THE HUMAN EQUATION

This is the one AYREON album that fans seem to rate the highest. I would imagine the guest vocalists alone make this a favourite among Metal fans with Akertfeldt,Townsend, Clayton, Graves, Baker and LaBrie on board.Then throw in some amazing female singers like Bovio, Findlay and Jansen and that's a tough lineup to beat.The instrumentalists seem to take a back seat here but that part of this recording is top notch as well. I like the title of Easy Livin's review that says "A winning formula ?". My thoughts exactly. The only album from AYREON I rated 4 stars is the one that veers away from the formula and that's "The Universal Migrator Part 1", the rest all follow the same blueprint and i'm just not a fan. It's like i'm listening to a musical with different singers playing the various parts and singing the lines.Then there's the backing female vocals which are always prominant and of course being a concept album the focus is on the vocals not the instrumental work or the music for that matter. Still after saying all that this is worth 3 stars because of the performances alone.

Phideaux might be my favourite on here with the song "Hope". It's just a refreshing section after all that has gone on before. "Pride" is another highlight with the heaviness and excellent guitar solo. I like the synths too that come and go.The end of the final tune is great with those passionate vocals that start before 6 minutes. Obviously i'm in the minority here with the 3 stars but consider that this is a project that just doesn't do it for me. Of interest is the fact that Devin Townsend wrote the lyrics for "Rage" on three different tracks while Heather Findlay wrote the lyrics for "Love" on one song and Devon Graves wrote the lyrics for "Agony" on one track. Arjen wrote the rest.