 zachfive wrote:
I've been listening to Ayreon almost exclusively for about 3 months now
and I'm going to throw my two cents into this thread. Like most people
here I really enjoy Ayreons music. For those who don't like him, that's
you opinion and I get that. But I kind of equate that my feelings to for
Tom Brady. Sure I hate the man, don't like him and that's my opinion;
but if we were talking about his actual ability well then yeah he is
pretty freakin good. Arjen Lucasssen is the same way, sure you may not enjoy
his music, but his understanding of music composition and music
production are undeniable. Another stand out quality that I believe makes
his music so good is his leadership. He seems to be the anti-Fripp,
knowing when and how to utilize the talents around him without it being a
dictatorship. On many occasions he has let the vocalist for a song
develop the vocal melody, examples include - but not limited too, "My
House on Mars" and "Waking Dreams". When presenting Arjen with his
Virtuoso Award for the 2014 Prog Awards Damian Wilson said, "He is the
most wonderful man in the world, but most people don't get a chance to
see how wonderful he is. But they get a chance to hear it. And he sees
the best in everyone, and when he records with musicians he always
brings out the best in them." Any research into the man himself and you
can see how humble, modest, and talented he really is.
As for the
music itself, well I think Arjen described Ayreons sound better than
anyone. In an interview about 01011001 he said "Ayreon is a combination
of power and melody, it's very important for me" It is this cornerstone
upon which he builds his music, and it shows. In addition to this
foundation of composition, he includes power synth runs that are as
catchy as they are appropriate. Never too much and always just enough.
His influences are many, but the sounds at the forefront are metal,
folk, and symphonic prog all wrapped in a rock opera delivery system
that just seem to coalesce into one deliciously cheesy experience. I say
cheesy, well, because it is, but in the best way possible. The story he
tells, and the music through which he tells it, is so grandiose that it
couldn't be any other way. I remember the first time I listened to
"Connect the Dots", so much lyrical cheese I was face palming. But I
realized I was taking the song out of context, listening to it as a
single entity rather than a piece of the whole. This is where I feel
Ayreon loses a lot of people. Like a cake, Ayreon is best enjoyed as a
whole fully baked product, not eaten one ingredient at a time. Within
the context of the album "Connect the Dots" becomes one of the most
powerful songs. Delving beneath the surface of lyrics like "I picked up
fast food on the way and it's finger licking good" or "Peer to Peer the
torrent flows into my lap." You see Arjen is speaking about the loss of
emotions and how oblivious people are of that fact, and how aware and
helpless The Forever Race is of their human progeny. This brings me to
my favorite aspect of Ayreons music and that is this amazing story he
has told. A brilliant multi layered story that while on the surface is
about an alien race and their influence on humanity, below is well
observed commentary on a human emotions. A great read is prognotes
Ayreon's The Forever Saga(http://www.heavyblogisheavy.com/2017/04/13/prognotes-ayreons-the-forever-saga-part-i-the-final-experiment-kinda/). So far there are only two parts but it is a
thorough breakdown of the story behind Ayreons music.
Here is my list of favorite Ayeron albums starting with what I feel to be his best to his not as good as the others. This does not include solo albums or Star One albums, which are also very good and I would put above some of Ayerons work.
TIER ONE
Into the Electric Castle - Perfect blend of story telling and song writing. Classic Ayreon sound.
01011001 - My personal favorite, very hard sounding with some balanced softer spots. Pound for pound offers the best melodies and contains my personal favorite group of vocalist.
Universal Migrator pt 1 & 2 - Putting these as a single entity. Part one great symph/classic prog, Part two great metal/heavy prog.
TIER TWO
The Human Equation - I know most would put this higher on the list, and while musically it is stellar, I find that the story telling is a bit one dimensional. While yes, it has all the things I love Ayreon albums for, the plot is a bit straightforward, and I felt kind of jipped at the end, like a great movie with a bad ending. I very much enjoy the album, but not as much as other people.
The Final Experiment - Sets the tone for Arjens style, which only refines and get better with future releases. The first Ayreon story actually told but is more around the fourth in the series of events. Great album, but actually would not recommend as a place to start to someone who is looking to get into Ayreon. Also cool to think that Merlin professed that that another minstrel will appear at the end of the 20th century and that it is actually Arjen himself, bringing a real life dimension to the story that I think is cool.
The Source - Love the story, love the hard heavy sound. Some great vocal harmonies, but kind of lacks that je ne sais quoi that the The Human Equation or Electric Castle have.
TIER THREE
Actual Fantasy - Not considered to be part of "The Forever Saga",
but has sci-fi elements and a nod here or there to some Ayreon lore.
Enjoyable.
The Theory of Everything - There are some parts I really enjoy, and others not so much. One thing is for sure that the style and sound are consistently Ayreon. This album is simply just alright and is also outside of "The Forever Saga". Something has to be the floor to the high ceiling set by all the other albums, this album is that floor.
TL:DR - Ayreon is indeed awesome
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Going with your scheme: Tier 1: The Human Equation The Theory Of Everything Tier 2: Into The Electric Castle 01011001 The Dream Sequencer The Source Tier 3: The Final Experiment The Universal Migrator Tier 4: Actual Fantasy Strangely, my 2 favourites both sit outside the main story arc... But they're all damn good really 
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Posted: January 24 2018 at 06:08
Ayreon is awesome.
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