The Human Equation

Roy K.- Imhotep Magazine

03-06-2004

(10/10)

When Arjen Lucassen melts his visions into a musical experience, you easily know there's something major coming to two ears safely placed on each side of your head. With "The Human Equation" I think Ayreon has taken one step ahead compared to the former two albums, which actually was one album divided into two parts. While "The Dream Sequencer" and "Flight Of The Migrator" were one silent and one rough album, this new double-album goes up and down and up and down throughout the whole album. One song is silent, the next is hard, the third is both, the fourth is a bit more silent than rough… …and so it goes.

Arjen has once again invited various known vocalists to help him out, let me just name Mikael Åkerfeldt, Devon Graves, Devin Townsend, James LaBrie and Irene Jansen. In addition to creating the music and the lyrical concept Arjen does one of the vocals himself. The great thing about this work of his, as well as his former works, is that even though I don't like every vocalist equally that doesn't bother me one second once I get into the album. I don't know if it's by pure luck, but to me it seems like Arjen feels who shall sing what part and his senses are always right.

Another great aspect with an album like "The Human Equation" is that you feel like listen to a whole album instead of one song after another. You actually travel into the mind and experiences of the main-figure, and you start to feel emotions together with him and his roles and family/friends. Even if you don't like every song as much as the other you don't care because every song is more like a travel from one part of 'his' life to another. Arjen also succeeds completely when we listen to a track like "Day seven: Hope". I mean, when I listen to this track I really feel HOPE and relives the great time when the days were shorter and all you could care about was playing and looking at these strange beings known as small girls being the same age as you. Electrifying.

There's something in every song that should raise your eyebrows, and Arjen surely knows how to keep a song interesting. He builds and changes directions all along, but still he keeps exactly on the same line he pointed out from the first seconds of the first day. A song like "Day twelve: Trauma" consists of everything I demand from a perfect song. It is epic and huge, it is silent and calm, it's intriguing and challenging. I have by now heard the album at least 10 times (in just very few days) and still I notice different things each time. Just like when Passion sings her part there are some sound effects in the background and I noticed them now instead of during an earlier listening. Then the second time Passions sings her part Arjen has even added extra effects to the sections. The song changes from being silent, just like when Fear sings his parts to the majestic voice of Pride. I should add to this that Fear sings in both his calm and his deadly vocal, and I easily get those goosebumps all real listeners are looking for.

The album deals with a man and his life. He's fallen into coma, and thoughts concerning his life and actions are dealt with through various emotions like Fear, Pride, Agony and Passion, but also through the harsh words of his Father, Wife, Best Friend and Love.

Arjen has surprised me with this album in the sense that I didn't think he could ever overdo "The Final Experiment" but frankly speaking I think this album is equally good or maybe even better. It's an album I will play again and again, it's an album that will make life easier when times are rough and money gone away… …it's an album like "The Human Equation" that makes life worth living.

As said, not every song are equally good in themselves but as a whole this album is excellent and really going somewhere. I can understand if somebody focus on one song first, then the next and so on and finds out that he/she doesn't enjoy every song of the album. Because, after "Day twelve: Trauma" it's back to earth again with "Day thirteen: Sign", which is a nice ballad but it can't compete with the former day.

While I'm talking about emotions, I have to salute Arjen for giving me hints throughout the album about its solution. But, I must admit I had to listen to the album twice before I really understood the end. Then I began to search for hints given during these 20 days. And the ending; well, let's just inform you that I'm sure you'll be as surprised as I was if you show some patience and listen to the album from beginning to end. It's worth 2 points in itself, but as I don't give more than top score they don't add much to the already given score. "The Human Equation" is an album I'm afraid only Rhapsody can come close to this year. Though, I sense even Rhapsody will fail in completion with Ayreon's new masterpiece of art. (RK)

, a behind the scenes feature showing the recording process of drums and bass with Ed Warby and Peter Vink, plus a nice booklet with detailed song commentary by Arjen Lucassen himself. I was pleased to read how he was inspired to write some of those songs I'd been listening to for years. Very good packaging indeed.

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