Ayreon is the band project and alter ego of Dutchman Arjen Anthony Lucassen. He has many of those – there’s also Star One, The Gentle Storm, Guilt Machine, Stream of Passion, Ambeon, and a few solo albums under his own name. I may very well have left something out.
By diversifying to such a large degree he hasn’t made it easy for himself, but his fans knows what his projects are and have no problems following him on this multifaceted journey. While each of these projects are recognisable as coming from Lucassen, they represent different facets of his sound and/or style, and even specific groups of collaborators, so there is a definite system to the apparent chaotic mass of projects.
Ayreon has always been his main project and is the most known of all his brands. We are talking about classic concept albums in the shape of rock operas, played in a number of musical styles meshed together. The classic Ayreon sound mixes classic rock and progressive hard rock/metal with symphonic and folk elements and other bits and pieces – as long as it feels right, it can and will be done.
Most Ayreon albums are double CDs in length (sometimes equalling eight sides of vinyl), presenting a full story featuring characters with dialogue to be sung, which means many guest vocalists portraying and singing the parts of the various characters in the story. Ayreon music is always designed to support the story and take us and the characters on an epic journey. While the songs are able to stand alone, they are definitely at their best as part of a larger whole, featuring unifying themes and movements musically. Very often, songs are designed to build on the previous song, adding extra emotional impact or pay-off. At the core of it all is a mixture of symphonic and progressive hard rock sounds with all kinds of supporting instruments, from strings to woodwinds.
“I let the music inspire me,” Lucassen said in a recent fan Q&A. “It always start with the guitar, recording parts on the cassette player – yes, I am that old! – and then I put it into the computer so I can start organising.“
The list of vocalists that have performed as a character on prior albums is getting close to three digits long at this point, and includes Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden), Fish (Marillion), Floor Jansen (Nightwish), Anneke van Giersbergen (the Gathering), John Wetton, Mikael Akerfeldt (Opeth), Bob Catley (Magnum), Dave Brock (Hawkwind), Marko Hietala (Nightwish/Tarot), James LaBrie (Dream Theater), Jørn Lande (Jorn), Sharon del Adel (Within Temptation), Heather Findlay, Tony Martin (Black Sabbath), Neal Morse (Spock’s Beard, Transatlantic), Ty Tabor (King’s X), Sir Russell Allen (Symphony X), and honestly too many others to mention. Some prominent new names can be added to this list from the new album.
Thematically, Lucassen’s stories have always been inspired by classic Sci-Fi movies and TV shows, or material of a similarly fantastic ilk. On the new album he leaves space behind and has created a classic drama based on earth, but not without supernatural elements. Transitus is a love story with a twist, because the supernatural never lurks far away. Transitus is a ghostly tale of betrayal and revenge, with a dash of gothic horror.
Every great story needs a great narrator. Lucassen has previously spoken about what a dream come true it was for him to get Rutger Hauer to narrate his solo album Lost In the New Real (2012). This is no less of a dream come true – narrating the story of Transitus is Tom Baker! Primarily known as the most iconic Doctor Who of them all (1974-1981), but also for a slew of other roles and parts over the years, hearing his voice in this context is still surreal to me and an incredible scoop for Lucassen.
Asking Lucassen about the process of casting actors as narrators on a musical album, and the casting of Tom Baker in particular, he told me “It’s a different world, you know, the whole movie world. And they don’t know me, so it’s hard. It’s very hard. I never bet on one horse, so I made a list of ten actors and I tried to reach them all. And for some of them you get to talk to the management, for others I talk to their agency. And then you start to negotiate a price. And the prices are steep, you know, in the film world. We’re easily talking six figures. Tom Baker I found through a voice agency. I saw his name in the list, and contacted them. They told me that we first had to agree on a price, and once we do that then we offer it to Tom, and Tom will let you know if he likes it.”
Tom Baker works at a leisurely pace, and will only work on projects that he think he will enjoy. As such, there was the challenge of budget, but also whether Baker would enjoy the story and the whole rock opera concept. Lucassen was delighted to hear that he loved it! “He was like, ‘Whoa! This is like it’s written for me!’ And actually, it was written for him! Because as soon as we knew we were getting through to Tom Baker, I watched all of my old Doctor Who episodes and all his stuff, and we really made the lyrics for him in a way that worked for him to say them. I know him inside and out, you know…. He did not play the Doctor, he WAS the Doctor! So he loved the whole idea!”
So, how much of a Prog fan is Tom Baker? Lucassen is still not sure. “I don’t know if he ever listened to the music. He said he loved the music, but I am not sure if he was lying. Haha! I don’t know if he even knows what Prog is or whatever, but it was a great experience that day. It was a beautiful day. It is so great to meet your heroes and actually find out that they are great people. It’s a bit scary, you know, because… what if he has a bad day? But it was all good.” Footage from Lucassen’s meeting and working with Tom Baker is included in the usual making-of feature film-length documentary that accompanies the special editions of the album, as they spend a lovely day together on Baker’s wonderful estate.
At the heart of Transitus is the love story between Daniel (Kamelot’s Tommy Karevik) and Abby (Cammie Gilbert from the Texan band Ocean of Slumbers). It is mostly set on Earth in 1884. Daniel is the son of an upper-class noble, while Abbey is their servant. They fall in love, and while there is no doubt they are soul mates and belong together, the fact that they come from different worlds make it a doomed romance.
In the song Talk of the Town, Daniel’s brother Henry (Paul Manzi) confronts Daniel, urging him to stop the madness as everybody are gossiping about what’s happening. He threatens to tell their father. Daniel refuses to budge, and Abby throws it back at him that his general behaviour is so obviously driven by jealousy that he is the one that people are actually talking about. This infuriates Henry and he wows to destroy them.
The song is highly adventurous musically as well. It starts with a lovely baroque harpsicord, building from there into a dramatic piece with incredible vocal melodies and melodic instrumental passages that make it into one of the strongest songs on the album.
Do you see them? Do you hear them?
They are talking about you
I believe them, I agree with them
You will bring our great house down
You will bring our great house down
You’re the talk of the town
It is inevitable that the affair is brought to the father’s attention, and his reaction is spelt out clearly in the title of the track Get Out! Now! In another stroke of brilliant casting, the role of the father is performed by Dee Snider. I am sure many of us will remember the classic Twisted Sister music videos for We’re Not Gonna Take It and I Wanna Rock, where the band is battling the strict disciplinarian father who refuses anyone to listen to heavy metal. In a complete role reversal, Snider now becomes a similar character and delivers the vocal performance of his lifetime. He brings authority and a fierce power, really giving this song his all. A fierce guitar solo by Joe Satriani is the cherry on top.
Lucassen could not resist giving Daniel the line “How can you be so twisted,” with a certain key word highlighted in the music video in reference to Snider’s band. He is clearly thrilled with Snider’s inclusion. “I needed an authority figure strong enough to banish his son for having this relationship,” Lucassen told Prog Magazine. “Boy, did I get him.”
As the story goes, a tragic twist of fate leads Daniel to die in a fire. He arrives in the dimension Transitus – a plane between life and death, where he finds himself facing a number of interesting entities. A demon/angel calling herself the Angel of Death (Simone Simons) and her furies (Marcela Bovio and Caroline Westendorf) bring his spirit back to earth – even back in time – where he is witnessing a series of events that lead to a plot that threatens Abby.
The vocal performances on this album are outstanding. Everybody give the performance of their lives. It is hard to pick a favourite, but Tommy Karevik as Daniel is particularly outstanding, going a long way towards showing why he is probably the best vocalist of his genre right now. The command he has of his voice as a precision instrument blows my mind. His range seems without bounds. He has an innate ability to convey heart-breaking emotion. Several vocal highlights are found in the series of songs describing Daniel’s journey into Transitus and his encounters with the Angel of Death and her furies, showcasing harmonising on a level designed to give goose bumps.
Abby is crushed with grief, but struggle with equal amounts of guilt as she believes she caused the fire by accident. Meanwhile, Henry and Abby’s mother-in-law Lavina (Amanda Sommerville) conspires to entice her to join Daniel in the afterlife by manipulating her guilt. The song Hopelessly Slipping Away describes Abby ready to give up when she suddenly feels Daniel’s presence. He is reaching out from Transitus to tell her it wasn’t her fault and to help her.
Abby:
Am I imagining you’re near
I feel you all around me
Can you let me know you’re here
Please set me free
Daniel:
How innocent you are
If only I could let you know
So near and yet so far
So warm and yet so cold
Abby and Daniel:
I feel you slipping away
Hopelessly slipping away
As mentioned, despite the strong story elements, the songs are designed to be able to stand alone. Some are more independent in that regard, like This Human Equation which stands outside of the main story and takes the form of general observations on humanity. Here, the Angel of Death and her furies ponders what motivates humans and makes them do the things they do. Musically it goes through a few passages, containing suspenseful, energetic and ballad moments, featuring some great vocal arrangements as you get into the song.
Ayreon fanatics might recognise references to the universe that most Ayreon albums have been set in – and look no further than the title of the song for the first and most obvious one (Ayreon’s 2004 album was called The Human Equation).
Transitus is a magnificent piece of work that you will get more out of by exploring it yourself. Sometimes my album reviews are fairly detailed and touch on every song, but this time I am hesitant to give a full breakdown that reveals everything. Everybody reading this won’t be diving into the album, but for the benefit of those who are contemplating it, I will let you find out what happens to Daniel, Abby, and everybody else yourself. The examples featured here are but fragments, but should be enough for you to either have dismissed it or found yourself intrigued by now.
This is, simply speaking, as stunning album both musically and lyrically. The performances are first rate. You have a fascinating work of tremendous scope available to explore in Transitus. I also think most of you will find it this a great format to enjoy a story in. If the rock opera format is new to you, I urge you to give it a try.
The album is accompanied by a 25 page comic book, given away with every copy of the album purchased via the official store. The Earbook version (which I recommend) also reprints it in full and is smoothly designed to be read alongside the lyrics as you listen to the album.
Far from every Ayreon fan is deeply obsessed with the lyrics and the story that unfolds. That is fine and won’t diminish your experience. The music is tremendous in itself, and the vocal performances are always intricately arranged and just lovely to listen to, so you can treat the words as casually as you like and just enjoy the flow of it all. There’s more than enough to keep exploring just when it comes to the music.
Transitus performed very well in the charts for a niche prog album, even getting all the way to #1 in the US! Well, at least on the Billboard Heatseeker chart – but still! It also secured the #1 spot in Netherlands, #4 in Sweden, #11 in Switzerland, #15 in Germany, #24 in Finland, #33 in Norway, #42 in Belgium, #95 in Spain – and honourable mention to the #161 placement in France!
I was a little disheartened to learn that my multiple purchases from the official store over the years have never counted towards any chart sales, and he has a huge following who purchase signed and/or special editions directly from him, which no doubt hurts his chart success. However, Lucassen has made it clear that those sales means just as much to him. He certainly does something right, offering each of his releases in multiple formats and variants.
Facebook Comments