THE HUMAN EQUATION

What can I say about this album? First off, it is truly a Progressive masterpiece. Arjen Lucassen has created a style that no one can really cover. Going back to his old roots by having each vocalist perform as a different character (or in this case, emotion), he creates what really seems to be a rock opera. The album has moments of metal madness, then moments of quiet violin and flute. The variety of sound in this album is quite amazing. James Labrie, who normally has a mediocre voice, really puts forth a great effort on this album. But not just Labrie puts up a great effort, but Akerfeldt, Townsend, and Findlay also put up amazing efforts in all of the tracks that they sing in.

The tracks that stand out the most in my mind are Day Sixteen: Loser, which utilizes what I believe to be a mandolin, and some great flute work, combined with metal guitar. Day Three: Pain, is also a very interesting piece. The metal sections and the quiet passages really seems to fit the albums mold. There are no dry spots on this album, every track is essentially perfect, you don't have the same problems that The Universal Migrator had (which was that some of the songs dragged on).

Overall, this album is the best Ayreon work to come out yet. If Lucassen if hoping to top himself again, he is going to have to push the proverbial envelope. I highly recommend the album to anyone who wants to listen to something a little bit different. It gets my highest recommendation, a 5/5.

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