The huge famous project of Arjan Lucassen.

Also the mastermind of Stream Of Passion and Star One and Ambeon and a lot other bands.
But IMO his best thing he does it Ayreon.

I guess it doesn't need more introduction.

Personally his best albums are: The Human Equation and Into The Electric Castle because they're both very well balanced.

Go on please...

I love Ayreon! The Universal Migrator is my favorite album by Arjen...other then the Final Experiment and a few songs off of the Human Equation, I haven't heard much else...trying to find his albums is hard...I own that Ambeon album as well as Arjen's Space Metal album...that one isn't so good but whatever...

Ayreon is amazing, one of my favorite bands, very "acidy" kinda like Stoner Metal...I like to call Ayreon "The Metal Pink Floyd"

Best Album: Into the Electric Castle

I have the album 'The Human Equation' and I've heard some other songs too. I must say I was impressed, i hadn't heard a lot of music like that. The fun thing too is that it doensn't sound all the same like you have with some bands, especially with the use of all the different vocalists. The idea of making a story and spreading it over 100+ minutes on a double CD is well found, it gives more depth because you are not listening to just a song, but you are part of a story which is told through the music.

I respect Ayreon, but I can't say I like them a lot. I have "Into Electric Castle", it's a good album, I have "Universal Migrator Parts I and II" too; I think this album is "too much Pink Floyd", especially Part I, some songs sound in parts like a copy of Pink Floyd songs, I didn't listen other albums of Ayreon, my best friend says me that the other are better and different, maybe I have to listen it. Sorry fans of Ayreon (my friend Javangas included), this is my opinion.

I pretty much like every album Ayreon have released, specially Into Electric Castle and Universal Migrator Part II. I can easily say that from the first album it can be found some amazing songs that could be in a compilation of Ayreon's best like The Banishment and Charm of the Seer.
The lyrics have been improving since the first material, I hope that Arjen don't leave Ayreon like he did with Ambeon and Star One and the next line-up be another group of great performers.

Only album i have heard about Ayreon is "the human equation", some tracks of that album is very good, emotion and feeling fill with Ayreon's music. The idea of creating Stream of Passion is also from the meeting between Arjen with the "Wife" actor.

Has someone listened to samples from Stream of Passion?? Well, I did Some are available on Arjen's website here : http://www.ayreon.com/news/news.php?news_id=197&project_id=1


23-05-2006 - Audio Samples 'Live in the Real World'

You can now download three exclusive clips from the forthcoming Stream of Passion release: Stream of Passion feat. Ayreon - Live in the Real World.
Wherever You Are
Valley of the Queens
Castle Hall
The album is available for pre-order now!

Those samples are about 30 seconds long but I've already noticed beautiful vocals in Castle Hall in particular (but the 3 songs seem great). I'm waiting for more !

EDIT: I hadn't noticed the Stream of Passion thread and since it was another Arjen's project that's why I posted this here

Sadly, I haven't heard all the Ayreon albums but I love The Human Equation. I was actually listening to it a lot a couple of days (or maybe I should say nights) ago and it's wonderful. Good 'cast' too.

Easily my favourte album is The Universal Migrator, especially part 2. All those great metal vocalists.
Human Equation and Electric Castle are also good.

I never heard of him but after i have listen to his two master pieces , The human Equation and The Electric Castle i was very impressed of his works.
He is just a genies

I have only heard Universal Migrator Pt 1 and 2. Great albums!

I downloaded the Human Equation awhile back...wow! what an amazing album! Day Three: Pain really caught my attention...the use of growling/clean vocals/wailing and female vocals all together as well as classical guitar and flute...damn, that song is busy...

yeah well say Kap'N korrupt .
He had a great mind , mixing all these and make a great music

The Human Equation, in my opinion, was pure genious. Great album! I have listened to it at least 50 times through.

My favs off the album are:

Day Five
Day Seven (excellent use of keys)
Day 10
Day 12
Day 13

I think the first disc is more superior than the second concerning The Human Equation. The second is still very good though.

Arjan Lucassen is a genius all of his bands are amazing. I've heard every Ayreon album I would have to say that the Human Equation has the best concept out of all of his albums also this album contained the best vocalists he's had on any Ayreon album. My favorite album by him though is either Into the Electric Castle or the Final Experiment. Universal Migrator Part One and Two are both also very good albums but I like Part 2 better then Part One because the vocals and instrumentation on it are better. The only Ayreon album IMO that doesn't match up to the rest is Actual Fantasy but even that is a good album.

I love all I've heard from this guy, maybe except form his early solo album wich is pop/country with programmed drums... have a signed copy though I have The Dream Sequencer wich is the best non-metal album I've ever heard, Flight of the Migrator wich is also great but could've been better with so many famous vocalist. Timo for example is totally anonymous, though, Bruce does his best vocals ever there. I have Into The Electric Castle, wich also is great, really good 70ies sounding music. Human Equation finally, is my favourite album with such a great story, balance of styles and great singers of the progressive world. I have also got Stream of Passion and Star One but they are pretty mediocre compared to Ayreon. I would really like to get my hands on Ambeon but it seems to be impossible to find

Favourite Ayreon singer?

My favorite Ayreon singers are the female chorus vocalists...they add a lot of intensity, realism and maturity to the over all sound of Ayreon a lot of times...if I pick an actual guest vocalist it would be Andi Deris...I think that was him on To the Quasar...

Ayreon is one of the most diverse bands I've ever heard. The only full album I've heard by them is the Human Equation and it is brilliantly arranged. I mean the guy mixes a digery doo (spelling?), a harp, an organ and many other instruments that you rarely hear, all into metal,,, masterpiece. I enjoy music and other forms of art that are out of the ordinary, and this definitely fits into that category...

One thing people don't seem to notice is the fact that Arjen gets some of the greatest names in modern metal to sing. Dio did it once back in the 1980's with the Hear 'n Aid thing. But that is about it. Arjen has managed to get the voices from Dream Theater, Opeth, Iron Maiden, Strapping Young Lad, Saviour Machine, Spock's Beard, Marillion, Threshold, Deadsoul Tribe, Symphony X, Stratovarius, Helloween, Rhapsody, Shadow Gallery, Elegy, After Forever, The Gathering, Orphanage, The Quill, Mostly Autumn, and many other bands. Now that is impressive.

Yeah, the cast list is definitely impressive and comprehensive of great yet varying vocal talent. It was the first thing that hit me when I picked up THE.

Very impressive cast indeed
Some tracks which blowed me away on the Human Equation are Day 3 (Pain) and Day 16 (Loser) because they made me discover awesome vocalists I didn't know: Devon Graves and Devin Townsend!!

i love this project, Arjen Lucassen is a genius, flight of the migrator is a good album too

@shadowlady: Which one do you like more...the rock one or the metal one?

The best work: Into the electric castle

The best song: Charm of the seer

The use of the keys is very awesome, but i like more the guitar that he uses in the amazing trip song, a kind of blues-rock-spacial, awesome!!!!! awesome!!!!!! but the best song ever written is Charm of the seer, very melancholic, with flute and a guitar solo that i love to play!

I love Ayreon,very amazing stuff. Arjen Lucassen is a genius.I must say that IMO The Human Equation if perhaps the greatest album ever. I can listen to that album hours upon end.It's so soothing,so touching,so beauitful.That's my personal opinion.Into the Electric is my second favorite album of Ayreon,followed by the Universal Migrator.Everything Ayreon has put out impresses me but no like The Human Equation,I was utterly speechless after that album,unable to comprehend what I just listened to,believing nothing could be that good,so what did I do? Listened to it right away again of course! That is probably the album that means the most to me,I love that album!

Written by Conemetal on 18.05.2006 at 00:24

I respect Ayreon, but I can't say I like them a lot. I have "Into Electric Castle", it's a good album, I have "Universal Migrator Parts I and II" too; I think this album is "too much Pink Floyd", especially Part I, some songs sound in parts like a copy of Pink Floyd songs, I didn't listen other albums of Ayreon, my best friend says me that the other are better and different, maybe I have to listen it. Sorry fans of Ayreon (my friend Javangas included), this is my opinion.

I had it too ''Into the Electric Castle'' and well I agree whit you i like it and same time i dont like it its sometiems to melodic for me and soemtimes I like it but I like lyrics thay are like fantasy stories, not all lyrics are good but moust of them, just today I gonna red them all

I just heard the cover "Who Wants To Live Forever" Ayreon made with After Forever, its excellent, I think Ayreon is even better than Queen.

Great project, but a little too keyboard driven at times, I just love The Human Equation, such a great ensemble of musicians.