Migrator is the very first soul of the universe. It also warns the colonist of the danger of going so far back in time.
"Dawn of a Million Souls" - the Universal Migrator is born.
"Journey On the Waves of Time" - the colonist begins his travel in search of Earth.
"To the Quasar" - the colonist passes the Taurus Pulsar and goes to the center of Quasar 3C273, hoping that its black hole will take him closer to Earth.
"Into the Black Hole" and "Through the Wormhole" - the colonist travels through the black hole of 3C273.
"Out of the White Hole" - the colonist exits the black hole through a white hole and reaches Andromeda (M31), passing through the fictional Planet Y, which is already populated. He decides to continue his search.
"To the Solar System" - the colonist approaches the Solar system, but eventually dies as the oxygen in Mars ends and the Dream Sequencer overheats.
"The New Migrator" - the colonist is told by the old Migrator that he is the new Migrator, and as his soul separates from his body, his new mission in the universe begins

Ayreonauts Only (2000)

Ayreonauts Only is an Ayreon album released in 2000. As the title suggests, it is a CD made primarily for fans of Ayreon, and contains demos and alternate versions of Ayreon songs. The last track was a preview song for Arjen Anthony Lucassen's then-upcoming project, Ambeon.

"Into the Black Hole" (Original guide vocals by Lana Lane and Damian Wilson)– 10:45
"Out of the White Hole" (Original guide vocals by Robert Soeterboek of the Cotton Soeterboek Band) – 7:11
"Through the Wormhole" (Original guide vocals by Ian Parry of Elegy) – 6:13
"Carpe Diem (Chaos)" – 4:14
"Temple of the Cat" (Acoustic version with vocals by Astrid van der Veen of Ambeon) – 3:07
"Original Hippie's Amazing Trip" (Original vocals by Mouse of Tuesday Child) – 6:35
"Beyond the Last Horizon" (Version re-recorded in 2000 with Gary Hughes of Ten on lead vocals) – 5:31
"The Charm of the Seer" (Original guide vocals by Arjen Lucassen) – 2:31
"Eyes of Time" (Previously unreleased version with vocals by Leon Goewie of Vengeance) – 5:10
"Nature's Dance" – 2:34
Ambeon: "Cold Metal" – 7:09

The Human Equation (2004)

Day One: Vigil
The story begins with the narrator ("Me", portrayed by James LaBrie) lying comatose in a hospital bed. His "Wife" (Marcela Bovio) and "Best Friend" (Arjen Anthony Lucassen) are speaking about his condition, while Wife hints that there is something that she and Best Friend are hiding.

Day Two: Isolation
On the second day, slipping deeper into the coma, Me discovers that he is isolated from the world and facing his own emotions. The sudden fear of Me, his fear of being alone provokes Fear (Mikael Åkerfeldt), confirming Me's suspicions. Then, in his internal struggle, Me faces Reason (Eric Clayton) and through this, Passion (Irene Jansen) surfaces. As Me moves to despair, Pride (Magnus Ekwall) encourages him otherwise. Love (Heather Findlay) comforts Me, telling him that he always has her and that he is not alone in this, in attempt to ready him for his first ordeal.

Day Three: Pain
On the third day, Me encounters Agony (Devon Graves). Agony pushes Me further into despair, telling him he's alone and he had always been so. This provokes Rage (Devin Townsend) to arise, talking about a lie.

Day Four: Mystery
Meanwhile, on the fourth day, in the hospital, Wife and Best Friend are contemplating the situation; it becomes apparent that Me had crashed his car into a tree in broad daylight, with no other car in sight, no distraction evident. They wonder whether he will die or not; while his desire for life brings Me face-to-face with Passion one more time; concluding that he is as lost as Wife and Best Friend are.

Day Five: Voices
On the fifth day, Me discusses with his emotions the voices of his Best Friend and Wife from day four.

Day Six: Childhood
On the sixth day, Agony returns Me to his childhood, wherein it is revealed that his Father (Mike Baker) left home one day and never returned. Also, Fear and Me allude to the fact that Father always held Me to unreachable standards and treated him cruelly, going as far as to physically abuse him and tell his mother that he had "tripped and hurt his head" and talk about "how he would always be a loser".

Day Seven: Hope
Meanwhile, it is the seventh day, and Best Friend decides to make an attempt to reach Me through his position, and decides to take Me back to the days when they were young, when they didn't have a worry in the world. Best Friend calls to Me, telling him to come back to the real world, in pain. Me feels as if he is trapped, and tries to shout, but something holds him back; as if his quest was not yet complete.

Day Eight: School
On the eighth day, Fear resurfaces and decides to take Me and make him face his worst fears. Fear takes Me back to his first day at school, reminding him that he was ridiculed and made fun of and lived an isolated life throughout his school days. This awakens Rage, who reveals that these ordeals made Me into someone who cared only for "the profit of the competition". Agony alludes to the fact that Me was bullied during school which made him swear that he would take his revenge. Pride and Reason intervene there and then, and get into an argument. While Pride encourages Me to give in to his hate and wreak havoc, in order to prove to everyone that he is the best, Reason, on the other hand, tells Me that it's enough he knows who he is, and that he should try to reach out instead of shutting himself out. Passion betrays Reason, and tells Me to "savour the moment", taking Pride's side; telling him not to think, but to act. Me recalls the way he eventually got revenge on those who bullied him at school. However, after he did this, he found that he didn't want to relent, after he'd got even with them.

Day Nine: Playground
On the ninth day, Me briefly stands over his childhood (it is an instrumental piece).

Day Ten: Memories
On the tenth day of his coma, Wife and Best Friend are mystified at the hospital; since there is nothing physically wrong with Me, and therefore he should have awakened. In their own way of reaching out to Me, they start to talk about the memories they had experienced together. While Best Friend counts on their friendship (mentioning the day they had showed off their new bikes, the way they had climbed to the highest tower), he is accompanied by Pride, a shadowy indication of what is to come. Meanwhile, Wife calls on their bond of marriage and love, and Love accompanies her as she tries as well. Passion, this time betraying Pride, tells Me that his Wife is reaching out, but asks what holds him back. Reason encourages Me not to resist and let them fill him with memories.

Day Eleven: Love
On the eleventh day, upon Reason's suggestion, Me gives in and returns to the day when he met his Wife. It was a Friday night in a dance party of some sort. Me and Wife dance, while Passion and Love allude to the fact that it was love at first sight. However, there are morbid indications from Agony ("Remember your father, you're just like him") and Fear ("Nobody loved you, nobody will"; however, Fear is more hopeful in this aspect). Passion and Pride, throughout, in their own way, encourage Me.

Day Twelve: Trauma
On the twelfth day of Me's coma, while Reason decides it is enough, and he can, if he concentrates, get out of his isolation, Fear puts up a resistance and tells Me they will not let him go, and will drag him down, further, into the deepest, darkest crypts of his soul. He also doesn't forget to add his comment "Locked inside your head; you're better off dead!" to the threat. Together, the emotions take Me to his greatest trauma; his mother's death. Agony alludes to the fact that, after her husband left, his mother had withered in grief and had counted on her son to reach out and comfort her. Passion reveals that, in his hot-headed self, Me thought his mother would hold him back. Agony alludes to his mother's suicide, and that Me wasn't even nearby to witness it, or attempt to stop it. Reason states that this incident could have been an opportunity to break free of introversion, and advises Me to let go. Reason tells Me that, even though he feels guilty, he wasn't the one guilty; his Father was ("your mother died the day your father left"). Fear speaks of Me's nightmares about him hearing his mother's voice from beyond her grave, asking, "Where were you son, when I needed you?". Fear also clarifies the Father's place as Me's nemesis, as Father had stated "You worthless fool, you let her die!". Fear completes the cycle by stating there is no justification of his actions. Pride reveals that after his mother's death, Me buried all of his emotions and became obsessed with success; but not without hinting at the waste it is going to be ("It's your life!")

Day Thirteen: Sign
The thirteenth day is when Love states her disapproval of Me's treatment of his Wife, and argues that he should realize how lucky he is. Me eventually accepts this, and regrets it, asking if it's too late to mend his ways. Also, on the thirteenth day something happens in the real world; Me first sheds a single teardrop, and then clenches his fist. Wife and Best Friend wonder if it's something to be happy or sad about; they mention that his pain might be their doing, again, hinting at the secret mentioned on the first day.

Day Fourteen: Pride
On the fourteenth day, Pride takes Me to the harsh zenith of his life. Me and Pride have a clash of opinions; Me claims he was more sensitive, more creative, more compassionate and Pride corrects Me's opinions about himself firmly. Pride and Reason, for the first time, agree, and encourage Me to give in further, and let his emotions guide him.

Day Fifteen: Betrayal
The fifteenth day is marked with a revelation; the reason why Pride went along with Best Friend on the tenth day is revealed to be a brief competition between Me and Best Friend to become the Director of a business firm. Best Friend had confided in Me and had admitted to doctoring the accounting books when he lost a business deal. Me, in order to succeed, and knowing that Best Friend was superior (no matter what he may think of himself) exposed this act and won the position. While Fear alludes to the inner struggle of Me upon this act and the aftermath, Agony points to the pain that this act, no matter how justifiable it may have been, has brought to Me. Passion and Reason encourage him to confess and apologize. Me admits that his Best Friend was and is superior, and accepts the need to tell him.

Day Sixteen: Loser
The sixteenth day is marked with a rather strange event; Father (Mike Baker), Me's nemesis comes to visit Me. Calling him "Loser", and belitlling him as always, it is later revealed that the Father is the true loser, having married multiple times, and with lawsuits against him by each of those wives, while half of the many neglected children he has with them are in jail. Rage reawakens and refuses Father's words, reflecting upon the intensity of Me's hatred towards him. ("You're killing it from afar, go tell it in a bar/You're killing it from afar my father!")

Day Seventeen: Accident?
On the seventeenth day, the emotions take Me back to the day of the "accident". Reason sets the stage, the environment of the events. Me had been driving home at one PM, as Me is trying to get over his betrayal and find his Wife to soothe him. On the way, through the window, he sees his Wife smile at another man; and that other man was holding Wife in his arms. Agony states that at that point, pain is all Me had left, but he didn't even care when he turned the wheel to crash against a tree; unable to cope with his life, the way he treated his Wife and the hatred towards his own Father. Wife, at this point, alludes to the identity of the man: "It was only us, please understand.". Passion turns morbid and tells Me he has nothing left at all. Pride alludes that his love left him, taking along "me" (Me's pride). In the end, Agony makes his statement: that he is the oldest friend Me has known.

Day Eighteen: Realization
The eighteenth day comes, and the emotions gather to face Me en-masse. First comes Reason, asking Me what he will do now that he knows the truth about his Wife's betrayal, then comes Passion, telling Me to retaliate; Pride follows, telling him that he can't take this lying down; and then Love, telling Me to forgive; followed by Agony, telling Me he is better off dead; followed by Fear, asking Me if he's strong enough. In the real world, Best Friend and Wife recognize the struggle and call out.

Day Nineteen: Disclosure
The nineteenth day is the final revelation; after losing the job, Best Friend had tried to ease his loneliness and the emptiness in his life, the feelings of failure by having an affair with Me's lonely Wife, who could not reach Me in any way. However, it was only a one-time thing, and Best Friend tells Me that they were never in love, while Wife tells Me that her heart is his. They both ask for forgiveness. Passion and Love lead Me through the maze and into the real world, knowing Me is a changed man.

Day Twenty: Confrontation
The final day, the twentieth, Me wakes up and first off, admits his betrayal to Best Friend; who, surprisingly, says that he knew, but didn't dwell on it. Me asks for forgiveness, to which Best Friend responds by stating that they're even. Me's actions have damaged three lives, and now they must mend together. Love tells Me to go on and be bold; Agony, quite concordantly, welcomes Me first to the real world; Passion tells Me that he is now superior. Reason welcomes Me, Pride confirms Passion. On the final step, Fear comes along and asks Me if he's sure. Me says he is and returns to a new life...

...or perhaps not. It appears that the whole experience was a simulation commenced by the Dream Sequencer device (introduced in "Universal Migrator" double album), namely, "The Human Equation Program". Forever of the Stars, the shadowy being behind the experiment of "Into the Electric Castle" (whom, in that, had snatched few people out of various eras of time to understand their emotional responses, since his kind, one of the oldest races of the universe had lost all emotions aeons ago) has prepared this program and launched it to remember emotions, in the end of which, success is evident.

Personnel

James LaBrie and Arjen Anthony LucassenJames LaBrie (Dream Theater) as Me
Mikael Åkerfeldt (Opeth) as Fear
Eric Clayton (Saviour Machine) as Reason
Heather Findlay (Mostly Autumn) as Love
Irene Jansen (ex-Karma) as Passion
Magnus Ekwall (The Quill) as Pride
Devon Graves (Dead Soul Tribe) as Agony
Marcela Bovio (Elfonía, Stream of Passion) as Wife
Mike Baker (Shadow Gallery) as Father
Arjen Lucassen (Ayreon/Stream of Passion/Ambeon/Star One) as Best Friend
Devin Townsend (ex-Strapping Young Lad/ex-The Devin Townsend Band) as Rage

Instruments
Arjen Lucassen - all electric and acoustic guitars, bass guitars, mandolin, lap steel guitar, keyboards, synthesizers, Hammond
Ed Warby (Gorefest) - all drums and percussion

Acoustic instruments
Robert Baba - all violins
Marieke van den Broek - all cellos
John McManus (Celtus, Mama's Boys)- low flute on Days 13, 16 and 18 and whisle on day 18
Jeroen Goossens - flute on Days 3, 5, 9, 14 and 18, alto flute on Day 2, bass flute on Days 5 and 14, panpipes on Day 6, descant and treble recorder on Day 13, didgeridoo on Day 16, bassoon on Day 18

Additional keyboards and solos
Joost van den Broek (After Forever) - Synthesizer solo on Day 2, spinet on Day 13
Martin Orford (IQ, Jadis) - Synthesizer solo on Day 15
Ken Hensley (Uriah Heep) - Hammond solo on Day 16
Oliver Wakeman - Synthesizer solo on Day 17

01011001 (2008)

01011001 is the seventh studio album by Arjen Anthony Lucassen's long-running Ayreon project. "01011001" is the binary form of the number 89, which is the ASCII code for the letter Y. 01011001's plot is tied to the "Planet Y" and "Forever of the Stars" storyline developed in the albums Into the Electric Castle, Universal Migrator and The Human Equation. 17 singers in total (including Arjen himself) contribute to the album . Of these, only Anneke van Giersbergen, Floor Jansen, and Arjen himself have sung on previous Ayreon albums: Anneke on Into the Electric Castle, Floor singing backing vocals on The Dream Sequencer, and Arjen on every Ayreon album, except Flight of the Migrator.

Vocalists

Forever
In the booklet, each of these vocalists is represented by a symbol.

Hansi Kürsch (Blind Guardian, Demons & Wizards) (Celtic cross)
Daniel Gildenlöw (Pain of Salvation) (®)
Tom S. Englund (Evergrey) (Lightning bolt)
Jonas Renkse (Katatonia) (Pentacle)
Jørn Lande (ex-Masterplan, ARK) (Crow)
Anneke van Giersbergen (Agua de Annique, ex-The Gathering) (♥)
Steve Lee (Gotthard) (Yin Yang)
Bob Catley (Magnum) (Pinwheel)
Floor Jansen (After Forever, Star One) (Ω)
Magali Luyten (Beautiful Sin, Virus IV) (Crescent)

Man
Simone Simons (Epica) as Simone, an internet-dating service user.
Phideaux Xavier as PX, an internet-dating service user.
Wudstik as a 21st century scientist, preparing The Final Experiment.
Marjan Welman (Elister) as a 21st century scientist, preparing The Final Experiment.
Arjen Anthony Lucassen as Mr. L, a mentally ill man in an asylum.
Liselotte Hegt (Dial) as the mentally ill man's nurse in the asylum.
Ty Tabor (King's X) as an average middle-class worker, with an average family.

Instrumentalists
Arjen Anthony Lucassen - Guitar, keyboards, synths, bass guitar, programming
Ed Warby (Gorefest) - Drums and percussion
Lori Linstruth (ex-Stream of Passion) - Guitar solo on "Newborn Race"
Michael Romeo (Symphony X) - Guitar solo on "E=MC²"
Derek Sherinian (Planet X, Yngwie Malmsteen, ex-Dream Theater) - Keyboard solo on "The Fifth Extinction"
Tomas Bodin (The Flower Kings) - Keyboard solo on "Waking Dreams"
Joost van den Broek (After Forever) - Piano and Keyboard solo on "The Sixth Extinction"
Jeroen Goossens (Flairck) - Flutes
Ben Mathot (Dis) - Violins
David Faber - Cellos

Story
On Planet Y, the seafaring 'Forever' have long ago forgone their emotions as well as becoming dependent on machines, in order to become immortal. Longing to rediscover emotions, the Forever send their DNA to planet Earth using a comet as vessel. The vessel reaches Earth seeding humanity, and causes the extinction of the dinosaurs. Humans rise and through them, Forever are able to relive lost emotions. However, Forever's continued meddling with humanity in order to make them evolve faster have disastrous consequence when their physical and mental evolution goes faster than their moral development; humanity starts becoming dependent on machines, they start slowly losing their emotions, and worst of all head toward the path to their own extinction. Forever must then orchestrate a way to help humanity save themselves, or should they even bother...is the experiment over?

Forever chooses to try to help by altering the time streams to giving humanity the technology to perform the Time Telepathy Experiment (as explained in Ayreon's debut album, The Final Experiment), which would broadcast their inevitable doom to those before them in attempt to save themselves. However, the Experiment is a failure and humanity's self-destruction occurs despite Forever's desperate attempts. The Forever leave Earth, crushed by their failures, but the Migrator (from The Universal Migrator), the last man alive, leaves with them.

Article ajouté le 2008-03-22 , consulté 56 fois

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