News
Sept 30, 2008 |
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It's time again for the Ayreon Fanmeet! Just like last year, a group of Arjen's fans in the Netherlands have organized a special meeting for Ayreon fans. The press release from the Ayreon fanmeet organization reads: This year's event features performances by the bands Galanor (www.galanor.com) and LadyLau (www.ladylau.com). Both bands will be playing Ayreon songs in addition to their own music. LadyLau and members of Galanor were part of The Ayreonotes, a band formed by musically talented fans for last year's fanmeet. Besides the live music, the fanmeet offers a chance for Ayreon fans to meet and mingle. There will also be a few special guests (musicians that have played on one or more of Arjen's albums). You can talk to them and they'll bring their merchandise as well. Tickets are 10 Euro each. Fanmeet visiors attending the Alquin (www.alquin.org) concert later that evening will receive a 5 euro discount on their Alquin ticket! For fanmeet tickets and all the latest info, please visit www.ayreonfanmeet.com. And feel free to contact us if you have any questions. All together it will be a great day for anyone who likes Arjen's music; hope to see you there! ~Ayreon Fanmeet Organisation. |
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Sept 16, 2008 |
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The latest news from the Electric Castle is that Arjen has just put the finishing touches on the forthcoming Ayreon 3CD + DVD compilation album, TIMELINE. "I've been asked many times before to release an Ayreon compilation album, but it just didn’t feel right to present fragmented bits of story by lifting individual songs out of their greater contexts. However, my attitude changed after I completed my 2008 album 01011001, in which I connected all the previous Ayreon releases, musically as well as lyrically. Having completed the circle, so to speak, it seemed like a fitting time to put all things Ayreon into perspective and create an Ayreon timeline outlining the entire story."
TIMELINE will be available from InsideOut Music on 7 November 2008 (G.A.S), 17 November 2008 (Europe), and 13 January 2009 (N. America). When asked what the release of TIMELINE means for the future of Ayreon, Arjen explains, "I don't see this as the end of Ayreon, but rather as a new beginning. I'll definitely be recording some side projects before I even start thinking about re-inventing Ayreon. To keep things fresh for myself I've got to come up with a completely new concept for both the music and the lyrics. I hope I can do it...it will be definitely be quite a challenge!" For more info and updates, check the TIMELINE page regularly |
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June 27, 2008 |
Ask Arjen Anything - and get answers! |
Every so often we collect all the weird and wonderful questions that Arjen's fans can come up with in an event called "Ask Arjen Anything" (AAA). The results of the most recent AAA are posted online now on the Message Board and on the blog. Enjoy! |
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May 27, 2008 |
Release Party Videos online |
01011001 Release Party videos online |
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Apr 21, 2008 |
Elected EP samples online |
We've just posted some audio samples from the new Ayreon EP Elected. |
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Mar 9, 2008 |
01011001 on vinyl! |
As reported in the Arjen Lucassen newsletter #82, the new Ayreon album 0011001 is to be released on vinyl. It will be a triple-album set on clear vinyl. However, the mid-March release date has been postponed. The new (but still tentative!) release dates are as follows: |
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Mar 1, 2008 |
01011001 in the charts |
International album chart positions for 01011001 Holland (#2) |
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Jan 14, 2008 |
In-store appearances January 2008 |
We've just received confirmation that Arjen will be making at least two in-store appearances this month. Joining him for a short acoustic set will be vocalist Marjan Welman, whose powerful vocals are featured on the song E=mc2 on 01011001. Admission to the in-store performances is free. 25 January -- 17:00 Velvet Music in Breda 25 January -- 20:00 Waterput in Bergen op Zoom 26 January -- 17:00 Velvet music in Delft Hope to see you there! |
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Jan 10, 2008 |
01011001 Preview video |
A new preview video of 01011001 has been posted on Arjen's MySpace, featuring a glimpse into the studio and previews of the songs -- don't miss it! |
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Jan 1, 2008 |
Beneath the waves CGI movie |
You can watch the CGI movie for Beneath the Waves from 01011001 here. Happy New Year! |
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Dec 24, 2007 |
01011001 album artwork online |
Each day until January 1, 2008 we'll be unveiling selected album artwork from 01011001. The first previews, created by Simon van Vegten of DPI Animation House, are already up and available here. |
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Dec. 3rd, 2007 |
Preview on MySpace! |
You can listen to the track 'The Fifth Extinction' taken from the forthcoming Ayreon album '01011001' on Arjen's MySpace. The track is divided up in two parts to meet with MySpace limitations (the song is just over 10 minutes long). |
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Banners! | |
You can download banners to promote the new Ayreon everywhere. Select the code in the box and paste in your html codes.   |
Nov. 27th, 2007 |
Teaser Online! |
You can download the teaser trailer for 01011001 at this location (right-click and save). Or visit MySpace.
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Nov. 26th, 2007 |
New Management! |
Here follows a statement from Y. Boertje, Personal Manager for Arjen Lucassen: "After working for Arjen for as a manager for nearly five years, I decided it was time to move on and, among other things, pursue my screenwriting career. |
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Nov. 21st, 2007 |
Asian release date |
The new Ayreon album will be released in Asia (Japan, China, Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and other territories) through Avalon/Marquee Records on January 23rd, 2008. It will be the regular 2 CD edition containing two Arjen guide vocal bonus tracks, plus one exclusive Arjen guide vocal track. |
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Nov. 15th, 2007 |
Release Party 01011001 |
To celebrate the newest Ayreon release, we'll be throwing a party for the fans. The location is (like The Human Equation Pre-Release Party) in the Stairway to Heaven Cafe in Utrecht, The Netherlands on Sunday January 27th, 2008.
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Nov. 15th, 2007 |
Editions and contents 01011001 |
- A regular 2CD edition with a 28 page booklet. *The bonus DVD contains: Pre-order will be available shortly! Please check the 01011001 page for release dates and all official information. |
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Nov. 8th, 2007 |
Cover Artwork! |
For the lay-out artwork (the images inside the booklet) Arjen has called in the talents of Colombian graphics artist Felipe Machado Franco. You can check out his website at this location.
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Nov. 8th, 2007 |
Release dates and editions |
The album will be in stores end of January 2008. Here are the release dates per territory: In Europe and North America the album will be released through InsideOut/SPV records and in the following
editions: |
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Nov. 1st, 2007 |
Track List Revealed! |
The full track list for the new Ayreon double disc release has been announced. Please check the 01011001 page for all information.
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Oct. 28th, 2007 |
Guest Keyboardists Announced! |
Beside guest guitarists, Arjen also invited keyboard players for the new Ayreon album. They are (in order of appearance) Derek Sherinian (Planet X), Tomas Bodin (The Flower Kings) and Joost van den Broek (After Forever).
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Oct. 25th, 2007 |
Jeroen Goossens returns! |
Flutist Jeroen Goossens of the Dutch folk band Flairck returns to Ayreon. Jeroen who previously played on Ayreon's The Human Equation and starred in the "Loser" video, recently recorded his parts in the Electric Castle. Other instrumentalists we previously announced include Ben Mathot of the band Dis on violin, David Faber on cello and of course Gorefest's drummer Ed Warby. |
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Oct. 21st, 2007 |
Solo Guitarists announced! |
The following three guitarists play solos on the new Ayreon album called 01011001: Lori Linstruth, Arjen Lucassen himself, and Michael Romeo. Stay tuned for more guessing when we give you a sample of the guest keyboardists! |
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Oct. 10th, 2007 |
"01011001" |
We're now able to reveal the title for the new Ayreon album due out in January 2008. It is called 01011001. You can check all official information such as sound clips and future downloads by visiting the special 01011001 page. |
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Oct. 10th, 2007 |
Daniel Gildenlow confirmed! |
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Oct. 8th, 2007 |
Wudstik and Marjan Welman |
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For the past few years Arjen has made it a point to invite relatively unknown vocalists to sing along with the more well known artists. Arjen chose these two Dutch singers because, as he puts it: "...they are very talented, they have charisma and they possess the drive needed to make it quite far in the music business".
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Sept. 28th, 2007 |
Hansi Kursch Announced! |
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Sept. 19th, 2007 |
Steve Lee Announced! |
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Sept. 19th, 2007 |
Ayreon Fan Meet! |
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September 15th saw the birth of what may become a tradition: the very first Ayreon Fan Meet. Fans from across the globe, who spend a lot of their time on the Ayreon messageboard, planned to meet up in what once was to be a simple lunch meeting in the Amsterdam Zoo. The plan steadily grew into an official meeting. |
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Sept. 14th, 2007 |
Floor Jansen and Phideaux announced! |
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Sept. 10th, 2007 |
Vocalist number 11 and 12! |
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Time for a double bill of vocalists! See if you can figure out who vocalist number 11 and are. Both vocalists recorded vocals last month. If you are first to guess either one on our messageboard, you will stand a chance to win special prizes! A total of 18 vocalists will be featured on the new Ayreon, so there are six more to be revealed after this! |
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Sept. 7th, 2007 |
Bob Catley announced! |
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Sept. 3rd, 2007 |
Anneke van Giersbergen announced! |
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Aug. 29th, 2007 |
Jonas P. Renkse on Ayreon! |
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Aug. 27th, 2007 |
Jorn Lande announced |
Now that wasn't so hard for most of the guessers on our messageboard and among our MySpace friends! Jorn Lande is the eighth vocalist to be announced for Ayreon. Although there are some of you who haven't heard this fantastic vocalist who flew in from Norway to sing at the Electric Castle. If you want to know more about Jorn Lande, do check out his official MySpace site, and his official website for more information. |
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Aug. 21st, 2007 |
Tom Englund is vocalist number 6! |
Tom S. Englund of Evergrey has been announced as the sixth vocalist on the new Ayreon album. Tom flew over to the Netherlands last week from Sweden to record all his vocal parts. For more information on Tom or his band please visit:
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Aug. 16th, 2007 |
Arjen and Liselotte Hegt on Ayreon |
It wasn't such a hard guess, at least for one half the duo we revealed last week. Indeed, Arjen Lucassen takes on
a bit of vocal duty for this new Ayreon album as well. The second vocalist proved a lot more difficult, as we
expected. But eventually someone figured it out. |
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July 30th, 2007 |
Ty Tabor on Ayreon |
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There were some pretty good guesses, anything ranging from Neal Morse, to Steve Wilson, and some even thought it
was Arjen Lucassen himself. |
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July 9, 2007 |
Simone Simons on Ayreon! |
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Simone's recording session was on July 5th. Epica's new album "The Divine Conspiracy" is due for release September 7th, 2007 through Nuclear Blast Records. You can check out the following MySpace sites for more information on Simone and her band:
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June 26, 2007 |
Magali Luyten stars on new Ayreon |
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June. 14, 2007 |
First vocalist recorded! |
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The very first vocalist for the seventh Ayreon album was recorded in the Electric Castle Studio last week. We're not revealing the name of the vocalist just yet, but you can listen to a sample of the voice (without instruments) here. During the time leading up to the official announcement of each of the vocalists participating on the new Ayreon album, we'll be giving acapella previews of every vocalist. Currently 12 vocalists have been confirmed, and a few more will be added. Discuss the sample, and all things Ayreon, on our messageboard or on Arjen's official MySpace site. |
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June. 14, 2007 |
Drums Finished! |
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Arjen and Ed Warby (Gorefest) finished all drum recording together with producer Gordon Groothedde. You can read the studio report here. |
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May. 14, 2007 |
Ayreon Demos Completed |
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Arjen just finished recording the demos for his seventh Ayreon album. As previously reported, Arjen went through a difficult time last winter. Since then he's been doing a lot better. He discovered that music truly is the best medicine and also drew inspiration from the many encouraging e-mails, letters, and postcards he received from his fans. Though Arjen initially planned to release a single album, the plan -- as always -- changed as the composing
progressed. Like 'The Human Equation' and 'Into the Electric Castle', the new Ayreon will be a
double album featuring 15 tracks with a combined length of nearly 100 minutes. Arjen is currently checking the availability of vocalists and instrumentalists to see who can be scheduled to appear. A number of vocalists have already responded enthusiastically. Arjen has a long wish-list, and it promises to be quite a puzzle to figure out who will be singing where and what. No release date has been set. Be sure to check Arjen's official MySpace site for special updates and upcoming previews. |
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Mar. 4, 2007 |
Exclusive interview! |
Available now: a brand new exclusive interview with Arjen, in which he talks candidly about the difficult past few months, the future of Stream of Passion and some of his plans for the new Ayreon album. |
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Feb. 7, 2007 |
Arjen in MusicMaker Magazine |
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Nov. 21, 2006 |
Arjen's next Project Finally, we are able to bring you some news about Arjen's next recording project. At the end of September 2006, Arjen's new studio was finished and ready to use. The very next day, Arjen went in with his trusted little tape recorder, and papers with dozens of song ideas that he'd been working on for the past year. He has been in his studio nearly every day (and night) since then, getting the ideas translated into songs. The musical ideas are so extremely varied that only one project could possibly hold them all: Ayreon. Arjen has already been in contact with some very interesting and talented people to help create a new dimension of the Ayreon Universe. Of course, we'll keep you informed on Arjen's progress over the next months! |
Sept. 9, 2006 |
New P.O. Box address! As a result of Arjen's recent move, his P.O. box address has changed. You can send Arjen vocalist demos, postcards, autograph requests, or whatever you want! However, because Arjen receives dozens of demos a week, we hope you understand that he simply can't guarantee a reply. Ayreon Productions |
Apr. 20, 2006 |
Ask-Arjen-Anything Questionnaire Taz, a faithful messageboard and Ayreon Yahoo-groups member, has collected all sorts of questions from Ayreon/Stream of Passion/Arjen fans, and posed them to Arjen in this Ask-Arjen-Anything Questionnaire. Have fun reading Arjen's sometimes rather 'tongue in cheek' answers here |
TIMELINE follows the thirteen-year evolution of the Ayreon sound from the 1995 debut The Final Experiment to the release of 01011001 in 2008. In addition to selecting tracks from the existing Ayreon discography, Arjen has also written and recorded a new Ayreon song exclusively for TIMELINE. Titled Epilogue: The Memory Remains, this previously unreleased 9-plus-minute track introduces Ayreon fans to the clear, powerful voice of Jasper Steverlinck (
Arjen and Ayreon-veteran 
