I like the narrator (very engaging voice) a lot if I'm honest and the concept story is solid.

However, I feel like half of the narration is unnecessary and could have been (or in some cases already is) worked into the music. So yeah either it's repeating certain story elements or it's adding story which could have been told in actual songs.

As a result this album suffers heavily from a lack of flow. And on top of that it took this record until track 8 to give me a song that felt sort of memorable. That's also partially due to the fact that this feels like an audiobook half of the time...

Overall I'm disappointed. I'm glad I gave it a listen though. The story itself is enjoyable and interesting enough. But repeated listens? I don't think this album will get a lot from me.

Damn this is a dissapointment. You cannot deliver such a bad album with that lineup of singers. It seems like all the wrong decisions there were to take, were taken. The narrator every 2 minutes, the songs does not deliver any emtions, the singers dont shine.
Damn I was not expecting something original, but at least a lil more. If it was not for the singers, it would get such a lower rating.
This album takes away my 2020 hopes

Half of the album can go to waste and the other half is listenable and very rarely, has some really good moments. The interludes make it and an even worse experience than it is.
Arjen was also boasting that it reached the charts in a few countries, I can't understand that really. Maybe people bought it because of the Ayreon name?

Hated it at first and abandoned it for couple of weeks, then gave it another shot and it has really grown on me. Not sure I've ever heard another album quite like it, which I can always appreciate, even if I didn't like the music. I do think it shouldn't have been released as an Ayreon album, but as one of Lucassen's many side projects.

This is probably the most overrated "band" ever.

Written by Vonpire on 09.07.2021 at 04:25

This is probably the most overrated "band" ever.

I agree

I've tried to listen to this album several times and I just can't make it to the end. It's so boring... Does the narrator even shut up at any point?

This album made me hate Tommy Karevik's voice

This guy is probably the most arrogant, dumb and pity full artist ever to exhist. It sucks but he thinks he’s better than all the rest! What a hideous character!

I've just managed to get through this album (finally, it took me more than a year). Now that I've listened it, I know for a fact that I'm not wasting my time with this album anymore. I have the compelte collection of Ayreon albums, this is the exception. I will rather listen to Rosalia Motomami, and that is a huge statement for me.

Bland derivative storyline? Check
Overdone vocals? Check

A pity as Ayreon was amazing up to this point, Arjen managed to completely spoil Tommy Karevick's delivery.

This album reminds me a lot of Nolan & Wakeman Jabberywocky and The Hound of Baskerville (which Arjen Lucassen was guesting), it has a bit of the same vibe. Unfortunately this album feels like a mess while not actually being bad. Many of the ideas and melodies are in my taste and the album feels like a fresh path for Arjen. With that said I think the album falls short on feeling unfocused songwise, the narration is well performed but breaks the flow and the performance by the singers left me untouched. Also the vocals lines often feel incredibly clunky.