THE HUMAN EQUATION

I'm not the biggest fan of rock operas, but this album just blew me away on the second listen. This is one album where you definitely need to follow the lyrics closely while listening the first time to get the full benefit. The voices are extremely well cast; I particularly enjoyed Heather Findlay (Love), Marcela Bovio (Wife), Mikael Akerfeldt (Fear), and Magnus Ekwall (Pride). Devin Townsend is just insane as Rage. Akerfeldt's clean voice is outstanding, but there's also a good introduction to his "cookie monster" vocals - they are used effectively (and briefly) here. All eleven voices are great and the musicianship throughout the album is outstanding. The lyrics are well done; I especially enjoyed the interplay between Pride and Reason on Day Eight: School. Favorite tracks are Day Three: Pain, Day Four: Mystery, and Day Five: Voices. There's only a single weak track on the album - the sole instrumental, Day nine: Playground. It's pleasant enough, but seems like filler.

This is my first introduction to the work of Arjen Lucassen. I'm very impressed! Arjen's truly gifted with an ability to write memorable tunes and play many different instruments well (I'd like to see him try this live!). And if you don't like his style, just wait a minute... there's everything from quiet string and Celtic-influenced passages to heavy metal, often in the same song.

This rock opera is destined to be a classic, on a par with Pink Floyd's "The Wall" and The Who's "Tommy", perhaps even better.