I know i should be working, but i’m having a bit of free-lazy time and instead of playing flash games or drinking coffee, i decided i’d do something new for a chance.

So, you all know that i like music a lot and i’m always in search of new stuff. Well, i want to talk to you about this last find i had, because i think it’s more or less the most impressive modern rock-opera i’ve heard to date.

The work is by the hands of a genius composer-guitarist-keyboardist by the name of Arjen Lucassen, a guy that’s working since 1995 on a project called “Ayreon”, which is basically a joint-venture of all the most talented prog, rock and metal singers of the period, all guided by the direcotr Lucassen and working together to create a story, a concept. Every album is one part of a bigger story, but the one i want to talk about is a bit out of the context, because instead of focusing on sci-fi, future alien races and superior, universal concepts like usual from Ayreon, focuses on the human mind and its emotions.

The Album is called “The Human Equation”.

It is basically the story of a cynic and cold business man having a freak car accident without no apparent reason whatsoever. He is comatose and in an hospital bed, and the20 tracks of the double CD tell the story (each day, a song) of his internal conflict with his various emotions and the external contact with his best friend and his wife, some trying to make him let death take him and some trying to take him back to life. The struggle goes on until the epilogue, and during this game, the man discovers and remembers much of his past, of his conflicts, of his parents, and of a lot of things he gave for granted.

The more interesting aspect of this is that every single emotion (Reason, Pride, Fear, Agony, Rage, Love, Passion) and the humans in this opera (the main character labeled introspectively “Me”, his wife, his father and his best friend) is impersonated by a different singer and they duet, interwine, contrast each other during the songs just like in an actual opera would happen. In the actual epilogue there's a majestic "showdown" between emotions (especially Fear, that quite soon takes the throne as the nemesis of the story) that is not unlike an epic battle.
Just to give an idea, maybe some of you know them, the character “Me” is vocalized by James LaBrie from Dream Theater, “Fear” is Mikael Akerfeldt from Opeth, Devon Graves (Dead Soul Tribe) is “Agony”, Devin Townsend (Strapping YOung Lad) is “Rage”, Eric Clayton (Saviour Machine) is “Reason”, Heather Findlay (Mostly Autumn) is “Love”, and so on, while “Best Friend” is sung by Lucassen himself.

Talking about the music, it’s hard to define it with a genre. It is definitely very progressive-y rock-metal music, it has both classical and folk influences (for example there is a crazy Hammond organ solo in the middle of track 16 “Loser” by the keyboardist of Huriah Heep that is also present, but less prominent, in other songs). Depending on the emotions involved and the part of the character’s life that is being “remembered”, or on the emotion or person that is “talking” at the moment. Desperate parts where fear and agony might have the lead will be dark and heavy, while on the other hand, when his wife calls to him or the character remembers his first love, the music becomes melodic, emotionally tearing, almost neoclassical. When the Best Friend remembers the good times they used to have when they were young the music is a very happy-go over the top seventies prog, and so on.

At first listen the album might sound and it IS overwhelming. It’s very long, the songs space lots of genres and the instrumentation is sometimes complex and bombastic, and it will be hard to keep track of each voice and the respective role at first. It’s one of those albums that require time, solitude and some listens to get really acquainted with, but now that i did it, it’s like drwoning in a different dimension everytime, much like reading a splendid book, only that instead of reading it, you listen to it. Talking in detail, in my opinion the music is nothing short of perfect in every way. Every lead, every solo, every line, is at the right place and serves a puropse to the whole story, there is no subordination of each to something else, it’s all so cohesive that flows together without an hassle.

For example... the album starts with a short sweet duet between the Best Friend and the Wife, both attending at the main character’s bed. He has just been brought in the hospital as we hear the two people wondering the reasons for such tragedy, with a soft and melodic strings background.
[Best Friend] Did he open up his eyes?
Did he try to touch my hand
Or is my mind playing tricks on me...

Do you think he hears us cry?
Does he understand
We are here by his side?
Second day, his consciousness awakens within himself. He finds himself floating in an ethereal landscape, and as he wonders what happened, his emotions starts connecting to him. First, of course comes the most natural of them all.. Fear.
[Fear] You've been deserted, everyone has left you
You know it's always been that way
Those frantic years, the people you've neglected
Now the time has come to pay
You're alone
No one here is dancing to your tune

Followed by Reason, Pride, Love, and Passion, which are more or less the "good" emotions of the story, the ones trying to give the man some hope, and shed some light upon his confusion.
[Love] You'll find me here whenever they oppose you
I am the strongest of them all
No need to fear these feelings that enclose you
I'm here to catch you when you fall
You're not alone
I am here dancing to your tune

[Passion] Can't you feel it burn
Deep down inside?
Won't you ever learn
Don't try to hide
Can't you feel that fire?
Scorching you soul?
A wounded man's desire
Out of control

And so on. On day Three (Pain) is Agony the overwhelming emotion, with a brooding, hopeless dark background of guitar and bass, with Rage thundering in the definitely heavy metal chorus with piercing screams of rebellion and frustration.
[Agony] I am pain
I am the wound that never heals
It's all in vain
No compromise, no deals...

[Me] I can't believe this is the end
[Agony] It's written in stone
[Me] Where are my friends?
[Agony] You have always been alone!

Before the end of the song though, Love makes an appearance trying to save the man from the deepest pits of despair.
[Love] I can't accept this, we will find a way
Out of this cesspool of doom and dismay
Beyond this dejection there's beauty and grace
A glorious future we long to embrace

On day 4 (Mistery), the wife and the Best Friend are left to question themselves about something that we aren’t given to know yet. It’s a keyboard driven song, with some classical guitar and a lot of suspence in the spacey solo. There is something else going on, maybe there is a reason for all of this happening?
[Passion] Do you think you've seen it?
[Me] I don't think I did
[Passion] Do you think you know it?
[Me] I don't think I know
[Passion] Do you think you've been there?
[Me] I don't think I was
[Passion] Do you think you'll die?
[Me] I don't know!

And so the struggle, inside and outside the mind of the character, goes on for other 16 days. There are secrets and meories revealed, some are happy and uplifting, some are haunting and sad. Highlights are imo on day 11, Love, where the character remembers the night when he met his wife at a school dance, the music alternating between a waltzer with the voices acting young , cheesy and disilluded, sappy and filled with hesitation...
[Me] Friday night, I had a few
There she was, out of the blue
Thunderstruck, nailed to the floor
I couldn't move, couldn't talk...anymore

[Love] Of all these guys it's you she desires
Secretly her heart is on fire
Waiting for you to ask her to dance
Go ahead, make your move...now's your chance

... and a happy, majestic chorus where the emotions try to guide the shy boy to remember how he felt and to live that moment again, with Agony warning him of a future that had yet to come.
[Passion] Do it right, do it right, we ain't got all night
Do it now, do it now, I think you know how
[Pride] Let it out, let it out, now don't mess about
Let her in, let her in, let the party begin!

[Agony] Remember your father, well you're just like him
Nothing but violence and fury within
Remember your mother, so lonely and sad
This will be her fate if you treat her as bad

And on day 16, titled Loser, where the abusive and violent father of the character comes to haunt him in his dreams on a folky-almost country like tune (introduced by a digerido and flute), where you can almost smell the atmosphere of raunchy roadside bars and cheap drinks, spitting words out in disgust towards his son,
[Father] Look at you, lying there, defenceless and alone
See I am no fool, I always knew you wouldn't make it on your own
Cos you're just like your mother, well, where is she now?
You'll end up like her soon, 6 feet under ground, loser!
I came here to watch you bleed, oh how I love to gloat
If you had any balls at all, you'd grab me by the throat
You don't even look like me, ha! Not even close!
You're an aberration, some freak...I suppose, loser!

Wiords that are abruptly brought to an end by the screams of rage by.. well, Rage who finally has the chance to lash out with all his might, anger and confused frustration at him, thus closing a circle that was kept open since years.
 
So the struggle of the man continues within this maze of sounds, music, words and feelings and we are bought together on this wonderful ride. We also discover the reasons that brought the man to this as it turns out the accident was not much of an accident, and to his final resolution.... (don't read if you don't want to know how the story ends, although it's quite obvious )
and as the music is over, i think we will all appreciate life a bit more.

I didnt read the spoiler And thats probably the first time I havent read a spoiler on a forum. I wasnt bothered about read spoilers about The Simpsons Movie, or any fanfiction, but this... I'll HAVE to listen to first!

Great review, and I'll look forward to listening to it for myself.



Edit: Oh, and Devin Townsend? Rage? Match made in heaven!

Hehe, that's the link you just sent me , and so far so good All are very good vocalist ^_^ Powerful stuff as you said
This has deffinatly got me interested Marco, so many thanks for posting I enjoy reviews no matter what people say and this one seems very unique, however I havn't been able to read to the bottom just yet but plan on reading the 2nd half later tonight and listening over more of the music

Edit: Sorry, but had to also add since you just sent me the link to the song "Hope" which I also found good, nice uplifting music that fits the emotion perfectly I must give the whole album a listen now Loved the video too, very funny and crazy

Well I couldn't find this album (I'll use Play.com or something, thanks SR!) the store did have 'Into the Electric Castle' and the new one, '01011001' which should be interesting.

*kicks back and relaxes*

8 characterizations thrown together into one album. This is going to rule!
The back reads-
'A deafening thunderclap as time and space collide! 8 human souls, plucked from their eras of Time, suddenly find themselves together in a strange dimension... A mysterious voice directs them through a maze of trials leading into the Electric Castle. Within the castle, built from their own dreams and fears, they must find the gate back to their own centuries. Will they survive? And who is the voice...?'

Oh, now that's just mean, SR... now I have to get 'em all.

That is is Casper. Well, i also listen to it in car and occasionally with my mp3 reader but that' is, i guess, because i just like the sound and the music and so i can treat every song even if "detached" from the story. And even because i know the lyrics all by memory by now

Still, like you said, it is intended to be like a 2 hours song splitted into parts.
I knew you'd like Trauma actually (first time i've heard it, the line "you're better off dead!" caught me off guard and almost scared me, then i remeber who was singing the Fear part and i got what i expected. ), wonderful performance from Akerfeldt in it and a very deep song as in themes involved. I did underestimate day 20-Confrontation in my review in fact. I also think it's one of the best on the album, the buildup in the middle and the ending ride always make me want to stand on my feet and teel the world "yeah, take that!" 

I'm glad you enjoyed it of course!