@Jeff Hall I hope you'll have the time of your life. A colleague that I visit Nightwish with asked me to join this Aryeon concert but I'll be in France for my holiday at that time visiting 2 rugby matches at The World Cup Rugby.
Thanks, took a lot of time but ..... finally 😉😉. FYI: SINGERS: James Labrie - Lead singer for Dream Theatre. Tommy Karevik - Lead singer of Kamelot and Seventh Wonder. Tommy Rodgers - Lead singer of Between the Buried and Me. Simone Simons - Lead singer of Epica. Nils K. Rue - Lead singer of Pagan's Mind and also worked with Eidolon. Tobias Sammet - Lead singer of Edguy & Avantasia. Hansi Kürsch - Lead singer of Blind Guardian and Demons & Wizards. Mike Mills - Multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and main songwriter for Toehider. Russell Allen - Lead singer of Symphony X (Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Allen/Lande). Michael Eriksen - Lead singer of Circus Maximus. Floor Jansen - Lead singer of After Forever, ReVamp & now Nightwish. INSTRUMENTALISTS: Joost van den Broek (ex-After Forever) - grand piano and electric piano, Maaike Peterse (Kingfisher Sky) - cello, Ed Warby - (Gorefest) drums, Ben Mathot - violin, Jeroen Goossens (ex-Pater Moeskroen) - flute and wind instruments, Arjen Anthony Lucassen - electric and acoustic guitars, all other instruments
The cool thing about Ayreon is that all the albums sort of tie into the same story. 'The Source' (the album which this song is from) is technically the start of the story. It's about a race of humans that give control of their planet to a computer (the 'frame) to help solve an environmental catastrophe, but the computer determines that the best course of action is to eliminate the humans. Ten humans and the robot TH-1 escape the planet on the only interstellar ship they have (the 'Starblade') along with the ships crew and head to an ocean planet. The chemist creates a drug ('The Source', aka 'Liquid Eternity') that allows them to evolve into an 'aquatic race'. The drug also makes them basically immortal and allows them to communicate telepathically. The album ends with the survivors (ten plus the ships small crew) living on their new planet ('Planet Y') in relative peace, but in the final track we learn that TH-1 is becoming a new version of the 'frame deep in the ocean. The next album in the timeline, 01011001 ('Y') tells us how machines have now taken over this new planet, and the humans have basically merged with the machines are losing their emotions and sense of time. They now call themselves 'The Forever', since they are essentially ageless drones at this point. We also learn about how they seeded a comet with DNA and sent it to Earth, where it creates human life on our planet. The Forever believe they can live through us telepathically and that they may regain their emotions by doing so. Some of The Forever believe that we need to advance more quickly, and use their telepathy to give us medicine/technology, but this results in us advancing quicker than our morality can cope with. Eventually The Forever realize humanity is doomed and has to decide if they will give them the technology to reverse their past mistakes. Somewhere in the timeline sits the album 'The Electric Castle'From a summary by Arjen: "At the end of the journey those that successfully dealt with their personal demons find out that the voice belongs to an alien named 'Forever of the Stars', a member of an alien race living in a distant galaxy. These aliens created planet Earth and its people as an experiment so they could study, and hopefully one day experience emotions, as they themselves lost feelings eons ago." That's only three albums (less than half!) but I believe those three give you a solid foundation for how the story plays out. Also, I highly recommend any of the Electric Castle Live videos; They are just so fun to watch, plus John de Lancie ('Q' from Star Trek) plays the 'Forever of the Stars' character, which Arjen said he originally based on Q.
Thanks for this comment. I saw Arjen in an interview saying that he got mixed up himself with the story lines and had to ask fans how to the different story parts actually fit.
Here is a list of the composer and singers in order of appearance: Arjen Lucassen - Composer - Dutch singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist musician and record producer best known for his long-running progressive metal/rock opera project Ayreon. James Labrie - Lead singer for Dream Theater. Tommy Karevik - Lead singer of Kamelot and Seventh Wonder. Tommy Rodgers - Lead singer of Between the Buried and Me. Simone Simons - Lead singer of Epica. Nils K. Rue - Lead singer of Pagan's Mind and also worked with Eidolon. Tobias Sammet - Lead singer of Edguy & Avantasia. Hansi Kürsch - Lead singer of Blind Guardian and Demons & Wizards. Mike Mills - Multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and main songwriter for Toehider. Russell Allen - Lead singer of Symphony X and Allen/Lande. Michael Eriksen - Lead singer of Circus Maximus. Floor Jansen - Lead singer of After Forever, ReVamp & now Nightwish. Instrumentalists Joost van den Broek (ex-After Forever) - grand piano and electric piano Maaike Peterse (Kingfisher Sky) - cello Ed Warby - drums Ben Mathot - violin Jeroen Goossens (ex-Pater Moeskroen) - flute, wind instruments Arjen Anthony Lucassen - electric and acoustic guitars, all other instruments (composer) Next I would suggest reacting to the performances at Ayreon Universe concert, especially the following Intergalactic Space Crusaders, River of Time, Merlin's Will, Valley of the Queens, Ride the Comet, Star of Sirrah, And the Druids Turn to Stone, Age of Shadows & Everybody Dies.
Well done, like always 😘. If you want to see all the talents on one stage watch Ayreon live universe. A superb journey. Not one single song will disappoint, I promise
Great reaction!!! You guys know Simone Simons too because Epica reaction of Beyond The Matrix that you did. About this music, MASTERPIECE is the only possible definition.
Thanks for doing this reaction - Ayreon are a rare treat for us geriatrics who grew up in the 70s listening to Prog Rock " Concept Albums " . Unlike today's kids ( with the attention span of goldfish ) who can only concentrate for 3 minutes at a time 😉we were weaned on albums where it wasn't uncommon for one track to take up a whole side of the album ( or even DOUBLE album ) and you had to really concentrate while listening so you knew WTF was going on 😂. Even the background graphics are vaguely Roger Dean like ( the guy who did some of the most iconic album covers EVER ) . This whole project is masterful - not only musically but because he was able to bring together superb artists from so many great bands
Great reaction. This is a rock opera where the entire album (actually albums since they are all part of the story) describes the flight of our ancestors from their planet of Alpha. Each singer represents a different character and they appear throughout the album. Arjen has another project called Star One, where each song is related to a different science fiction show. Keep rocking.
Just found your channel with this reaction. What a great reaction! It's hard to find people who so genuine, so thank you for creating and sharing this with us, keep up the awesome work!
Arjen virtually discovered Floor and Irene. SIR Joost was the keyboard player in Floor's first band After Forever and, like Ed Warby turns up with numerous Dutch bands
pronouncing the project name : it is kinda like "AIR-ee-on". Kinda Sorta. This was a WONDERFUL reaction. Thank you so much for getting around to Mr Lucassen's work of art. You caught the genius of his writing-for-a-specific-singer. After this one, I would try to listen to the Live/Concert versions of the song. The musicians he brings together are truly amazing, and you can tell they are all having the best time, playing his music. I'd I may offer a few "live" suggestions : Everybody Dies, Intergalactic Space Crusaders, River of Time, Age of Shadows, Twisted Coil (an amazing vocal performance in this last one!!)
Andrej is not wrong when he says it sounds a bit 'old' at times, considering Arjen's influences are the Beatles, Electric Light Orchestra, Camel, Jethro Tull and Iron Maiden (just to name those he mentions in this video, I am sure there are more...). Great reaction as always! And the can of worms has been opened: so many new rabbit holes to explore...🤘🏻
This is a trure Masterpiece! Excellent casting of vocalists, and then there's Floor 💗👸. The genius behind all this is "The Tall Hippie Dude", Arjen Anthony Lucassen, the tallest known rock musician (203 cm). ⛄👍
Floor is Arjen's "clean-up hitter" (baseball reference) she often finishes the songs off. This sng is like a sampler plate from your favorite restaurant, you get a little taste of so many GREAT artists!
Well, This Rabbit hole is deep..... Ayreon is a musical project by Dutch songwriter, singer, musician and record producer Arjen Anthony Lucassen. Ayreon's music is described as progressive rock, progressive metal and power metal sometimes combined with genres such as folk, electronica, experimental and classical music. The majority of Ayreon's albums are dubbed "rock operas" because the albums contain complex storylines featuring a host of characters, usually with each one being represented by a unique vocalist. Each Ayreon album tells a different story, but all, with the exceptions of Actual Fantasy, The Theory of Everything, and Transitus, take place in the same fictional, science fiction universe; additionally, Lucassen's solo album Lost in the New Real is also set in the Ayreon universe. Ayreon's music is characterized by the use of traditional instruments in rock music mixed with instruments more native to folk and classical music. Lucassen writes the music and the lyrics, sings and plays most of the instruments on all of the Ayreon albums, alongside many guest musicians. His most regular collaborator is drummer Ed Warby. The binary code means "Trust TH-1" The singers in order of appearance are: James LaBrie from "Dream Theater" Tommy Karevik from "Kamelot", "Seventh Wonder" Tommy Rogers from "Between the Buried and Me" Simone Simons from the most epic "Epica" Nils K. Rue from "Pagan's Mind" and "Eidolon" Tobias Sammet from "Edguy" and here mentioned "Avantasia" Hansi Kürsch the „Bard from Walhalla“ from "Blind Guardian" Mike Mills playing a computer and singing binary from "Toehider" Russell Allen from "Symphony X" Michael Eriksen from "Circus Maximus" and last but not least the incredible Valkyrie Goddess Floor Jansen from "Nightwish" NWSU/Ayreonaut/Epican ✌😎🤘.
Arjen has been working with over 100 of the top of the top of musicians and singers from all over the world. He started found Floor in year 2000, and later her sister Irene. As others have told, the binary code days 'Thrust TH1' - stands for 'Toehider 1' - that's what Michael Mills calls himself in Australia. Russell Allen and Floor goes way back, and have made a couple of mind blowing duets like Phantom of the Opera and Sweet Curse.. Great reaction from you 👍 (this is an ongoing story, which Arjen partly get inspired from his fans, that are giving him suggestions)
It's basically a SciFi symphonic metal opera. And we live to see it created. The Source tells us about the main line. But there are many side stories that also consist of a line of songs, a kind of "annex" opera suite: Into the Electric Castle, 01011001, The Theory of Everything, The Human Equation, The Universal Migrator and Transitus. Recently, Arjen has reworked "Timeline". Once in so many years Arjen (together with musical director Joost van den Broek) organizes a live session, usually in the Dutch town Tilburg in '013', a 3000 ppl venue. Tickets sell out in four minutes once the booking opens. But if you miss it, there appear excellent quality registrations on internet and on DVD (no ads!). On stage, Arjen only occupies a modest role, he invites a brilliant selection of highly talented musicians. You can find live registrations on YT under the name Ayreon Universe. If you are curious about how the story continues, check out "Everybody Dies"' and "The Star of Sirrah." Live shows....
You commented on the piano. That's Joost van den Broek. Besides all his great works if you have not listened to Floor Jansen doing Alone during lockdown, I think his part is sublime on that track he is also apparently producing her own solo material.
What a marvelous introduction to some newly discovered voices, from them to other bands. The creativity of Michael Mills! All different voices. "trust th1" His band is Toehider (TH) F-bomb! The piano, Sir Joost van den Broek (who plays for Floor too). Arjen brings the best out of them. Arjen is taller than Floor :)
So glad you got to this one. You are always a treat to watch when you do a reaction. All I can say, it to have a listen to the whole CD. Then you will absorb the true essence of Prog Rock. Keep up the great work. You have a lot of admirers.
I see that you both like Russell Allen too! FYI, Russell Allen and Floor Jansen are both my favorite singers, and there are songs that they used to duet in. They dueted in ReVamp's Sweet Curse live and Phantom Of The Opera among other epic songs. You should check Symphony X too!! 😁🤘
Aireon You’re about to fall into a big rabbit hole and you’ll never want to climb out of it again. Arjen sings in both epic live concerts: Ayreon Universe live The electric castle live and other tales. This concert is better played in order of songs to understand the story. The albums are, of course, great. Every project by Arjen is worth visiting. Like Star One (with Floor Jansen’s sister Irene).
I have been quietly following you guys for quite a while now, I just have to say that I love your energy! You both always bring something interesting to the table! I've been on an Ayreon binge for the last half a year now, and I'm glad you got around to them, too! Imagine trying to set this lineup into a live setting! Well, Arjen managed to pull that off, too. Maybe not every artist on the recording was able to fit it into their schedule, but most did, and he found great "stand-ins" for the the ones who couldn't make it. You can find all of the Ayreon Universe show from 2017 around the 'tube, and it's packed full of goodness from Ayreon's catalogue, as well as bits and bobs from one of Arjen's other projects, Star One. Must-sees, I think, would be: Intergalactic Space Crusaders, Dawn of a Million Souls, Valley of the Queens, Star of Sirrah, Age of Shadows, Day Sixteen: Loser, Comatose, Everybody Dies, The Eye of Ra... But it's really hard to pick favourites out of 28 outstanding songs, and from a show that is just pure goodness from one end to the other! Keep being you!
It is pronounced Air-eon. Mike Mills was playing the role of the computer TH-1. Thus the reason he was singing binary code. Much of Ayreon music is like a musical play or Broadway story performance. Each vocalist play a role in the story. Have you check out "Valley of the Queens" from the live Ayreon Universe show. See links for some other great Ayreon performances. th-cam.com/video/TbebO5BZi-I/w-d-xo.html - Ayreon - Valley Of The Queens (Ayreon Universe) th-cam.com/video/NdNmCwHnciI/w-d-xo.html - Ayreon - Valley Of The Queens featuring Anneke Van Giersbergen (Floors inspiration) th-cam.com/video/9AAXtUdM7xE/w-d-xo.html - Ayreon - Everybody Dies (Ayreon Universe) th-cam.com/video/Z6YFbgMzkZY/w-d-xo.html - Ayreon Isis And Osiris Live In Tilburg 2019
this is great he? Arjen(Ayreon)Lucassen is on the same level as Tuomas from Nightwish as a composer the music is more prog/rock metal/opra IMO he is from the Netherlands like me...yes he is a analoge genius ...really a fun reacton as always❤✨🎄
Thank you for your honest, heart-felt review. In case no-one else has mentioned it in the comments, the binary sung be Michael Mills who plays TH-1, translates as "Trust TH1". Hope you enjoy the ride through Arjen's rabbit-hole!
Michael Mills performance was so good it got a F-Bomb drop. I am so happy right now! Beautiful music has that a effect on people and is an honour, nothing to be ashamed of. Check out Toehider! I need more curse words in my MerchantOfAlba vids. Yaaaas!
With this song you summoned me, a longtime Ayreon fan, to this channel (again...). Ayreon is a huge rabbithole and you will get lost in all the stories, albums, songs etc. But it is a enjoyable journey and please do more Ayreon songs!!!
Beautiful reaction you guys. I agree with all other recommendations, but must add one more. Ayreon - Ride the comet live. I rarely see it recommended and that performance is just something fantastic to me.
@Skeeze Smith Michael Mills plays the part of the android TH-1. He is not evil, but helps the humans to escape to planet Y. The evil computer would be the Frame here, but remember that he was given control over planet Alpha by the humans namely the President in order to find a solution for the problems they have. Unfortunately the 'cold machine' does its calculations and the solution is to get rid of the humans. They in turn didn't see that coming and now struggle to survive and ultimately make a new start on planet Y.
@@matzek.3220 Thank you for your comment and explaining it perfectly. I for some reason always assume it's kinda obvious TH-1 is one of the 'good guys'. It's not ... :)
This is the first song off the album and is the intro to the story of the album which is the last album directly involving the story arc in terms of its creation but in terms of the story fits in towards the start of the arc....🤣🤣🤣 confusion is mandatory!! It is very hard to suggest a song for Ayreon but this one is as good as any as it falls very early in the story time line and introduces you to a lot of the cast of singers that Ayreon uses.
Russell Allen plays the president, he has a phenomenal voice, though you wouldn't get your blues fill from Symphony X iol as they are technical power/progressive metal. Sadly my blues knowledge is too low to be able to recommend anything along those lines however I did just want to say I really enjoyed your reaction.
I am a great admirer of Arjen Lucassen and Ayreon, and as a musician and composer I must admire their enormous talent. I have seen many reactions to this magnificent masterpiece and yours shows the passion for music that you have and what it has provoked in you is what all musicians want with our music. Enjoy Ayreon more now that you know him and you will fall in love with him as much as I do. I have a project similar to Ayreon underway and I hope at some point you can react to my work. Greetings from Spain
Great reaction guys. You guys have heard Simone before in your reaction to Epica's Beyond the Matrix. Arjen is very famous worldwide for his multiple projects (Ayreon, Star One, Stream of Passion, etc.) and being invited to sing on one of his projects, especially Ayreon, is a huge honor. His songs are like a gateway drug to lots of great progressive rock and heavy metal bands. I really love Tommy Karevik's voice. Checkout his live performance with his band Kamelot and guest singer Charlotte Wessels (ex singer for Delain) in the song Under Grey Skies. A beautiful song about never giving up on yourself or those you love.
The Source is just the astonishing album! Really worth of listening to! By the way, u should definitely try a listen on Symphony X (Russel Allen) and Avantasia (Tobias Sammet) ;)
Russell Allen is the singer of Symphony X, and other projects. You would love Symphony X - this is their masterpiece: th-cam.com/video/MaN3pwBsRf8/w-d-xo.html
Arjen Lucassen has a home in Braband a province of the Nederland,s the home is a old school bilding so he has many rooms for his studio and ol his stuf . I think he nows everi artist in the world and the al like to work whit him ( nowes Floor and Irene sind she was 17)
Now that was a great reaction , thanks for making me smile. I know that the live version of "Everybody Dies" will make your heads spin. your going to love this - th-cam.com/video/9AAXtUdM7xE/w-d-xo.html
So will the rest of the show. 16 Vocalist´s, 14 of them Lead singers in their own bands. You will need a while to find so much talent combined on 1 stage again. th-cam.com/play/PLJGn3wi7b7b606GfoKAdOgm6rtX9OliRc.html
The live versions of his albums are perfect for a nice sarturday night watch with your family as it has sci-fi music influances of all eras , story telling and kind of musical vibes, ranging from young to old.
Yes, My Favorite Composer of all time! I get to go to Holland from the US next year to see the live show in Sept 2023 and its a dream come true!
Meet you there maybe, Jeff🎸🤘🏻
@Jeff Hall I hope you'll have the time of your life. A colleague that I visit Nightwish with asked me to join this Aryeon concert but I'll be in France for my holiday at that time visiting 2 rugby matches at The World Cup Rugby.
See ya all there
What a massive masterpiece of a song. Alll those vocalists everything, it's come together with such perfection!
Hey, you're probably not the first person to drop an F-bomb alter listening to that Michael Mills section! 😂🤣
Thanks, took a lot of time but ..... finally 😉😉.
FYI:
SINGERS: James Labrie - Lead singer for Dream Theatre. Tommy Karevik - Lead singer of Kamelot and Seventh Wonder. Tommy Rodgers - Lead singer of Between the Buried and Me. Simone Simons - Lead singer of Epica. Nils K. Rue - Lead singer of Pagan's Mind and also worked with Eidolon. Tobias Sammet - Lead singer of Edguy & Avantasia. Hansi Kürsch - Lead singer of Blind Guardian and Demons & Wizards. Mike Mills - Multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and main songwriter for Toehider. Russell Allen - Lead singer of Symphony X (Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Allen/Lande). Michael Eriksen - Lead singer of Circus Maximus. Floor Jansen - Lead singer of After Forever, ReVamp & now Nightwish.
INSTRUMENTALISTS: Joost van den Broek (ex-After Forever) - grand piano and electric piano, Maaike Peterse (Kingfisher Sky) - cello, Ed Warby - (Gorefest) drums, Ben Mathot - violin, Jeroen Goossens (ex-Pater Moeskroen) - flute and wind instruments, Arjen Anthony Lucassen - electric and acoustic guitars, all other instruments
The cool thing about Ayreon is that all the albums sort of tie into the same story. 'The Source' (the album which this song is from) is technically the start of the story. It's about a race of humans that give control of their planet to a computer (the 'frame) to help solve an environmental catastrophe, but the computer determines that the best course of action is to eliminate the humans. Ten humans and the robot TH-1 escape the planet on the only interstellar ship they have (the 'Starblade') along with the ships crew and head to an ocean planet. The chemist creates a drug ('The Source', aka 'Liquid Eternity') that allows them to evolve into an 'aquatic race'. The drug also makes them basically immortal and allows them to communicate telepathically. The album ends with the survivors (ten plus the ships small crew) living on their new planet ('Planet Y') in relative peace, but in the final track we learn that TH-1 is becoming a new version of the 'frame deep in the ocean. The next album in the timeline, 01011001 ('Y') tells us how machines have now taken over this new planet, and the humans have basically merged with the machines are losing their emotions and sense of time. They now call themselves 'The Forever', since they are essentially ageless drones at this point. We also learn about how they seeded a comet with DNA and sent it to Earth, where it creates human life on our planet. The Forever believe they can live through us telepathically and that they may regain their emotions by doing so. Some of The Forever believe that we need to advance more quickly, and use their telepathy to give us medicine/technology, but this results in us advancing quicker than our morality can cope with. Eventually The Forever realize humanity is doomed and has to decide if they will give them the technology to reverse their past mistakes. Somewhere in the timeline sits the album 'The Electric Castle'From a summary by Arjen: "At the end of the journey those that successfully dealt with their personal demons find out that the voice belongs to an alien named 'Forever of the Stars', a member of an alien race living in a distant galaxy. These aliens created planet Earth and its people as an experiment so they could study, and hopefully one day experience emotions, as they themselves lost feelings eons ago." That's only three albums (less than half!) but I believe those three give you a solid foundation for how the story plays out. Also, I highly recommend any of the Electric Castle Live videos; They are just so fun to watch, plus John de Lancie ('Q' from Star Trek) plays the 'Forever of the Stars' character, which Arjen said he originally based on Q.
Thanks for this comment. I saw Arjen in an interview saying that he got mixed up himself with the story lines and had to ask fans how to the different story parts actually fit.
love you guys
Here is a list of the composer and singers in order of appearance:
Arjen Lucassen - Composer - Dutch singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist musician and record producer best known for his long-running progressive metal/rock opera project Ayreon.
James Labrie - Lead singer for Dream Theater.
Tommy Karevik - Lead singer of Kamelot and Seventh Wonder.
Tommy Rodgers - Lead singer of Between the Buried and Me.
Simone Simons - Lead singer of Epica.
Nils K. Rue - Lead singer of Pagan's Mind and also worked with Eidolon.
Tobias Sammet - Lead singer of Edguy & Avantasia.
Hansi Kürsch - Lead singer of Blind Guardian and Demons & Wizards.
Mike Mills - Multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and main songwriter for Toehider.
Russell Allen - Lead singer of Symphony X and Allen/Lande.
Michael Eriksen - Lead singer of Circus Maximus.
Floor Jansen - Lead singer of After Forever, ReVamp & now Nightwish.
Instrumentalists
Joost van den Broek (ex-After Forever) - grand piano and electric piano
Maaike Peterse (Kingfisher Sky) - cello
Ed Warby - drums
Ben Mathot - violin
Jeroen Goossens (ex-Pater Moeskroen) - flute, wind instruments
Arjen Anthony Lucassen - electric and acoustic guitars, all other instruments (composer)
Next I would suggest reacting to the performances at Ayreon Universe concert, especially the following Intergalactic Space Crusaders, River of Time, Merlin's Will, Valley of the Queens, Ride the Comet, Star of Sirrah, And the Druids Turn to Stone, Age of Shadows & Everybody Dies.
Wash your mouth out with soap !!!!! So funny when passion takes over,well done you two.
It was awesome to watch the joy radiating from your faces
Well done, like always 😘. If you want to see all the talents on one stage watch Ayreon live universe. A superb journey. Not one single song will disappoint, I promise
I concur! I'd love to see you do the Universe concert song by song.
Yeah, that was my reaction, effing brilliant. Such a genuine reaction, I laughed so much. Good on you.
you cracked me up with the swearing part 🤣 I love your reactions, you are so genuine. Thank you!
It is so F…ng good😳😂, well it is, and you guys are pure joy! Great reaction. Greetings from Alabama 😎
Great reaction!!!
You guys know Simone Simons too because Epica reaction of Beyond The Matrix that you did.
About this music, MASTERPIECE is the only possible definition.
I love Ayreon, it's like a prog rock opera or musical with an over arching storyline. always packed with top tier musicians.
Thanks for doing this reaction - Ayreon are a rare treat for us geriatrics who grew up in the 70s listening to Prog Rock " Concept Albums " . Unlike today's kids ( with the attention span of goldfish ) who can only concentrate for 3 minutes at a time 😉we were weaned on albums where it wasn't uncommon for one track to take up a whole side of the album ( or even DOUBLE album ) and you had to really concentrate while listening so you knew WTF was going on 😂. Even the background graphics are vaguely Roger Dean like ( the guy who did some of the most iconic album covers EVER ) . This whole project is masterful - not only musically but because he was able to bring together superb artists from so many great bands
Great reaction. This is a rock opera where the entire album (actually albums since they are all part of the story) describes the flight of our ancestors from their planet of Alpha. Each singer represents a different character and they appear throughout the album. Arjen has another project called Star One, where each song is related to a different science fiction show. Keep rocking.
From the art cover to the musicians, from the music to all his projects with Ayreon, Star One and much more. He is really amazing !
I knew you would like it! I really, really like your reaction! Thanks!
Just found your channel with this reaction. What a great reaction! It's hard to find people who so genuine, so thank you for creating and sharing this with us, keep up the awesome work!
Those are some heavy weights musicians and singers 🤯
Love it ❤️🤘
Absolutely fantastic!!
Russell Allen was one of Floor's mentors and Joost on piano collaborates with her on some of her solo projects.
Arjen virtually discovered Floor and Irene. SIR Joost was the keyboard player in Floor's first band After Forever and, like Ed Warby turns up with numerous Dutch bands
pronouncing the project name : it is kinda like "AIR-ee-on".
Kinda Sorta.
This was a WONDERFUL reaction. Thank you so much for getting around to Mr Lucassen's work of art.
You caught the genius of his writing-for-a-specific-singer. After this one, I would try to listen to the Live/Concert versions of the song.
The musicians he brings together are truly amazing, and you can tell they are all having the best time, playing his music.
I'd I may offer a few "live" suggestions : Everybody Dies, Intergalactic Space Crusaders, River of Time, Age of Shadows, Twisted Coil (an amazing vocal performance in this last one!!)
Guys you are too kind, pure hearted. Love you both! Love your reactions! 🤘🤓
01:10 phonetically it sounds like "AIR-ree-on"
The Ayreon Universe is about 100 artists thick.
Andrej is not wrong when he says it sounds a bit 'old' at times, considering Arjen's influences are the Beatles, Electric Light Orchestra, Camel, Jethro Tull and Iron Maiden (just to name those he mentions in this video, I am sure there are more...).
Great reaction as always!
And the can of worms has been opened: so many new rabbit holes to explore...🤘🏻
This is a trure Masterpiece! Excellent casting of vocalists, and then there's Floor 💗👸. The genius behind all this is "The Tall Hippie Dude", Arjen Anthony Lucassen, the tallest known rock musician (203 cm). ⛄👍
Floor is Arjen's "clean-up hitter" (baseball reference) she often finishes the songs off. This sng is like a sampler plate from your favorite restaurant, you get a little taste of so many GREAT artists!
Well, This Rabbit hole is deep.....
Ayreon is a musical project by Dutch songwriter, singer, musician and record producer Arjen Anthony Lucassen. Ayreon's music is described as progressive rock, progressive metal and power metal sometimes combined with genres such as folk, electronica, experimental and classical music. The majority of Ayreon's albums are dubbed "rock operas" because the albums contain complex storylines featuring a host of characters, usually with each one being represented by a unique vocalist.
Each Ayreon album tells a different story, but all, with the exceptions of Actual Fantasy, The Theory of Everything, and Transitus, take place in the same fictional, science fiction universe; additionally, Lucassen's solo album Lost in the New Real is also set in the Ayreon universe. Ayreon's music is characterized by the use of traditional instruments in rock music mixed with instruments more native to folk and classical music. Lucassen writes the music and the lyrics, sings and plays most of the instruments on all of the Ayreon albums, alongside many guest musicians. His most regular collaborator is drummer Ed Warby.
The binary code means "Trust TH-1"
The singers in order of appearance are:
James LaBrie from "Dream Theater"
Tommy Karevik from "Kamelot", "Seventh Wonder"
Tommy Rogers from "Between the Buried and Me"
Simone Simons from the most epic "Epica"
Nils K. Rue from "Pagan's Mind" and "Eidolon"
Tobias Sammet from "Edguy" and here mentioned "Avantasia"
Hansi Kürsch the „Bard from Walhalla“ from "Blind Guardian"
Mike Mills playing a computer and singing binary from "Toehider"
Russell Allen from "Symphony X"
Michael Eriksen from "Circus Maximus"
and last but not least the incredible Valkyrie Goddess Floor Jansen from "Nightwish"
NWSU/Ayreonaut/Epican ✌😎🤘.
Arjen Lucassen is a musical genius!
Arjen has been working with over 100 of the top of the top of musicians and singers from all over the world. He started found Floor in year 2000, and later her sister Irene.
As others have told, the binary code days 'Thrust TH1' - stands for 'Toehider 1' - that's what Michael Mills calls himself in Australia.
Russell Allen and Floor goes way back, and have made a couple of mind blowing duets like Phantom of the Opera and Sweet Curse..
Great reaction from you 👍
(this is an ongoing story, which Arjen partly get inspired from his fans, that are giving him suggestions)
Greets from the Netherlands, no idea what we have in the water, but we seem to breed metal goddesses ;-)
Definitely check out more Ayreon, especially live shows.
It's basically a SciFi symphonic metal opera. And we live to see it created. The Source tells us about the main line. But there are many side stories that also consist of a line of songs, a kind of "annex" opera suite: Into the Electric Castle, 01011001, The Theory of Everything, The Human Equation, The Universal Migrator and Transitus. Recently, Arjen has reworked "Timeline".
Once in so many years Arjen (together with musical director Joost van den Broek) organizes a live session, usually in the Dutch town Tilburg in '013', a 3000 ppl venue. Tickets sell out in four minutes once the booking opens. But if you miss it, there appear excellent quality registrations on internet and on DVD (no ads!). On stage, Arjen only occupies a modest role, he invites a brilliant selection of highly talented musicians. You can find live registrations on YT under the name Ayreon Universe. If you are curious about how the story continues, check out "Everybody Dies"' and "The Star of Sirrah." Live shows....
Hi from NZ, you guys do the best reactions, the wee expletive was the highlight of my day...
You commented on the piano. That's Joost van den Broek. Besides all his great works if you have not listened to Floor Jansen doing Alone during lockdown, I think his part is sublime on that track he is also apparently producing her own solo material.
She's right, You sound very excited and no, it's not a bad thing.
What a marvelous introduction to some newly discovered voices, from them to other bands.
The creativity of Michael Mills! All different voices.
"trust th1" His band is Toehider (TH)
F-bomb!
The piano, Sir Joost van den Broek (who plays for Floor too).
Arjen brings the best out of them.
Arjen is taller than Floor :)
The Mike Mills part of this is the most amazing thing I have ever seen a musician do.
'Genius' doesn't even cover it.
I believe Floor was 16 when she first performed for Arjen.
That was when I first discovered Floor and After Forever
Nahh - Arjen found her in the year 2000, so 19.
I don't remember when he started to use Irene (Floor's sister)
I 'swear' that this is one of the finest reactions on YT so far! Love from The Netherlands
So glad you got to this one. You are always a treat to watch when you do a reaction.
All I can say, it to have a listen to the whole CD. Then you will absorb the true essence of Prog Rock.
Keep up the great work. You have a lot of admirers.
You two are so much fun to watch. :D
I see that you both like Russell Allen too! FYI, Russell Allen and Floor Jansen are both my favorite singers, and there are songs that they used to duet in. They dueted in ReVamp's Sweet Curse live and Phantom Of The Opera among other epic songs. You should check Symphony X too!! 😁🤘
Hi Andreas and Dominika, great reaction as always, please check also the live version of Ayreon- Age of Shadows you will love it i am sure
BTW - was waiting expectantly to see you guys smile when Floor appeared 😂😂😂
Aireon
You’re about to fall into a big rabbit hole and you’ll never want to climb out of it again.
Arjen sings in both epic live concerts:
Ayreon Universe live
The electric castle live and other tales. This concert is better played in order of songs to understand the story.
The albums are, of course, great.
Every project by Arjen is worth visiting. Like Star One (with Floor Jansen’s sister Irene).
I have been quietly following you guys for quite a while now, I just have to say that I love your energy! You both always bring something interesting to the table! I've been on an Ayreon binge for the last half a year now, and I'm glad you got around to them, too! Imagine trying to set this lineup into a live setting! Well, Arjen managed to pull that off, too. Maybe not every artist on the recording was able to fit it into their schedule, but most did, and he found great "stand-ins" for the the ones who couldn't make it. You can find all of the Ayreon Universe show from 2017 around the 'tube, and it's packed full of goodness from Ayreon's catalogue, as well as bits and bobs from one of Arjen's other projects, Star One. Must-sees, I think, would be: Intergalactic Space Crusaders, Dawn of a Million Souls, Valley of the Queens, Star of Sirrah, Age of Shadows, Day Sixteen: Loser, Comatose, Everybody Dies, The Eye of Ra... But it's really hard to pick favourites out of 28 outstanding songs, and from a show that is just pure goodness from one end to the other!
Keep being you!
It is pronounced Air-eon. Mike Mills was playing the role of the computer TH-1. Thus the reason he was singing binary code. Much of Ayreon music is like a musical play or Broadway story performance. Each vocalist play a role in the story. Have you check out "Valley of the Queens" from the live Ayreon Universe show. See links for some other great Ayreon performances.
th-cam.com/video/TbebO5BZi-I/w-d-xo.html - Ayreon - Valley Of The Queens (Ayreon Universe)
th-cam.com/video/NdNmCwHnciI/w-d-xo.html - Ayreon - Valley Of The Queens featuring Anneke Van Giersbergen (Floors inspiration)
th-cam.com/video/9AAXtUdM7xE/w-d-xo.html - Ayreon - Everybody Dies (Ayreon Universe)
th-cam.com/video/Z6YFbgMzkZY/w-d-xo.html - Ayreon Isis And Osiris Live In Tilburg 2019
And Arjen Anthony Lucassen is one of the people who is so much taller than Floor at 203 cms tall. LOL
this is great he? Arjen(Ayreon)Lucassen is on the same level as Tuomas from Nightwish as a composer the music is more prog/rock metal/opra IMO he is from the Netherlands like me...yes he is a analoge genius ...really a fun reacton as always❤✨🎄
Thank you for your honest, heart-felt review. In case no-one else has mentioned it in the comments, the binary sung be Michael Mills who plays TH-1, translates as "Trust TH1". Hope you enjoy the ride through Arjen's rabbit-hole!
🇬🇧 Norfolk with you guys so many talented artists lives are great
Michael Mills performance was so good it got a F-Bomb drop. I am so happy right now! Beautiful music has that a effect on people and is an honour, nothing to be ashamed of. Check out Toehider! I need more curse words in my MerchantOfAlba vids. Yaaaas!
Always fun to watch you 2...😁
With this song you summoned me, a longtime Ayreon fan, to this channel (again...). Ayreon is a huge rabbithole and you will get lost in all the stories, albums, songs etc. But it is a enjoyable journey and please do more Ayreon songs!!!
So good. I thought about butyng this as a present for myself, but I see it is on Spotify. Now I can listen to the whole thing!
Beautiful reaction you guys. I agree with all other recommendations, but must add one more. Ayreon - Ride the comet live. I rarely see it recommended and that performance is just something fantastic to me.
Michael Mills played the part of the evil computer. That’s why his lyrics were in binary code. 😄🤘
Skeeze Smith The binairy code is real and actually spells "Trust TH-1"
@Skeeze Smith Michael Mills plays the part of the android TH-1. He is not evil, but helps the humans to escape to planet Y. The evil computer would be the Frame here, but remember that he was given control over planet Alpha by the humans namely the President in order to find a solution for the problems they have. Unfortunately the 'cold machine' does its calculations and the solution is to get rid of the humans. They in turn didn't see that coming and now struggle to survive and ultimately make a new start on planet Y.
@@matzek.3220 Thank you for your comment and explaining it perfectly. I for some reason always assume it's kinda obvious TH-1 is one of the 'good guys'. It's not ... :)
@@hansolo2121 My pleasure and thank you for your kind words.
However only after posting, I realized, I kind of spoiled the story of The Source....😅
@@matzek.3220 Thanks for the explanation. I don't know the story only the song.
Other Arjen's project Star One is great too. I recommend song Prescient as Michael Mills is there as well. I wszystkiego dobrego . 😉
It reminds me of the original 'war of the worlds' songs. Telling a story, sf, lots of emotions and narrations. Same ish atmosphere
This is the first song off the album and is the intro to the story of the album which is the last album directly involving the story arc in terms of its creation but in terms of the story fits in towards the start of the arc....🤣🤣🤣 confusion is mandatory!! It is very hard to suggest a song for Ayreon but this one is as good as any as it falls very early in the story time line and introduces you to a lot of the cast of singers that Ayreon uses.
Clicked like button first second.
❤❤❤
I did a lot of woohoohoo-ing too when I first saw this, made me go out and buy a whole bunch of Ayreon cds
Russell Allen plays the president, he has a phenomenal voice, though you wouldn't get your blues fill from Symphony X iol as they are technical power/progressive metal. Sadly my blues knowledge is too low to be able to recommend anything along those lines however I did just want to say I really enjoyed your reaction.
I am a great admirer of Arjen Lucassen and Ayreon, and as a musician and composer I must admire their enormous talent. I have seen many reactions to this magnificent masterpiece and yours shows the passion for music that you have and what it has provoked in you is what all musicians want with our music. Enjoy Ayreon more now that you know him and you will fall in love with him as much as I do. I have a project similar to Ayreon underway and I hope at some point you can react to my work. Greetings from Spain
Great reaction guys. You guys have heard Simone before in your reaction to Epica's Beyond the Matrix. Arjen is very famous worldwide for his multiple projects (Ayreon, Star One, Stream of Passion, etc.) and being invited to sing on one of his projects, especially Ayreon, is a huge honor. His songs are like a gateway drug to lots of great progressive rock and heavy metal bands. I really love Tommy Karevik's voice. Checkout his live performance with his band Kamelot and guest singer Charlotte Wessels (ex singer for Delain) in the song Under Grey Skies. A beautiful song about never giving up on yourself or those you love.
If u love Hansi's voice u should listen to ayreon- river of time😉
Besides composer Arjen Lukassen is a singer and multi instrumentalist.
The Source is just the astonishing album! Really worth of listening to! By the way, u should definitely try a listen on Symphony X (Russel Allen) and Avantasia (Tobias Sammet) ;)
Try Floor's version of '' slow love slow '' if you like bluesy 💕
Yes, Arjen likes to hold the #Floorbomb until the end of the songs usually. :)
The zero - one lyrics says "Trust TH-1" who is the robot that Michael Mills' character.
Avantasia should be on your radar.
I didnt hear swearing, you clearly said "frog" :D
Mike Mills represents the computer TH1 singing "1010100 1110010 1110101 1110011 1110100 100000 1010100 1001000 110001"
the ASCII encoded binary digits for "Trust TH1" (the computer)
It's only natural, because Arjen is so f*cking good! 😂
Do check out Kamelot with Tommy and Roy Khan on lead before him.
Its pronounced Air-eon. 🤘😉
OMG the very first swear word from you, 🤣🤣
Russell Allen is the singer of Symphony X, and other projects. You would love Symphony X - this is their masterpiece: th-cam.com/video/MaN3pwBsRf8/w-d-xo.html
🤗🍒🤘🏻😘
Hello There
Please Check out the whole Album, its a musical journey and you would love it.
Greetings
Info: Floor has always been Arjen's muse, since she was 16 years old.
19 not 16
@@mandje2002 16...since the "my house on Mars" where she was the backing vocalist. Since then.
Arjen Lucassen has a home in Braband a province of the Nederland,s the home is a old school bilding so he has many rooms for his studio and ol his stuf .
I think he nows everi artist in the world and the al like to work whit him ( nowes Floor and Irene sind she was 17)
Now that was a great reaction , thanks for making me smile. I know that the live version of "Everybody Dies" will make your heads spin. your going to love this - th-cam.com/video/9AAXtUdM7xE/w-d-xo.html
So will the rest of the show. 16 Vocalist´s, 14 of them Lead singers in their own bands. You will need a while to find so much talent combined on 1 stage again.
th-cam.com/play/PLJGn3wi7b7b606GfoKAdOgm6rtX9OliRc.html
first
Go on swear again LOL
You not gonna listen once, not twice, not……..
I am shocked and horrified at the F bomb (not) - next time make him say it in binary ❗
Nie przeklinaj, bo to w ch*j nie ładnie. 🤣
The live versions of his albums are perfect for a nice sarturday night watch with your family as it has sci-fi music influances of all eras , story telling and kind of musical vibes, ranging from young to old.