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Band/artist: Ayreon
Title: 01011001
Released: 2008
Label: InsideOut/SPV |
Track listing CD1:
1. Age of Shadows
2. Comatose
3. Liquid Eternity
4. Connect the Dots
5. Beneath the Waves
6. Newborn Race
7. Ride the Comet
8. Web of Lies |
Track listing CD2:
1. The Fifth Extinction
2. Waking Dreams
3. The Truth Is in Here
4. Unnatural Selection
5. River of Time
6. E=MC2
7. The Sixth Extinction |
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The Players
Arjen Anthony
Lucassen (guitars, bass, keyboards, synths, programming), Lori Linstruth
(guitars), Michael Romeo (guitars), Ben Mathot (violin), David Faber
(violoncello), Jeroen Goossens (flute), Derek Sherinian (keyboards),
Joost van den Broek (keyboards), Tomas Bodin (keyboards), Ed Warby
(drums). VOCALISTS: Arjen Anthony Lucassen, Anneke Van Giersbergen, Bob
Catley, Daniel Gildenlöw, Floor Jansen, Hansi Kürsch, Jonas Renkse, Jorn
Lande, Liselotte Hegt, Magali Luyten, Marjan Welman, Phideaux Xavier,
Simone Simons, Steve Lee, Tom S. Englund, Ty Tabor, Wudstik |
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 Let
me say this right from the top: I have been looking forward to this
release with great anticipation and am happy to report I really like
what I am hearing. Ayreon has outdone himself this time. In fact, this
may be my favorite Ayreon release of all and that is saying something
considering their last album, “The Human Equation”, was very strong. For
those who do not know, Ayreon is a project fronted by Arjen Anthony
Luccasen. The new album is slightly different from his previous releases
not so much in the concept as it is a continuation of “The Universal
Migrator” records, but there is an underlying electronic vibe in some of
the songs. I found the new songs to be very refreshing and a joy to
listen to.
As usual, the guest vocalists do a wonderful job of expressing Arjen’s
musical ideas and the singing is top notch. Arjen went with a few more
singers this time around so their musical passages are sometimes shorter
as compared to past works but this in no way takes away from the overall
enjoyment of the album.
The music is intense, dramatic, grand in scope, and very melodic
progressive rock starting with the opening tune “Age Of Shadows/We Are
Forever”. With its driving beat, crunchy guitar riffs, myriad of
keyboard sounds and great vocals, this is a strong opener. The voice of
Jonas P. Renkse is particularly effective.
Perhaps the vocalist who is given the most time to shine is Jorn Lande.
His deep, rich voice really suits the music especially in “Comatose”.
His performance here is top notch hitting some of those low notes
effortlessly and is a nice contrast to the beautiful voice of Anneke van
Giersbergen making this one of the album’s highlights.
The album’s greatest hook can be found in “Connect The Dots” a duet
between Arjen and Kings X singer Ty Tabor. This is a nice slice of
melodic prog with plenty of pop sensibility that should also appeal to
many non-prog fans. Pure ear candy but highly enjoyable nonetheless!
Although there are a couple of shorter progressive pop numbers the album
contains quite a few longer compositions such as the last song, “The
Sixth Extinction”. This is a song filled with metallic riffs (some of
the chord progressions reminded me of “The Wall”), a variety of keys,
and even some growling vocals which are used to great effect. A fine way
to end the album.
This is a strong release that will definitely please Ayreon fans and may
even convert a few new ones. This one gets my full recommendation and,
in my opinion, is a must purchase.
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Rating: 9.5 (out of ten)
Visit the Artist’s
Website
Discography
01011001 (2008)
The Human Equation (2004)
Ayreonauts Only (2001)
Universal Migrator Part 2: Flight Of The Universal Migrator (2000)
Universal Migrator Part 1: The Dream Sequencer (2000)
Into The Electric Castle (1998)
Actual Fantasy (1996)
The Final Experiment (1995)
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