Ayreon is preparing a 20th-anniversary re-issue of Into The Electric Castle next month. The set was remixed and remastered by Arjen Lucassen himself and will be available on 3LP, 5-disc Earbook and Limited Edition Box Set on October 26th from Music Theories Recordings / Mascot Label Group. Continue reading
At first Death Metal but now encompassing Folk, Symphonic and Prog Rock elements, Amorphis are a multifaceted Finnish Metal group with nearly thirty years on the clock (twenty eight, but who’s counting). Following on from the driven yet melodious Heavy Metal of Under the Red Cloud is their thirteenth album Queen of Time (Nuclear Blast), along with the production skills of Jens Bogren – whose previous work includes Amon Amarth, Kreator and Opeth amongst others. This record follows the same urgent, heavy yet tuneful ethos but with a much broader scope, with synths, choirs, violins, folk and prog all adding to the mix. Continue reading
If you are familiar with Ayreon, you will probably know that these collaborative works of music are the brainchild of the somewhat reclusive Arjen Anthony Lucassen, and are rarely – if ever – performed live. September 2015 saw the presentation of The Theater Equation, four shows in which the album The Human Equation (Inside Out) was performed in its entirety in front of a live audience. While this was a successful endeavour, we had been assured for years that there would never be a live ‘best of’ performance of Ayreon.Continue reading
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Ghost Cult rounds up those albums which didn’t receive the full review treatment, for your vulgar delectation…Continue reading
As a founding member of UK prog band Anathema, Daniel Cavanagh is no stranger to writing powerful music that wears its emotions firmly on its sleeve; most recently personified in the sublime The Optimist (Kscope). Cited at various places throughout that album’s promotion was Daniel Cavanagh’s struggle with depression and the low points that he reached in that time. In the light of these battles, solo album Monochrome (Kscope) is a deeply personal record that, in comparison to the emboldened vision of The Optimist, feels more to the bone and loses none of the expected emotional resonance.Continue reading
Anneke van Giersbergen, long known for her work formerly with The Gathering, her impressive solo career, and work with both Devin Townsend and Aryeon, has a new rock/metal band dubbed VUUR. They have released the cover artwork and tracklisting for their forthcoming debut album, In This Moment We Are Free – Cities due out October 20th via InsideOut Music. You can hear the first track, ‘Days Go By – London’ below.Continue reading
Around five years ago, German/Dutch Symphonic Metal band Xandria threw off the shackles of the Middle Eastern and Celtic romanticism prevalent on their first four albums, switched singers and promptly transformed themselves into Nightwish. Well okay, maybe not quite, but the similarities between the two bands recently are striking to say the least and on new album Theater of Dimensions (Napalm) it would now also appear they’ve absconded with Dutch compatriots Epica too.Continue reading
Devin Townsend has earned a legion of fans over his many bands and solo projects over his twenty-five year plus career. He has as many releases as years in the business, and they are all manifestations of the energy that drive him creatively for a time. For nearly a decade he has poured his work into The Devin Townsend Project. Their new album Transcendence is out today from InsideOut Music, and marks yet another era in the life and work of “Hevy Devy”.
It’s hard to talk about Devin Townsend without mentioning the word “prolific”. At this stage it’s almost a cliché to state in regards to him, but it certainly rings true as we seemingly never have to wait too long for a new album or project from the prog maestro.Continue reading
If there is one thing that cannot be denied about Arjen Anthony Lucassen, it’s that he has a very bold vision when it comes to his music and it’s presentation. In Ayreon in particular, he shows intricacy and complexity like very few others when it comes to layering, narrative and bombast. Perhaps less mind-boggling than much of his career, The Human Equation (InsideOut) certainly made up with its operatic feel and storyline. So much so it finally lent itself to a live offering (albeit still without the near reclusive Lucassen), of which The Theater Equation (InsideOut) showcases.
Rather than just a usual offering of a band performing live, The Theater Equation offers the album in a way it was meant to be, as a full performance. Thus much of the original cast reprise their roles, including James Labrie as main protagonist Me; albeit with some exceptions such as Anneke Van Giersbergen replacing Mikael Akerfeldt. Thankfully such replacements are hardly downgrades and perfectly encapsulate the feel of their adoptive characters and roles with aplomb. Alongside the strength of its vocal cast, musically this strikes an impressive balance between studio album quality and consistency with the feel and energy of the live arena. Together these elements give such an immersive and emotional performance through a detailed story that delves into many elements of the human psyche and emotional range, as well as the original album does through its narrative.
With the original album’s sheer length it wasn’t for the faint hearted per se, and as follows the live version will similarly mostly suit those who are already fans of Ayreon, or at least in tune with the world of prog. With the changes in vocal personnel however and the strength of the performance and lore, The Theater Equation makes this more than just a collectible for the diehards, but a piece that many will find worth in, in what is still one of Lucassen’s more accessible works in such a rich and deep catalogue.
8.0/10
CHRIS TIPPELL
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