The Wikipedia entry for The Theory of Everything contains a wealth of information, and can be found here In his latest (2013) release, The Theory of Everything, Arjen unveils a completely revamped conceptual universe for Ayreon. Gone are the complicated story lines featuring sci-fi, aliens and time-travel; in their place is a real-world drama set … Continue Reading
Ayreon – The Final Experiment
The Story Prologue In the year 2084 scientists have found a way to send messages back into time using time telepathy. With the earth nearly destroyed by many different causes, they have one hope for the experiment: warn the past of the future to avert the fate of earth. Act I The receiver of the … Continue Reading
Ayreon – Flight of the Migrator
Universal Migrator Part II: Flight of the Migrator is Arjen’s fifth Ayreon release. At the time of the original release of the albums comprising the Universal Migrator (2000), Arjen had enough songs for a double CD. But at the time he was under the impression that his fan base was divided into two different camps … Continue Reading
Ayreon – The Dream Sequencer
At the time of the original release of the albums comprising the Universal Migrator (2000), Arjen had enough songs for a double CD. But at the time he was under the impression that his fan base was divided into two different camps — prog and metal — and that there was little genre crossover between … Continue Reading
Ayreon – 01011001
With his Ayreon project, legendary multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer and vocalist Arjen Anthony Lucassen single-handedly revived the rock opera genre in the 1990s. Since then, Ayreon has achieved worldwide critical acclaim and success with albums charting in various countries. The seventh Ayreon output, 01011001, finds Lucassen both exploring new musical frontiers and revisiting his roots. The … Continue Reading
Ayreon – Timeline
TIMELINE follows the thirteen-year evolution of the Ayreon sound from the 1995 debut The Final Experiment to the release of 01011001 in 2008. Its 3 CDs contain 32 essential Ayreon tracks plus one brand new song recorded especially for this release — almost 4 hours of music! The DVD features nearly two hours of selected … Continue Reading
Ayreon – The Human Equation
Story A man lies comatose in hospital after a terrible car accident. The accident was bizarre: it happened in broad daylight with no other cars in sight. The man’s wife and his best friend are keeping a bedside vigil, trying to understand how the accident happened, and hoping for any sign of recovery. Unable to … Continue Reading
Ayreon – The Universal Migrator (parts 1 and 2)
The Universal Migrator parts I and II is the 2-CD re-release of what were originally released as two single albums: The Dream Sequencer and Flight of the Migrator. The Dream Sequencer On Universal Migrator part I: The Dream Sequencer Arjen picks up the story of The Final Experiment and the year 2084. Over a hundred … Continue Reading
Ayreon – Into the Electric Castle
The third Ayreon release is a 100+ minute double CD and like ‘The Final Experiment’ it tells a story. Eight stereotypical characters from different eras in time suddenly find themselves in another dimension as subjects of an experiment conducted by an alien race. The characters on ‘Into the Electric Castle’ (1998) are blown out of … Continue Reading
Ayreon – Actual Fantasy
Originally released in 1996 on the Transmission label, Actual Fantasy is the second album in Arjen’s Ayreon project. Instead of having a continuous story with a beginning and an end, the the individual songs are based on fantasy and sci-fi movies, or on stories Arjen wrote himself. The first ten thousand copies of Actual Fantasy … Continue Reading
Ayreon – Ayreonauts Only
Arjen explains: “When I was in Los Angeles Lana Lane was kind enough to sing guide vocals for (amongst other songs) ‘Into the Black Hole’. I sent this version to Bruce Dickinson and he really liked the song and Lana’s vocals. But Bruce was extremely busy recording with Maiden…