Ayreon: 01011001

Arjen Anthony Lucassen has never created a bad Ayreon album – and for a guy who makes concept records exclusively, that's saying something. His melodic and dramatic sensibilities converge to create memorable double-disc rock operas rich in lyrical and musical emotion. But although the operative word for his latest epic, the awkwardly titled 01011001, seems to be "more" — more guest vocalists singing more multi-part songs with a more-complex plotline — the album doesn't quite live up to the high standards Lucassen set for himself with 2004's The Human Equation.

Some of the same singers who've appeared on some of the previous half-dozen Ayreon projects show up here, too, including Floor Jansen (After Forever) and Anneke van Giersbergen (The Gathering). But for the most part, Lucassen wipes clean the vocal slate with the addition of Ty Tabor (King's X), Hansi Kürsch (Blind Guardian), Simone Simons (Epica), and Daniel Gildenlöw (Pain of Salvation) — as well as keyboard and guitar solos from Michael Romeo (Symphony X), Lori Linstruth (Stream of Passion), Tomas Bodin (The Flower Kings) and Derek Sherinian (Planet X). Lucassen's ability to take distinguished vocalists and make them sound differently without losing their own identity (Jorn Lande, Magnum's Bob Catley and Evergrey's Tom Englund here, to be sure), help make this tale of technological advancement meets prehistoric evolution as compelling a listen as previous Ayreon releases.

The problem is that Lucassen sounds like he's beginning to repeat musical ideas (although the Renaissance rock of "River of Time" flirts impressively with Blackmore's Night), and the plot of 01011001 — Dinosaurs! Internet sex! Binary code! — seems so convoluted that listeners might find themselves tossing aside the lyrics booklet during the course of the double-disc set's 102 minutes. That said, it's tough to top the ambition of Ayreon, and with an all-star cast making challenging yet appealing music that's better than 90 percent of what was released in 2007, 01011001 could be a very early contender for one of the best albums of 2008.

Track Listing
CD 1:
1) Age of Shadows
2) Comatose
3) Liquid Eternity
4) Connect the Dots
5) Beneath the Waves
6) Newborn Race
7) Ride the Comet
8) Web of Lies

CD 2:
1) The Fifth Extinction
2) Waking Dreams
3) The Truth Is In Here
4) Unnatural Selection
5) River of Time
6) E-MC2
7) The Sixth Extinction

Added: March 29th 2009
Reviewer: Michael Popke
Score:
Related Link: Official Ayreon Web Site
Hits: 8550
Language: english

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