Author: Rok Klemše
Artist: Ayreon
Label: Inside Out Records
Release: 2008
Ayreon is the brainchild of Dutch “wunderkind” Arjen Anthony Lucassen, who, for me personally at least, is a kind of modern-day Mozart. For a good decade now Arjen has been delighting us with great releases, each one an upgrade on the last, which makes Ayreon one of those bands whose discography you can easily call a real little evolution. From the very start of their career, Ayreon have blended metal, progressive rock and a touch of folk into their own peculiar mix. Most of the albums, or at least the majority, are tied together by the story of Arjen’s universe, which reads like some serious science fiction. The album with the slightly goofy title, 01011001 (which is ASCII binary for Y), is a kind of direct sequel to Into the Electric Castle (1998). With it, Arjen has transported us to planet Y, home to a race of people who know no emotions, since they depend on devices that extend their lives indefinitely. The technologically advanced inhabitants of the planet spot a comet on a collision course with Earth, and it gives them a chance to revitalize their race. Ayreon continue the story from Into the Electric Castle very ambitiously, across the two parts of a double album.
Arjen carries on the tradition that goes all the way back to the first record: once again he’s gathered eminent names from metal and rock around him, who slip into the roles of the “Forever” and the “Man”. Time and again Arjen has poured his brilliant songwriting and compositional skills into the music of his albums, and time and again he’s surprised us with constant progress and experimentation. This time around, 01011001 might stay in the safer waters of the familiar Ayreon sound, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, since most of this nearly hour-and-three-quarters-long album is made up of brilliant songs and fantastic collaboration and interplay between the guest vocalists. This time Arjen’s experimenting and playing around with different musical genres takes a back seat to a deeper, more emotional performance. That alone is reason enough why it takes repeated listens to get a grip on the album, and the heap of vocalists brings the variety and dynamics that make the record worth spinning more than once too, since already in the opening track Age of Shadows no fewer than seven vocalists trade verses. Compared to previous Ayreon releases, 01011001 is a much more introspective and mellow record, with keyboards and electronics taking up most of the space and building the album’s intimate, melancholic atmosphere. The music simply suits the more serious lyrics, so a dark, heavy atmosphere often takes over, which Arjen masterfully weaves together with sparkling, more cheerful elements. The man just loves writing music, and it shows big time on 01011001. The album takes you on an exciting journey full of twists, dips and climbs, and we can be truly glad that in this age of total musical garbage there’s still an album that poses a real challenge to the listener. It’s a genuine pleasure to sit down and surrender to the music and the fantastic vocal performances, discovering new and newer layers every time, of which this record offers plenty.
This time Arjen has gathered what may even be the best crew of his career at his side, if we leave out only Mikael Åkerfeldt (Opeth), James LaBrie (Dream Theater) and Devin Townsend (Strapping Young Lad, Devin Townsend) from The Human Equation, and Russell Allen and Bruce Dickinson from the second part of The Universal Migrator. The names on the left speak for themselves, Arjen has lined up the creme de la creme of today’s metal and rock: Tom Englund (Evergrey), Steve Lee (Gotthard), Daniel Gildenlöw (Pain of Salvation), Hansi Kürsch (Blind Guardian), Floor Jansen (After Forever), Anneke van Giersberg (ex-The Gathering), Jorn Lande (Jorn, ex-Masterplan), Simone Simons (Epica) and a few other excellent individuals. From the very start with the pompous, punchy Age of Shadows, the vocalists’ role-playing is flawless, but at least in my opinion two of them especially steal the show; Hansi Kürsch muscles his way to the front at just the right moments and, with an incredibly powerful, mighty voice, takes any song he appears in to a completely different level, which he proves already in Age of Shadows when he comes in with “No more aggression…”. And there are moments like that all over the record. But Hansi’s performance might even be topped by the great Jorn Lande, who takes your breath away every single time he opens his mouth and adds real vocal virtuosity to the album. Still, every single guest adds their own charm, and over the course of 102 minutes there are some unforgettable vocal performances waiting, like the duet on the hypnotic ballad Comatose, courtesy of Jorn Lande and the tender Anneke van Giersbergen. Probably the record’s most hair-raising, goosebump-inducing moment! Ayreon are of course still metal, which the punchy Liquid Eternity makes sure of. The album also has a few weaker moments, mostly lyrical, especially in the mindless Connect the Dots, which sounds like something an elementary schooler would write to describe their day. Daniel Gildenlöw steals his moment in the intro of the ambient Beneath the Waves, and later the vocal lineup once again shines through its emotional delivery, and the track is incredibly catchy. With Ride the Comet the crew pulls off an epic journey in three minutes that many others couldn’t manage in ten, and the excellent drummer Ed Warby (Gorefest), lately Arjen’s constant companion, muscles to the front. The beautiful ballad Web of Lies, accompanied by acoustic guitar and violin, is sung by the angelic Simone Simons and Phideaux Xavier, and fortunately they overshadow yet another of Arjen’s lyrical slip-ups. In The Fifth Extinction the unhinged Derek Sherinian (Planet X, ex-Dream Theater) guests on keyboards, and a bit later the excellent Michael Romeo (Symphony X) shows up in E=MC2 with an incredible guitar solo. The album closes with the twelve-minute epic The Sixth Extinction, featuring a brilliant opening turn from Tom Englund (Evergrey), who takes a slightly different approach than in his home band. The finale is a real journey, with proper headbanger moments and moments of ethereal calm. Jonas Renkse (Katatonia) shines in the chorus with a brutal but totally fitting death growl that I’d gladly hear more of. The album peaks at the end of The Sixth Extinction, when absolutely all the guests take over the vocals and, to top it all off, each one sings their verse magnificently. I really couldn’t have asked for a better ending; Arjen has proven once again that he’s a master of his craft.
01011001 is yet another jewel in Ayreon’s discographic treasure chest. Maybe it’s not the shiniest, the story isn’t all that original either, a more inventive vocal line and, at moments, a more interesting melody would have fit, plus improved lyrics, but despite the minor flaws the album is one of the better releases of recent times and a serious contender for album of 2008. If only we could hear something like this live too…
Lineup
Vocals – Forever:
Hansi Kursch
Daniel Gildenlow
Thomas Englund
Jonas Renkse
Jorn Lande
Anneke van Giersbergen
Steve Lee
Bob Catley
Floor Jansen
Magali Luyten
Vocals – Man:
Simone Simons
Phideaux Xavier
Wudstik
Marjan Welman
Liselotte Hegt
Arjen Anthony Lucassen
Ty Tabor
Arjen Lucassen – all instruments
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Lori Linstruth – guitar
Michael Romeo – guitar
Derek Sherinian – keyboards
Thomas Bodin – keyboards
Joost van den Broek – keyboards
Ed Warby – drums
Jeroen Goossens – flute
Ben Mathot – violin
David Faber – cello
Production
Arjen Lucassen
Track list
CD 1
1. Age of Shadows 10:47
2. Comatose 04:26
3. Liquid Eternity 08:10
4. Connect the Dots 04:13
5. Beneath the Waves (Beneath the Waves – Face the Facts – But a Memory… – World Without Walls – Reality Bleeds) 08:26
6. Newborn Race (The Incentive – The Vision – The Procedure – Another Life – Newborn Race – The Conclusion) 07:49
7. Ride the Comet 03:29
8. Web of Lies 02:50
CD 2
1. The Fifth Extinction (Glimmer of Hope – World of Tomorrow Dreams – Collision Course – From the Ashes – Glimmer of Hope (Reprise)) 10:29
2. Waking Dreams 06:31
3. The Truth is in Here 05:12
4. Unnatural Selection 07:15
5. River of Time 04:24
6. E=MC2 05:50
7. The Sixth Extinction (Echoes on the Wind – Radioactive Grave – 2085 – To the Planet of Red – Spirit on the Wind – Complete the Circle) 12:18
